Today's LCK broadcast featured Roaring Emperor Jeon Yong-jun and CT Kim Dong-jun, both veterans of the LCK casting scene.
After all, there was major news today!
For the first time, the LCK had brought in an import, and it was the three-time dynasty champions SKT, the LCK's greatest powerhouse, who had done it! An ordinary pair of casters might not have been able to handle the atmosphere.
That was the truth. LCK viewers were extremely dissatisfied with SKT breaking convention to hire an import. Even at the venue today, quite a few people were still holding signs in protest, saying that the LCK had plenty of strong top laners, so why did they need an import?
However, thanks to Xu Junyan's looks, some female fans who had also come prepared to protest suddenly defected from the original camp.
These female fans might originally have been the strongest fighting force among today's protesters, but now, their eyes were sparkling as they stared fixedly at Xu Junyan, unwilling to look away.
"My God! He's so handsome! He's even more handsome than Peanut! I'm going crazy."
"So this is SKT's new import? Oh my God! Great signing! SKT did amazing!"
"Which boy band did this Oppa escape from? Wuwu~ He's so handsome he went straight for my heart!"
"Oppa, fighting!"
"Damn it~! Those people next to us who keep barking like dogs are so annoying. What's wrong with an import? Did he eat their rice?"
"Exactly! The match hasn't even started, and they've been barking nonstop. If Oppa starts slaughtering everyone later, won't that slap them in the face?"
"Even if Oppa doesn't play well today, wouldn't that be understandable? He's an import, and on his first day playing in the LCK, he has to face last year's championship top laner. It's too hard on him."
"Silence Oppa~!!"
There would never be a shortage of people obsessed with looks, especially in idol-crazed South Korea. Xu Junyan's appearance was scoring big points!
kkOma walked at the very back of the team, with a broad view of the stands. He watched with his own eyes as a group of female fans swiftly put away their signs cursing SKT for hiring an import, then began shouting with starry eyes, "Junyan Oppa, fighting!"
kkOma's eye twitched. He thought to himself with a mixture of amusement and disbelief, There's such a good thing? This was definitely not a development he had anticipated.
"What does Dong-jun think of today's match? One side is 0-2, last year's S7 runner-up, while the other is 2-0, the S7 champion." Roaring Emperor smiled at his partner.
CT pondered briefly before commenting, "Although KSV have claimed two straight wins so far, they no longer seem to carry the same unstoppable aura they had last year."
"Ooh~! Be careful saying that, or you might upset some people. Are you belittling the newly crowned world champions?" Roaring Emperor teased.
"I wouldn't dare."
CT waved his hands repeatedly, then changed the subject. "As for SKT, their current lineup is actually only different from Day 1 in the top lane. So there isn't much to say. It's obvious at a glance that SKT's fate today seems to rest in the hands of this first Chinese import in LCK history."
"Ah, I can practically feel the pressure he's carrying already." Roaring Emperor sighed, clearly agreeing with CT's assessment.
"Actually, I specifically looked into this player, Silence, before, and the results were rather strange."
CT continued his professional analysis. "This player once played for RNG in the LPL, but he made very few appearances for RNG. His last appearance should be familiar to everyone. I only need to mention it briefly, and you'll know... Gnar in Game 2 of the semifinals."
"When you put it that way, I do remember. I recall that he dealt explosive damage at the time and always started some excellent teamfights. Of course, SKT countered all of them." Roaring Emperor said proudly.
CT hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not mention the conflict he had uncovered between Xu Junyan and RNG.
He did not dare!
SKT was, after all, a top-tier powerhouse. As a commentator, he had to weigh his words before spreading such rumors.
Otherwise, if Xu Junyan played brilliantly today and SKT decided to fully commit to developing him, CT would be left in a very awkward position.
"That's right. You get to know each other through battle, perhaps. Former opponents, present teammates—I wonder what sparks they'll create." CT laughed.
As they spoke, the draft had already begun.
In the S8 season, due to the massive overhaul of keystone runes, many champions had fallen from grace. Enchanter supports had once again sunk into the abyss, while tank supports had once again risen to prominence.
Meanwhile, in the top lane, champions such as Rumble and Shen, who had shone brightly at Worlds, had also dropped out of the T1 ranks.
Before long, SKT's first three bans appeared: Gangplank, Ryze, and Rakan.
KSV's three bans were Galio, Azir, and Kalista.
"Damn!"
At SKT's player booth, Xu Junyan's mouth twitched. With an unfavorable start, he silently removed the title "Hey~! I Don't Ban Galio" and replaced it with "Peering from the Shadows! Sharp Eyes."
It seemed that LCK coaches feared Faker's Galio like a tiger. The moment they saw it, they banned it.
As a result, although his overall game awareness and ability to predict certain situations would decline just a little, it was no big deal.
After all, "Peering from the Shadows! Sharp Eyes" was a pretty good title too. At most, he just needed to pay more attention to his teammates' expressions. Besides, with the title "My Hands Are Really Shaking," he did not need to worry about getting ganked at all.
"Junyan, we're on blue side. How about we save your pick for later? Let Blank have first pick. We need Sejuani's engage."
kkOma paced behind them, his eyes fixed on his notebook as he spoke in a negotiating tone.
"I'm completely fine with that." Xu Junyan smiled.
kkOma nodded in satisfaction. Little Black naturally had no objections, nor did he dare to have any.
His position was rather awkward right now. He had clearly participated in Untara's palace intrigue before, but now, because of Xu Junyan's arrival, their coup had failed. The deadly part was that Untara, the leader of that coup, had become Xu Junyan's little brother. This was truly... damn it, damn it!
Thus, SKT first-picked Sejuani!
KSV opened with two picks, confidently taking the Kha'Zix-Taliyah jungle-mid combination.
The choice returned to SKT.
At this point, Roaring Emperor and CT were both predicting that it was time to pick mid lane. Although the new season had only just begun, anyone with eyes could already tell that this year required the mid laner to carry!
If SKT did not pick their mid laner now, KSV would only continue targeting it with their final two bans. After all, the three core mages—Azir, Ryze, and Taliyah—were all gone now.
But SKT truly made a decision no ordinary person could have expected. To hell with securing a core mage first—they directly locked in their bottom lane duo in the second and third picks.
ADC: Ashe!
Support: Braum!
"Huh?"
Roaring Emperor and CT immediately voiced their incomprehension in unison, staring at each other. Then, when KSV took Thresh as their third pick, there was no surprise at all as they continued targeting mid lane with their bans.
Zoe, Corki, banned!
Before you continue