Don't Hover It If You Won't Pick It?

Guan Zeyuan's remark fired up the chat, and before long, the Ban and Pick phase began again amid the discussion.

The tangled history of love and hate between Wei and Elk—no, between Wei and BLG—was hard to untangle.

But who didn't enjoy watching this kind of drama?

On Weibo Gaming's side, the first three bans came without hesitation: Sivir, Neeko, and Vi.

IG banned Jayce, Ambessa, and Ryze.

Then Weibo Gaming wasted no time picking Yunara for Elk as their first pick.

On the current Weibo Gaming roster, of the two carries, Xiaohu more often played the role of an engine for the team's tempo rather than a true hypercarry, while Zika in the top lane was better at fighters and tanks and tended to play his own game.

Jiejie could play carry junglers, but only a handful, and they were all difficult to bring out in the current patch.

That meant WBG needed Elk to carry games, and they needed him to deal enough damage.

So Weibo Gaming chose to first-pick Yunara for Elk again, a champion who was relatively strong from the laning phase through teamfights in the current patch.

IG locked in the old Orianna and Jarvan IV combination, though that was also because both champions were fairly solid choices for game two in the current patch.

Weibo Gaming took Nautilus and Bunny with their second and third picks. Both champions could perform very well in early- and mid-game skirmishes.

And since IG had already picked their mid and jungle in the first two slots, they would most likely only be able to take their ADC from the bot-lane duo in their first three picks. That left WBG's last two bans available to target the support.

With their third pick, IG took Miss Fortune for Uzi, though he actually played her relatively rarely.

But Miss Fortune had one advantage: if she built Bloodthirster first, she had strong sustain in mid lane and could keep pushing waves.

"IG's composition is too idealistic. It's a perfect teamfight composition for solo queue, but pulling off those perfect plays in a match is still too difficult." Guan Zeyuan wasn't particularly optimistic about IG's first three picks.

Weibo Gaming then used their fourth and fifth bans on Leona and Rakan, two supports who could engage alongside Orianna and Jarvan IV.

IG banned Dr. Mundo and Qiyana, two possible jungle picks.

The commentators continued discussing the Ban and Pick.

"Oh, Jayce was banned. IG picks Yone for TheShy in the fourth slot. TheShy's itching to play him! TheShy hasn't used this new champion onstage yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing how his Yone performs this game.

"Now let's see what Zika chooses to play into Yone. Here it comes! The crocodile king, Renekton—instantly locked in! This is Zika's absolute signature pick. For a while last year, he was even the only player who could win games with Renekton."

"They've picked Xin Zhao for Jiejie. Weibo Gaming is planning to play for the early and mid game in game two. This composition is very solid in early- and mid-game fights over objectives."

"IG has once again saved the counterpick for support. Let's see what champion Lin Heng chooses this game. His Taliyah last game was a real surprise. Let's see whether he has another trick up his sleeve."

But when Guan Zeyuan saw the champion on the screen, his brain failed to register it for a moment. A full half-second later, he suddenly shouted in excitement:

"Wait! You're hovering that too?!"

The audience erupted. In the fifth slot, Lin Heng had hovered the Demon Jester—Shaco.

Both people involved in the Shaco hover incident were present, and the incident had sparked enormous attention and discussion the previous year.

Elk had even been dubbed the "Shaco Emperor" for a time.

Whether it really had been an "accidental click," as he had said, or whether he had done it deliberately was impossible to verify. Only he knew.

But for Wei, who had been kicked out of the club, it surely would have felt a little uncomfortable.

"Man, your ID makes me afraid to even say it out loud, in case the viewers misunderstand. And now you're throwing it right in his face? Fine! Let it blow up! Lock it in if you've got the guts. I really don't believe you will!"

There was a hint of anticipation and excitement in Guan Zeyuan's voice. This kind of scene was right up his alley.

The chat was boiling over too.

[Don't hover it if you won't pick it!]*N

[Justice will prevail!!]*N

[Shaco is here!]

[Joker playing Joker. An absolute professional.]

[Man, if you dare lock it in, I won't flame you even if you lose.]

[I'll look down on you if you don't lock it in!]

[I really don't believe it either. What can that thing even do?]

[Lock it in and you're Heath Ledger. Don't, and you're 369.]

[What's wrong with 369?]

[Yeah, why would I say 369?]

In the fifth slot, Lin Heng had everyone on tenterhooks, taking his time to lock in.

In those twenty-odd seconds, the chat reached a fever pitch.

"He locked it in!!! Huh??? Wait, man, you're actually serious?!" Guan Zeyuan shouted onstage in an extremely exaggerated tone, as if he had just seen the most unbelievable thing.

"This is ridiculous! I thought you were just hovering him, but you're really going to play him?!"

"He really locked it in. Young players should be bold with their picks. Uh... Is this support or jungle, though? Could he swap with Wei, with Jarvan IV support and Shaco jungle?" 957 was the first to raise the question.

"Never mind that for now. Let me borrow the famous commentator Mao Mao's exact words: 'League of Legends has 166 champions. If you don't dare pick them, why are you playing League of Legends?' Of course, there are 172 champions now, but that's not important. What matters is having the courage to be the first and putting it into practice! Think what others don't dare think, and do what others don't dare do. That's the beauty of League of Legends!"

That Shaco lock-in seemed to have struck a chord with Guan Zeyuan, making him commentate loudly and passionately. Then, still not quite satisfied, he added:

"The moment he dared to lock it in, I think, on some level, he had already won."

957 agreed wholeheartedly and continued:

"It's confirmed: Jarvan IV jungle and Shaco support. This is also the first Shaco support in LPL history. Young players really are imaginative and bold. On a team jokingly called the 'All-Star Class,' his every move will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass. All I can say is that by daring to pick Shaco, he has already proven his mental strength."

As they waited to enter the game, the chat was spamming in unison:

[Awesome!]

[Justice will prevail!]

[Whether he's the king of Shaco or the real Shaco depends on how he plays this game.]

[Shaco support, hahahaha.]

[This kid really is Uzi's karma, isn't he? Every cause has its effect!]

[The second of Danny's nine trials—Shaco support.]

[I really can't imagine what use that thing is as a support.]

[Shaco veteran with ten thousand games here: take Hail of Blades and Q at level one, jump straight onto the ADC, use Ignite, and three attacks will force the ADC's Flash.]

The final lineups were set!

IG: Yone, Jarvan IV, Orianna, Miss Fortune, Shaco.

Weibo Gaming: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Bunny, Yunara, Nautilus.