You Call This 'Steady'? Chapter 11

How did JKL rise to prominence in the first place?

A Genius Youngster, the Savior IG had waited a year for, the final piece of the IG Trident, one of the Three Great ADCs of the S7 New Generation—but what did he do in the year he debuted in the S8 LPL?

He held bot alone, enabled jungle-support synergy, and covered for Top Mid Jungle.

What about S9 FPX?

FPX's Mid-Jungle-Support trio was famously strong, and LWX had likewise been the best ADC in the LPL for nearly a year.

The players coaches truly liked were not those who could reliably bulldoze a lane without help. They were players who could Take Over the Game, yet were exceptionally obedient to the coach's arrangements. That was called EQ. At the same time, it could lower expectations and heighten the surprise.

Take Kiting back then. He was hyped so high from the moment he debuted, with every strategy built around bot lane. He had even looked like he wanted to replace Uzi in his very first year. The result... he crashed and burned like a dog.

To be honest.

Laning against LWX's Jinx with a comfortable lane hero like Jhin, Luo Zhen did not feel much pressure.

But Jhin could not Take Over the Game.

So he was Still available waiting.

Rookie and Karsa's form would decline as the games went on due to their age. Even Hong Mi was somewhat helpless when it came to the consistency of players who had only just returned from break. He still had a chance to wait for an opening.

Of course, right now, Most Importantly...

They had to win This Match first!

The Oldest Counter-Engage Method

Bot lane's steady early-game approach gave the enemy jungler no openings. Of course, it had a drawback too: their vision on the Bottom Side was almost completely dark, and they could not tell where the enemy jungler was.

But there was good news as well. Their Upper Area was gradually opening up.

Little Tiger had performed brilliantly during the Demacia Cup. Or rather, in the Demacia Cup of his Previous Life, FPX's most outstanding newcomers had actually been their Rookie Top Laner and Support—Little Tiger and Hang. Even against Storm Jordan, he had held his lane steady.

But... Jordan was no longer playing alone. He had started to Call for backup.

Karsa was such an experienced player. After clearing red, blue, and Frog Consort for a Level 3, he directly used an EQ Combo to circle behind through the Dragon pit, forcing both Little Tiger's Flash and Teleport. Rookie had an easy time against Gori in mid as well. Rookie was in peak form in the First game of a BO5, and whether it was Trading Blows or Push Lane, he maintained the balance flawlessly.

FPX naturally knew they could not let the game continue at this pace. Otherwise, by the time LWX could Take Over the Game, the situation on the map would likely already be beyond saving.

So Beichuan forced a Level 4 play bot, helping the Bot Lane Combo shove the wave under V5's tower.

The signal was simple: they were about to free up the Support Role to roam.

"Are they getting started? FPX's inherited jungle-support synergy?" Seeing the enemy duo shove first and recall first, Luo Zhen placed a marker and told his Support, PPGOD, to be ready to Follow Up at any moment.

"Probably. Then I'll get ready too."

To counter a roaming Support, you had to roam your own Support. If both Supports roamed, V5 bot lane actually had the advantage, because their ADC was Jhin.

Even if he died once or twice while holding bot alone, it would not matter much. As long as the other lanes gained advantages, it was worth it. On the other hand, if Jinx got Caught and Killed while alone in FPX's bot lane, FPX's entire rhythm would be thrown into disarray.

Therefore, Luo Zhen fully supported PPGOD roaming this time.

"Diao Shen, remember this. On this roam, make sure to stir up trouble."

"Don't worry, Ah Zhen. Once I stir up trouble, you'll be the first name I call."

"Ahem, actually, it's fine if you don't stir up trouble. You just need to intimidate their Support."

Hearing that, Luo Zhen instantly Couldn't Hold It. If this dumb kid really went to another lane and drew too much aggro, then when the enemy got angry and came after him, the unlucky one would definitely be him—the Jhin without any mobility.

"Just Kidding. Since I'm roaming, then of course I'm going to stir up trouble. I'm off."

As he spoke, PPGOD's recall had reached its final moment. With a flash of White Light, only Jhin remained in bot lane, a lonely old man mechanically clearing the minion wave.

