Chapter 22: "Twin Blade Slashing Slide"!

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June 30th, 7:00 PM.

The Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center in Shanghai was packed, and the major streaming platforms were equally ablaze with activity.

At the commentary desk, Jiejie and Miller had already begun their warm-up, syncing with the data provided by the director.

"And so, the second marquee matchup of the day, EDG versus LNG, is about to begin!"

"Let’s take a look at the lineups for today's battle!"

The team posters appeared on screen.

LNG: Ale, Tarzan, Doinb, Light, Lwandy.

EDG: Flandre, Jiejie, YE, Viper, Meiko.

As soon as the images appeared, the live chat exploded, picking up right where the heated discussions of the previous night had left off.

[Here we go! Auntie-Ge's LPL debut is actually against Doinb? Talk about a reunion!]

[Stop calling him Auntie-Ge, he has a proper ID now, it’s 'YE'!]

[EDG sure knows how to generate traffic. They intentionally put this rookie against Doinb in his first game. Don't tell me they actually think two irrelevant ranked games mean anything? And they benched my boy Scout for this!]

[To be fair, Scout was defeated by Doinb in the Spring Split ^.^]

[I watched those two streams; it was purely a skill gap. Let's see today if Doinb gets his revenge or if he gets hunted down by this rookie again!]

[Ranked and professional play are quite different, I wouldn't hype him up too early, watch out for the inevitable boomerang~]

The roster announcement from the previous night had caused the EDG official Weibo comment section to implode. The primary source of the fire was, naturally, the "Scout Moms" (his die-hard fans).

While EDG had promoted rookies to the main roster before, it was unprecedented to promote someone and immediately slot them into the starting lineup just days later. The fact that EDG had started the Summer Split with two consecutive losses only fueled the speculation.

However, there were also many voices defending Ye Bo. After all, whether it was his "Carry in a five-support game" or his "one-versus-nine in the LDL," Ye Bo had maintained a very positive image, earning him quite a bit of goodwill from casual viewers.

"As we all know, the biggest change today is the substitution of EDG's mid-laner, and it's a rookie making his LPL debut!" Jiejie brought up the topic at the commentary desk.

"Of course, I suspect that if you spend enough time surfing the web, you won't be too unfamiliar with this player~"

"That’s true, the mid-lane duel today is highly anticipated. After all, these two could be considered 'old rivals'..." Miller chuckled with a knowing look.

"Let’s look at the head-to-head records for this year."

The screen displayed the matchup history between the two teams during the S12 season. In the Spring Split, EDG was defeated 2-0 by this LNG squad, which had newly acquired Doinb as their mid-laner.

"EDG finished seventh in the Spring Split, while LNG placed fifth," Jiejie continued, relaying the data. "Coming into the Summer Split, LNG is currently two and zero."

"On the other hand, for EDG, due to facing tough opponents like JDG and OMG in the opening rounds... they have yet to secure their first victory of the Summer Split."

"Indeed, we know EDG is still adjusting their form. Perhaps that’s the reason they’ve chosen to test this rookie mid-laner today?" Miller added with a nod.

The commentators' phrasing was diplomatic. While calling JDG a "tough opponent" was fair, describing OMG—the sixth-to-last team in the Spring Split—as such was a stretch. Being able to lose to OMG at the start of the Summer Split proved that EDG was struggling to adapt to the meta.

On site, the host, Hilda, dressed in an elegantly designed high-slit purple cheongsam, had already taken the stage. The players were introduced one by one. The cheers were loudest for Doinb and Meiko, as they were the most popular players on their respective teams.

Of course, there was another reason for the EDG side, but he wasn't here today.

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"Next, please welcome the EDG mid-laner, YE!"

Upon hearing his name, Ye Bo couldn't wait and jogged out of the player tunnel. Regardless of whether he could hear his own name being chanted, he wore a bright, radiant smile, waving his hands toward the audience on both sides all the way to his seat.

"This guy, how is he so relaxed for his first time on stage?"

"I really envy these super extroverts..."

"I have to say, he really feels like a young kid, and he looks a bit more handsome than he does on his stream camera."

"He’s definitely more handsome than Scout; Scout is getting old."

The whispers among the EDG fans in the stands were hushed, for fear of being overheard by the "Scout Moms" nearby. They were terrified of being screenshotted and posted on social media!

Sensing the lukewarm reception to Ye Bo's entrance, several male audience members who had a good impression of him, or who had watched his Bilibili videos, immediately offered their support. One fan with a booming voice shouted hoarsely, "Go get 'em, Auntie-Ge!!!"

Hearing the encouragement, Ye Bo waved at that section before sitting down at his station.

"Ye Bo, that nickname of yours is so strange, haha..." Jiejie remarked from his seat.

"Can't help it, everyone hasn't memorized my new ID yet, so I have to work hard to make sure they remember it today!" Ye Bo waved his hand dismissively.

