Xia An

By the time Lin Heng and Danny finished analyzing and preparing for JingDong Gaming, it was already two in the morning.

Lin Heng had only just arrived in the LPL. Although he was extremely confident in himself, he had been a little on edge these past two days and hadn't gotten enough rest.

On top of playing a match today, he had also had an incredibly intense solo session with TheShy, and he couldn't help yawning.

He wanted to open ranked and keep training, but he felt he wasn't in the right state.

After washing his face, Lin Heng decided to watch today's BLG vs. Weibo Gaming match, which he hadn't had time to see yet.

It was early in the season, and everyone was still figuring out their champion picks. Watching more matches from different teams was a good way to improve his understanding.

Lin Heng missed hardly any important matches from the three major regions. He didn't just watch them, either; he analyzed every part that was played well.

Over the past few years, nearly everyone's attention had shifted exclusively to the LCK and LPL. Many people had stopped watching the LEC and the wildcard regions altogether.

Lin Heng, however, had learned a great deal from them.

Many players over there were bold and individualistic, and they were always coming up with fresh ideas that caught people's eyes.

By contrast, matches in the LCK and LPL were becoming increasingly formulaic and dull. When Lin Heng watched those two regions, he mainly analyzed the playstyles and habits of certain players on those teams.

That way, he could respond better when he faced them.

While Lin Heng was analyzing the match, his phone chimed twice in quick succession.

He picked it up and saw that the first message was an invitation from Shi Yue.

"Hurry and hop on. We're still one short for Haidou."

"You guys go ahead. I'm preparing for a match," Lin Heng replied briefly.

Lin Heng opened the second message and found it was from Xia An, whom he had added during yesterday's match against Anyone's Legend.

As a newcomer to the LPL who had amazed everyone to some degree in his first two matches and was handsome to boot, Lin Heng was rapidly gaining popularity.

That also meant Lin Heng was forced to make promotional appearances after every match, doing short interviews with the hosts and recording awkward videos.

Today, he had also recorded an awkward dance video with Xia An, and the two had added each other on WeChat afterward.

"Are you training?"

"I'm watching the recording of today's BLG and Weibo Gaming match," Lin Heng replied.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. Could you message me when you have time?" Xia An asked.

"Now's fine. Go ahead." Lin Heng was curious. Wasn't Xia An a host? What could she want to ask him?

"Oh, okay. I wanted to ask which you think has the advantage in the laning phase this patch, engage supports or enchanter supports.

"What role do they play in tactical systems and team compositions? I've noticed your team's drafts have been very flexible these past two days, and they've all played very important roles. I think you're well qualified to speak on this.

"If anything involves your team's tactical plans, you can skip it."

Xia An quickly sent the messages one after another.

Lin Heng was a little surprised that she wanted to discuss the game with him, but he replied anyway.

"Both engage supports and enchanters are viable this patch. If your ADC is very aggressive and strong in lane, pick an enchanter to help him break through. If your jungler and mid laner are strong at setting the tempo, then an engage support will give you more value.

"But... honestly, I don't think there are many ADCs in the LPL and LCK combined who can truly be called aggressive. The LCK is too professional, and most clubs put too many restrictions on their ADCs, so they often end up playing as late-game carries.

"On our side, a lot of players seem to pick aggressive ADCs, but they can't actually put on much pressure.

"After all, bot lane usually involves two people. Some ADCs are aggressive, but their supports are rather passive. Some supports are aggressive, but their ADCs prefer to farm and play for the late game. That often leaves them lacking aggression.

"Of course, that includes us. Uzi is still getting back into form. I hope he keeps it up and can show you what aggression really means later on.

"So I think enchanters are the strongest this patch, but engage supports are still the best for picking up points—engage supports with strong roaming ability, like Pyke, who can help the team build an advantage early on."

Having answered the first question, Lin Heng paused briefly to see if Xia An had any follow-up questions.

Since they were chatting on WeChat, Lin Heng could only give a fairly rough answer. Xia An seemed to take a moment to digest his views on the other end of the phone, then said politely:

"You're so patient, brother. Thanks so much! What about the second question?"

Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, "It's pretty hard to build a system around a support. Matches these days are all about individual ability. Teams try to make every lane comfortable and keep a steady tempo. They don't build a system around any one lane, much less the support."

"But I watched you play a global composition with four protecting one built around your Shen today, and it worked really well."

"That was an unconventional trick to begin with. We won't play it often, and other teams rarely play that way either. The support has always been the sacrificial role. If you need protection, pick protection; if you need engage, pick engage."

Xia An thought for a moment, then replied happily, "Thank you so much, God Lin~ I'll write it all down in my little notebook~~"

She then sent over a very cute kitten sticker.

Only then did Lin Heng ask what had been puzzling him. "Aren't you a host? Why are you asking about all this?"

Xia An replied quickly. "Hosts need professional knowledge too! If we win the championship one day and I need to translate or offer some useful insights, wouldn't I embarrass the LPL if I came across as a complete amateur?~"

Lin Heng was momentarily taken aback, then laughed. "Hahaha, that's a sense of pride in your region that a lot of players don't even have. Keep it up. You're welcome to ask me about anything related to matches."

"Of course, I also hope we pro players can make sure your hard work isn't wasted and bring home the Worlds championship that we haven't seen in so long."

He meant every word. These days, many players, let alone feeling pride in their region, felt no pride in their own teams at all.

Society was a pragmatic place, but there were already so many pragmatic people. Did the world really need one more among their bunch of youngsters who knew nothing but playing games?

No, it didn't.

On this path, only by keeping their heads down, moving forward, and smashing every obstacle in front of them could they claim the ultimate honor.

A person's energy was finite. Thinking too much about other things would cost them much of their passion to give it their all.

Looking at the reply on her phone screen, Xia An's lips curled upward, only to sink again a little gloomily.

Where, exactly, was hope? Four years without a Worlds title had plunged the LPL into darkness.

They called themselves the second-best region, but wasn't that a kind of cowardice too?

There was no first place in literature, but no second place in combat.

In competitive sports, the championship was the only thing worth pursuing.

Better to be like Bin: I'm the best top laner in the world. Everyone else can think what they want; I'll work toward that goal myself.