Xu Junyan, Who Is Gaining a Lot of Points

Today's LCK casters are the veteran Roaring Emperor Jeon Yong-jun and CT Kim Dong-jun, both seasoned commentators in the LCK scene.

After all, there's a big event happening today!

The LCK region has initiated the use of foreign players for the first time, and it's none other than the three-time champion dynasty SKT, their top-tier powerhouse in the LCK! If they had brought in an ordinary commentator, they might not have been able to control the situation.

And that's exactly what happened. LCK viewers were extremely dissatisfied with SKT breaking convention and signing a foreign player. Even at today's event, many people were holding up protest signs, saying that the LCK had plenty of strong top laners, so why import a foreign player?

However, thanks to Xu Junyan's striking looks, a portion of the female fans who were also preparing to protest suddenly defected and switched their allegiance.

These female fans, who might have been the most vocal protesters today, were now staring at Xu Junyan with sparkling eyes, unable to look away.

"Oh my god! Such a handsome player, even more handsome than Peanut! I'm going to lose it."

"Is this SKT's new foreign player? OMG! Great signing! SKT, well done!"

"Which boy group did this Oppa escape from? Sob~ He's so handsome it's hitting me right in the heart!"

"Go Oppa!"

"Aish! Those guys next to me barking like dogs are so annoying. What's wrong with a foreign player? Did he eat their rice or something?"

"Exactly! The match hasn't even started, and they're already barking nonstop. What if Oppa dominates later? Won't that slap them in the face?"

"Even if Oppa doesn't play well today, it's understandable, right? After all, as a foreign player, it's too tough for Oppa to debut on his first day in the LCK against last year's champion top laner."

"Silence Oppa~!!"

There will always be people who judge based on appearance, especially in South Korea, where the idol culture is so prevalent. Xu Junyan's visual appeal scored major points!

KkOma walked at the very back of the team, his view unobstructed. He personally witnessed a group of female fans in the audience quickly put away their signs protesting SKT signing a foreign player, and instead, they started shouting 'Go Junyan Oppa!' with starry eyes.

KkOma's eye twitched. He thought to himself with a mix of amusement and despair, 'Seriously, there's such a thing?' This was an outcome he hadn't anticipated.

"Dong-jun, what are your thoughts on today's match? On one side, we have a 0-2 record, the S7 runner-up, and on the other, a 2-0 record, the S7 champion." Roaring Emperor asked his partner with a smile.

CT pondered for a moment before commenting, "Although KSV has secured two consecutive wins, they don't seem to possess that invincible aura they had last year."

"Oh~! Be careful saying things like that, you might upset people. Are you belittling the new world champions?" Roaring Emperor teased.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

CT waved his hands repeatedly, then changed the subject. "As for SKT, their current lineup is essentially the same as on the first day, with just a change in the top laner. Therefore, there's not much to say. It's clear at a glance that the fate of SKT today seems to rest on the shoulders of this, our LCK's first mid-lane foreign player."

"Ah, I can already feel the pressure he's under," Roaring Emperor exclaimed, clearly agreeing with CT's assessment.

"Actually, I did some special research on this player, Silence, and the results were quite strange."

CT continued his professional analysis. "This player previously served with the LPL team RNG, but he made very few appearances for RNG. His last appearance should be familiar to everyone. I'll just mention it, and everyone will know... the Gnar from the second game of the semifinals."

"If you put it that way, it is indeed very memorable. I remember he dealt explosive damage back then and often initiated great team fights, though, of course, they were all countered by our SKT," Roaring Emperor said proudly.

CT hesitated for a moment before deciding not to mention the conflict between Xu Junyan and RNG that he had uncovered.

He dared not!

After all, SKT was a top-tier powerhouse. Standing in the commentator's position and spreading such rumors, he had to weigh his options carefully.

Otherwise, if Xu Junyan played exceptionally well today and SKT decided to fully invest in his development, he would be in a very awkward position.

"That's right, perhaps they'll get to know each other through competition. Former rivals, now teammates, who knows what sparks they'll create," CT chuckled.

As they spoke, the BP phase began.

In the S8 season, due to the major changes in keystone runes, many champions fell from grace. Soft supports once again plunged into the abyss, while hard supports made a strong comeback.

Furthermore, in the top lane, champions like Rumble and Shen, which were extremely popular in the World Championship, were removed from the T1 tier.

Soon, SKT's first three bans were revealed: Gangplank, Ryze, and Xayah.

KSV's first three bans were Galio, Azir, and Kalista.

"Damn!"

At SKT's player booth, Xu Junyan's mouth twitched. Due to an unfavorable start, he silently removed the title [Hey~! I Just Don't Ban Galio] and replaced it with [Peeking in the Dark! Sharp Eyes].

It seemed that the LCK coaches were all terrified of Faker's Galio, banning it on sight.

This way, his overall game awareness and some of his situational prediction abilities would decrease slightly, but it wasn't a big deal.

After all, the title [Peeking in the Dark! Sharp Eyes] was quite good; it just required him to pay more attention to his teammates' expressions. Besides, with the title [My Hands Are Really Shaking], he didn't have to worry about getting caught at all.

"Junyan, we're on the blue side. How about letting you pick later? Let Blank have the first pick. We need Sejuani for the initiation."

KkOma lingered behind everyone, his eyes fixed on his notebook, speaking in a negotiating tone.

"I'm perfectly fine with that," Xu Junyan said with a smile.

KkOma nodded with satisfaction. Blank, naturally, had no objections and dared not have any.

His current position was quite awkward. He had just participated in Untara's palace intrigue incident, and now, because of Xu Junyan's arrival, the palace intrigue had failed. What was worse, the ringleader of the palace intrigue, Untara, had become Xu Junyan's subordinate. This was truly... Aishibashiba!

Thus, SKT's first pick was Sejuani!

KSV's opening two picks, seemingly confident, secured the Kha'Zix + Taliyah mid-jungle combination.

The choice then returned to SKT.

Roaring Emperor and CT were both predicting that it was time for a mid-laner. Although the new season had only officially begun not long ago, it was already clear to everyone that mid-laners would need to carry the team this year!

If SKT didn't pick a mid laner soon, KSV would continue to target their picks in the next two bans, especially since their three core mage picks—Azir, Ryze, and Taliyah—were all gone now.

However, SKT actually made a decision that no one expected. To everyone's surprise, they prioritized a core mage, directly locking in their bottom lane duo in the second and third picks.

ADC: Ashe!

Support: Braum!

"Huh?"

The Roaring Emperor and CT immediately questioned this, unable to comprehend it, and exchanged bewildered glances. The next moment, with KSV banning Thresh as their third pick, there was no surprise as they continued to target the mid lane on the ban side.

Zoe, Corki, banned!