When playing Scum champions like this, having your Support roam gave you the feeling of raising Traveling Frog.

You did not know where your little frog had gone, nor did you know whether he would cause trouble. But with their Mid-Top-Jungle holding such huge advantages, as long as their Support joined them and the numbers were even, there should not be any major problems.

As for the reasoning...

Hmph, because V5 had already gathered all the ingredients for victory.

Blue Side symbolized Blue Tom.

Last season's sixteen-game losing streak symbolized Bald Qiang.

Karsa's presence symbolized the continuation of the Electric Wolf Soul.

These factors respectively corresponded to Tom, the blue cat who caught mice; Bald Qiang, the bald lumberjack who cut trees in the forest; and Grey Wolf from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. They might look useless, but you had to understand—aside from chopping trees, catching mice, and catching sheep, there seemed to be nothing they could not do.

The three gods had gathered. All things were permitted!

As for him... he only needed to farm in bot lane and trade emotes with Jinx.

With PPGOD's roaming support, even after FPX Activated their roaming core, Support Hang, they could not gain anything in V5's Upper Jungle for the time being. However, they soon changed their plan.

Because they had roamed first, FPX actually held a slight initiative in this round of rotations.

Since they could not open up the pace top lane, they would simply return to bot. Beichuan and Hang immediately launched a Thousand Mile Raid, taking advantage of the tiny window created by their sudden adjustment to charge straight at Luo Zhen in bot lane.

"Does FPX have something planned for AK? Their direction is extremely clear. Are they looking for a quick strike?"

"Can V5 react in time? There was no marker for bot lane, but there was one for mid. That marker was misplaced!"

"This looks like an opportunity! A Thousand Mile Raid—if they can Tower dive and kill Jhin, FPX will secure the first Elemental Dragon!"

"Huh? Wait, why is Jhin backing off?"

Just as the Commentator on stage began shouting at the top of his lungs, ready to use this opportunity to lavish praise on the weaker FPX side, Luo Zhen's Jhin made the Without Hesitation choice to retreat just as a huge wave was about to crash into his tower.

But he did not retreat completely. He only retreated halfway.

He stood at a position that looked like he had sensed danger and wanted to back away, while still barely being able to receive the experience from minions dying under the tower. It was incredibly tempting.

Had he... sensed it?

Or was he really just a coward?

FPX could not tell for a moment.

Holy crap, what danger sense? He could predict even this?

I get it. He must have X-ray Vision. Referee, I want to report him! I want to report him!

Cheating is Cheating? It was just X-ray Vision. Big Brother not spinning in place was already him showing you enough respect.

But that was such a huge wave crashing under tower. Did he Quit Drugs or something? How could he hold back?

FPX had done almost everything perfectly.

Jinx was Stacking Minions, jungle and Support had launched a Thousand Mile Raid, top and mid had done their best to put on an act. This should have been a killing move with a one-hundred-percent success rate. Even if the enemy ADC sensed possible danger, how could he resist such a massive wave and a half?

Are you a fucking tower?

In fact.

Luo Zhen could only say this was truly too young, too simple.

His original reason for Play Professionally had been to become the ADC for that Support. And because he admired that sort of Support, he had witnessed far too many Engage Supports with Wild Imagination.

Minion waves?

Hmph.

Their jungle and Support had been missing from the map for ten seconds. Ten seconds without showing themselves, while the Enemy Bot Lane started Stacking Minions—this scene was far too familiar from his Previous Life. He could even say with certainty that if he left even a little later, the moment the wave entered tower range would be his death.

"Get over here, brothers. Let's give them something big this time!"

FPX could Call for backup to bot, and V5 could likewise gather bot. Even though Corki did not have Yordle Snap Trap at this Time Point and neither mid nor jungle had reached Level 6, making it seem like they would be weaker in a fight.

But there was one thing to remember: they had a TP advantage top. As long as Camille came down, it would become Five vs Four in an instant. Even without the TP advantage, Five vs Four was fine. A Kennen without Level 6 was no different from a Super Minion. He might not even dare Teleport if you told him to.

From God's perspective, the entire situation looked like this.