The introduction concluded, and the host completed the pre-match sponsor duties. As the LPL 2022 slogan, "Fearless to the Peak," echoed through the arena, the clanging sounds of the ban and pick phase began!

"It's time! Let's officially enter the draft!"

"Blue side EDG, Red side LNG!"

"EDG starts by banning Galio, while LNG bans Akali! Both are signature champions for these mid-laners!"

Because Ye Bo's performance in the LDL was so famous, everyone knew that this rookie mid-laner had two main specialties: Akali and LeBlanc.

"Ye Bo, no need to use ban slots for the mid lane, right?" Coach Maokai asked.

"Yes, Coach, let's stick to our plan from yesterday. I don't think their mid-laner will pull out anything too strange," Ye Bo responded decisively.

Thanks to Ye Bo's analytical and review capabilities, Maokai, who valued the input of his players, didn't underestimate him just because he was a rookie. In fact, why wouldn't you use a player who was so good at drafting? Ye Bo had been deeply involved in the draft research and tactical design against LNG!

EDG banned Zeri, Light's signature pick. LNG's second ban, however, hovered for a long time.

"Doinb, should we ban his LeBlanc? The champion's strength is actually quite average in this meta," Coach Poppy asked for the player's opinion.

"Ban it. My god, this guy is a 'champion coin'! Ban him out and he won't have anything left to play; I'll crush him in lane!" Doinb, who never took unnecessary risks, was firm in his conviction.

"OK."

As LeBlanc was banned, a gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Wow, LNG has banned both of this rookie's signature champions!" Jiejie pointed out excitedly. "That’s showing him maximum respect!"

"It's a pity. I was actually looking forward to seeing him play those two, I heard he was killing it in the LDL with them~" Miller expressed his regret while offering his analysis. "But to be honest, both LeBlanc and Akali have been heavily impacted by the recent durability update. The current mid-lane meta is dominated by traditional mages."

"EDG bans Jayce, and LNG bans Kalista!"

EDG first-picked Viper’s Aphelios, the most used ADC in this durability meta. LNG countered by taking the Jinx and Tahm Kench bot-lane duo.

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EDG responded by picking Jarvan IV in the jungle to counter the immobile bot-lane duo. However, they hit a snag at the third pick. The support could be picked early, but since there were many options, it was better to wait and counter the enemy's composition. The solo lanes were the same; the later they were picked, the better the matchup advantage. This meant someone had to sacrifice.

"I'll go, Coach! I can play anything!" Ye Bo said without hesitation. "Brothers! Trust me!"

"We trust you, go ahead and pick it. I know you've been practicing it even in your sleep..." Flandre joked.

"Take it, take it. Ye Bo is a beast!" Meiko added his support.

After a week of training, the four teammates clearly understood the strength of this rookie mid-laner. They knew his proficiency on this champion was no less than his other two specialties. Especially Flandre! For the past week, he had often woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of Ye Bo whispering, "Yone, cut!"

"Yone? Yone!" Jiejie looked puzzled. "Whoa! It's locked in!"

Miller frowned slightly. "Yone is arguably better than Akali or LeBlanc. The durability update helps with his early-game weaknesses, but it's definitely not a Tier 1 pick."

"However, it does form a good combo chain with Jarvan IV, so it's a decent mid-jungle duo!"

Yone was Ye Bo's third specialty. Compared to Akali and LeBlanc, his play count was lower, mostly because Yone was a "new champion" released just the year before. However, since the champion's release, Ye Bo had been fascinated by his flashy abilities, high skill ceiling, and his dual identity as both a "fighter" and an "assassin."

Ye Bo knew Doinb wouldn't let him have his other two champions. So, besides practicing the current meta mages, he had spent the week intensive-training on Yone, successfully raising his proficiency to level six.

"My god! How is he picking that!" Doinb was clearly annoyed. He felt like the opponent was looking down on him!

"Give me Jax. Jax has a huge advantage against their mid-jungle-ADC. You can save the counter pick for the mid-laner," Ale, who considered himself a master of Jax, said confidently.

In the second round of bans, both teams continued to target each other's jungle and top lane. LNG picked Poppy in the fourth slot to counter the gap-closing potential of Jarvan IV and Yone.

But this was where the effect of picking Yone early paid off! Having seen the Poppy pick, EDG, who originally planned to pick Rakan to counter, switched to Braum to counter-counter it! Meanwhile, Flandre successfully avoided a bad matchup, picking Kennen to counter Jax in the top lane.

Finally, in the fifth slot, Doinb picked Azir, a strong champion in the current meta with zero survivability pressure.

The lineups were set.

Blue Side: EDG | Red Side: LNG

Top: Kennen vs. Jax

Jungle: Jarvan IV vs. Poppy

Mid: Yone vs. Azir

ADC: Aphelios vs. Jinx

Support: Braum vs. Tahm Kench