Chapter 18: Your Jungler Is Still Spamming F4!
Jiang Ming’s eyes lit up as he quickly checked the hero’s status panel, discovering that the enemy hadn’t fully stacked their armor.
Liking to deal damage was good; if the opponent had properly stacked armor, with Gragas’s early sustain and W damage reduction, finding an opportunity for a solo kill wouldn’t be so easy. But now, whether the enemy Gragas chose cooldown reduction or magic penetration, at level three, all Jiang Ming needed was level three on Zed’s abilities to find an all-in chance.
As a streamer, climbing ranks was important, but so was putting on a good show.
And for a skillful streamer, what could be better than the spectacle of a solo kill in the laning phase?
...
“Play it safe early, wait for me to gank. The new hero’s stats are a bit ridiculous,” Ming Kai typed while clearing jungle camps.
Cool replied succinctly: “No need!”
In front of the computer, a young man’s face darkened as he typed back. Just a minor skill hit—that’s nothing. Gragas’s passive would heal it up; no need to call the jungler.
Cool ignored his thoughts and focused on contesting the lane with Zed.
“This Gragas might as well be worth three hundred gold!”
“Guys, watch my Shadow Slash—Solo! Kill! Finish!”
On screen, the clang of metal echoed through the Rift as Zed’s shurikens grazed Gragas’s oak barrel.
Jiang Ming, whose expression had been calm and immersed in the lane fight, suddenly raised his left hand, performing a one-handed seal, causing the chat to explode with excitement.
[???]
[Holy crap, ninja hand seals!]
[This guy’s acting caught me off guard!]
[Damn, the streamer just scared me!]
[Relax, relax, that’s just a newbie upstairs. If JM doesn’t pull stunts during his stream, I’d be the one surprised.]
[Alright, alright, so this is the legendary one-handed style that can wreck you.]
[Who can even compete with you?]
In the game, Zed’s real form lurked near the river’s edge, pretending to last-hit minions, baiting Cool’s Gragas into throwing a Q skill. Just as the rolling barrel was launched, Zed suddenly activated his W shadow clone.
In an instant, when Gragas raised his hand, Zed and his shadow swapped places, unleashing a basic attack followed by a flurry of four shurikens.
“Ultimate—Shadow Ultimate! Razor Edge!”
“Shadow Ultimate! Ghost Slash!”
After the shurikens came a circle of sharp blade strikes.
---
Flames blazed atop Gragas’s head, and the barrel, which had been at three-quarters health, instantly dropped to a third.
Snap! Another basic attack triggered Zed’s passive, dealing damage based on maximum health.
“Come on, learn solo kill tips from the streamer: first hit, then hit again, then hit a billion more times!”
“Whoa, a dodge too! Your jungler’s still farming F4, no way he’s saving you.”
“Solo kill secured!”
First blood!
JM had slain Cool!
[???]
“Wait, how are we supposed to learn from that? Hit once, then hit a billion times?”
“Are you just ignoring the WQAEA combo earlier?”
“How did the streamer hit level three so fast?”
“Nice, nice, that burst damage is insane.”
“After watching JM’s Zed, I realize it’s not the new hero that’s bad, it’s those noobs practicing new heroes in ranked.”
“Losing a bit of health early, then solo killing at level three? That’s just ridiculous.”
Despite all the praise flooding the chat, Jiang Ming’s expression remained calm after pulling off such a flashy solo kill. Thinking about the show, he took a tactical sip of water, then deliberately adopted a modest tone:
“Thanks to the enemy Gragas for the solo kill tutorial!”
“Did everyone learn it? If not, no worries—today’s tuition is free!”
...
“What? How did mid get solo killed?” Ming Kai, still young, couldn’t help but type two question marks in mid lane.
“Bro, what’s wrong with you? If you’re bad, don’t pretend otherwise. And you said no need for the jungler?”
At level three, Zed had already pinned him down. If this keeps up, they might spawn a boss. Early-game Caitlyn needs to farm; she might be stuck waiting ages for Mercury’s to counter Zed’s ultimate.
Faced with the jungler’s questions, Cool’s face darkened, but he had no way to argue—after all, he had just told the jungler not to come.
“My bad, he stole my level three.”
Earlier, Cool had planned to charge the nearly dead cannon minion with a tanky body slam, dealing AoE and leveling up to three instantly. But Zed’s hand speed was faster, unleashing a synchronized WQE combo.
Zed’s main Q passed through his own Gragas’s body, and the shadow’s Q hit the side minions. The calculated damage precisely killed the cannon minion, pushing Zed to level three.
At level three versus level two, by the time Cool reacted, Zed’s second W dash, ignite, and passive-empowered basic attacks had already unleashed the full burst.
The fight ended with a flash in and flash out, Zed chasing down and finishing with a basic attack under the enemy turret.
---
Stubbornly, Cool typed in the chat box as he respawned at the fountain, glancing at the shop.
His mouse was about to click on the Amplifying Tome, but recalling Zed’s terrifying burst damage, he quickly shifted to the Cloth Armor.
“Ahem, as a mage facing an assassin, starting with a gold-plated vest isn’t a problem.”
...
Back in the game, after securing first blood, Jiang Ming swiftly cleared a wave and returned home, explaining to his viewers:
“Getting first blood means we’re in a good position. Even if Lee Sin comes, we’re not afraid. So push the wave under their turret before backing; otherwise, there’s a risk of getting the lane frozen.”
“Gragas’s respawn and the time it takes to return means he can’t reach in time, so he’ll lose a few minions. By the time the turret has taken enough damage, the new wave will just be arriving mid, so we don’t lose anything.”
“Everyone must remember, kills are valuable, but sometimes minion gold is the real key to widening the gap.”
“Of course, to avoid losing lane experience, we can buy boots now, no need to rush into Brutalizer. Without Flash, Lee Sin coming mid next wave will be dangerous.”
The match continued.
As Jiang Ming said, Ming Kai’s Lee Sin repeatedly visited mid lane over the next few minutes, not frequently targeting the bottom lane’s Smile as some WE fans had expected.
Under pressure from the enemy mid and jungle, Jiang Ming also declined Prince Jarvan’s protection.
“Bro, go gank bot lane, don’t let Caitlyn touch Ezreal’s turret.”
“Brothers and sisters in the livestream, now A-Ming will teach you how to deal with jungler pressure.”
“Buy wards, buy wards, always remember to buy wards!”
“Buying wards isn’t just the support’s job. A ward costs so little compared to losing 300 gold. It’s always worth it.”
“Of course, after buying wards, just placing one on each side of the brush isn’t enough. There’s more to it.”
“We have lane priority now. Lee Sin showed his position with his Sonic Wave at F4, so the bot side jungle has been cleared. That means your wards should focus on the top side.”
“Don’t put wards in the river—place them a bit forward, right in the brush near the Blue Buff wall. A little further forward and you can block their path to gank you.”
“Blue Buff entrance?”
“That’s top laner’s job. If vision is missed there, remember to flame the top laner hard, and they’ll stay quiet.”
“Usually, if a top laner still needs mid and jungle support, they’ll listen to you obediently.”
With a sincere desire to raise the overall skill level of the national server, Jiang Ming controlled his hero while lecturing the audience.