FPX was trying to surround the isolated Jhin in bot lane, but behind FPX's jungle-support duo moving downward, V5's jungle-support duo was slowly forming an encirclement like a mantis stalking a cicada.

Seeing Jinx standing Not Far from the tower, preparing to lead the wave in, a mocking smile crossed Luo Zhen's lips.

"You want to engage on me first? But the initiative does not seem to be in your hands."

Watching his Teammates gradually gather into position, he knew that this mahjong game belonging solely to bot lane was about to begin.

With that thought, Luo Zhen pressed Ctrl+6 and directly used a classic signaling method from ancient China:

Namely: emotes as signals!

Let me announce the han first.

Riichi Mahjong.

Pure One Suit, 6 han. Three Concealed Triplets, 2 han. All Triplets, 2 han. Baiman.

Seven Pairs, 2 han.

Big Four Winds, Yakuman.

Heavenly Hand · Thirteen Orphans Thirteen-Sided Wait, Triple Yakuman.

But your mage had Pure One Suit and the Four Divine Beasts, and you made an invalid hand. Pay 3,000.

The game was over!

Calmness and Madness

"FPX is collapsing, but V5 is collapsing too. What is AK doing? Is AK acting as bait?"

"Viego has Flash, Thresh has Flash, and Jhin has Flash too. But isn't this play a little too much of a gamble?"

Accompanied by the Commentator's Light Speed Divine Word, Thresh and Viego had already successfully entered V5's bot lane. Emerging from the brush, the two of them saw V5 bot lane's ADC Jhin directly ahead at an equal distance.

"Are they here?"

To be honest, as bait, as long as he dealt his damage and lured the enemy near the second tower, the enemies who chased too deeply would have no way to escape. That meant V5 would definitely profit from this collapse.

But Luo Zhen was a little greedy.

Although he was Still available standing Not Far from the bot lane tower, upon seeing the enemy collapsing onto bot, he instead took a step forward, returning within the outer bot tower's range.

He wanted the jungle and Support, but he did not want to let the ADC go either!

The moment Jhin made that move, FPX immediately believed their Surprise attack had worked. Otherwise, why would he retreat beneath the tower at this moment? Hang took the lead, pressing toward V5's bot lane tower.

Thresh had a combo that was almost guaranteed to land.

First Auto Attack to draw aggro, then a Face-to-Face E, and finally Q. This reliable control sequence avoided many unnecessary variables, and it was the combo he intended to use to deal Jhin a fatal blow.

But...

At the very instant Thresh raised his hand and cast Flay.

"Whoosh~"

A white Flash burst forth, and Luo Zhen's Jhin narrowly avoided that Q skill.

Then... while evading Thresh's follow-up Q skill, he stepped right onto the E skill that LWX had placed in advance.

There was No Choice. There were only so many places to move beneath the tower. Flashing upward would allow Viego to Follow Up with control, while Flashing downward would leave him unable to dodge Thresh's follow-up hook. So he could only move forward and step on LWX's Landmine.

But it was fine. A milky-white glow flashed, and the most comfortable thing about laning with Rakan was that if they had not planned on gaining an advantage through fighting in bot lane, Jhin could freely choose his Summoner Skill—for example, Cleanse~

Since the tower's aggro was Still available on Thresh, Luo Zhen used a QW combo on Thresh the instant he broke free of control, rooting him in place. He then placed his E skill along FPX's path out of tower range.

Okay, done and dusted.

As for the rest, he would leave it to automatic Auto Attacks. Over.

"What are they doing?" When LWX saw Jhin look like he was Tanking after using a Skill Combo, he was puzzled. That bit of damage would at most make the tower hit Thresh a little more and delay their retreat. Other than that, it seemed incapable of doing anything.

If that was the case, why had he used Flash and Cleanse? Was he not going to lane anymore?

Wait!

Delay their retreat?

At that instant, alarm bells went off in LWX's mind.

"Gori, TP!"

He no longer had time to explain anything to his Teammates. Hearing LWX's sudden shout, Gori felt puzzled, but knowing full well who the real Carry on the team was, he Without Hesitation chose a spot and began to Teleport.