You Call This 'Steady'?

Chapter 26: Let Your Talent Bloom!

"Nice, brothers. Keep up this rhythm."

"Don't get too excited. They've got Blackened Xiang Zhangmen over there. Blackening makes him three times stronger—three times!"

"To be fair, this New FPX has something going for it. Their early game has been genuinely good."

"Is there a possibility that... Brother Yijin and Brother Ka simply haven't gotten their hands warmed up yet?"

"You brat, why don't you just say it straight?"

The group laughed and joked around, but they managed the team atmosphere quite well.

Really.

There had been too many factors behind FPX facing TES in the Demacia Cup finals in his previous life and even taking the series to all five games. For one, many teams hadn't fielded their full main rosters. For another, LWX's blackened version had been ridiculously strong. And then there was TES's Gore Drinker Zhuo.

But one thing was certain: Karsa really wasn't quite adapted to the jungle tempo of late S11.

Upon returning to the lounge, Hong Mi immediately began his own BP simulations for the second and third games.

From his perspective, in the upcoming second and third games, even factoring in the X-factor of Blackened LWX, he could use Blue Side's advantage to secure more comfortable compositions for his team. That likely meant one win and one loss.

There was no choice.

After all, he had taken over the team too recently. Their synergy hadn't been cultivated, their Team Soul hadn't been established, and even their tactics had only been taught at the conceptual stage.

A new team, after all.

Reality wasn't some monster-grinding leveling game. It wasn't like you could immediately execute whatever tactics you wanted. A huge reason they could perform this well was that Karsa and Rookie, two veterans, had strong adaptability. If their mid-jungle had been replaced by two Rookie Players, they might not have even made the Demacia Cup quarterfinals.

What was this called?

Having one old hand on a team was like having a treasure.

They had two old hands now, which meant double the happiness.

And things did indeed unfold exactly as Hong Mi had expected. In the second game, LWX once again unleashed the terrifying power of his blackened state. With his horrifying team fight performance, he directly left V5 side stunned.

His output angles and positioning were so terrifying that Luo Zhen briefly thought of the state he himself had once entered.

"Isn't that too strong? What even is this?"

"A man betrayed by his teammates becomes this terrifying? Brother Yijin, weren't your teammates the ones who did that to you too? Why haven't you blackened like him?" After the brief shock came the interrogation. Faced with the question from their own ADC, Luo Zhen, Rookie didn't quite know how to answer.

"How should I put it... Maybe it's because we disbanded after winning a championship?"

"Alright, stop talking. You're going to make Brother Ka misunderstand."

Karsa: ???

LWX's utterly insane performance made Hong Mi unable to sit still in the backstage area. Going into the third game, he used all three First Ban Phase Ban Slots on ADCs. Big Carry comeback, huh?

This Old Man was banning them all!

To completely suppress the opponent's blazing form, Hong Mi even forcibly put together an aggressive early-to-mid-game engage composition.

Relying on Blue Side's BP advantage, along with the absolute Ban Slot restrictions, V5 lived up to expectations in the third game and successfully took down FPX, bringing the series to the fourth game.

At this point, V5's weakness began to show.

The players were getting older, and their condition couldn't keep up.

If Rookie's performance in the first game had been eye-catching, then by the third game, aside from a few crucial team fights, he had begun disappearing completely. Everyone who understood, understood. Playing on stage wasn't the same as playing Ranked Match; it truly drained both the mind and mechanics. After three high-intensity games, Rookie and Karsa, who had only just returned from vacation, were suffering a bit of Pig Brain Overload.

With their mid-jungle in poor form, they couldn't play the Jordan strategy around top lane.

The premise of the Jordan strategy was sufficient vision and a Frontline Battlefield capable of kiting the enemy's engage. With V5's mid-jungle in such poor condition, continuing to play this tactic would probably get them beaten down by a bunch of Young People in minutes.

Hong Mi's expression was hesitant.

He actually had a solution, but this Time Point was still a little too early. He had originally wanted to hold this move back until the finals.

But... it looked like they could no longer hide it.

With that thought, he slowly walked over to Luo Zhen and placed his large hand on his head. After three consecutive games, Luo Zhen's hair had become somewhat greasy from all the radiation. Hong Mi didn't mind. Back when he had been a broke bastard playing professionally, they could tolerate the filthy, chaotic conditions of internet cafes. He had seen hair in far worse condition than this.

Luo Zhen looked up in confusion and saw Hong Mi pursing his lips, signaling for him to look toward the other players in the room.

He looked carefully.

Karsa and Rookie had already closed their eyes to rest. Clearly, because of the packed Demacia Cup schedule, they still hadn't completely adjusted from vacation mode.

"I know you've been waiting and hiding it all this time. But I thought, since you've hidden it for so long, there should be a special reason for it, something that would make sure all your preparation over these months wasn't wasted."

Since the Demacia Cup began, the team's choices for bot lane ADC had barely ever changed.

Senna Tahm Kench, Kaisa with Titan or Rakan, Jhin with Leona or Rakan, Ezreal with any Support. Victory after victory had almost all come through the Jordan Rule in top lane. But whether a team could reach the top had never depended on the strength of a single lane.

Luo Zhen seemed to faintly realize something. His eyes grew excited, and even his calves began trembling involuntarily. PPGOD, sitting Not Far away, quietly watched the scene. From his perspective, he even felt that their own ADC seemed somewhat different.

There was light in his eyes and killing intent around him. That ADC who had always been obedient and steady, occasionally even self-sacrificing, had suddenly erupted with the dangerous aura of a top-tier predator.

What... had happened?

But just as his aura kept rising, Hong Mi's large hand slammed fiercely onto his shoulder, forcibly cutting off his state.

"Coach?" Luo Zhen asked in confusion.

"Never forget, no matter where you are, calmness will always be an ADC's seventh divine item. Blindly raising your fighting spirit will only expose more of your flaws."

"Yes, coach!"

Luo Zhen's body stiffened, then he immediately understood.

Their conversation had not been concealed from the others in the room at all. In fact, aside from the relatively innocent PPGOD, everyone else had long expected this moment to come.

Especially Rich.

For an Honor of Kings player who had stood at the peak for three years, the towering ambition of someone trying to climb upward from the bottom could not be hidden in his eyes.

Although it looked like the team was about to shift its focus downward, he was more than happy to see such a situation.

One Person's strength was meaningless.

Only when every member of the team was strong could they walk farther down this road.

"Is it being activated?" Rookie asked with a smile in his eyes, as though he had long expected this moment.

"Yeah. Young People need opportunities to show themselves, after all. Of course, as Predecessors, you can't slack off too much either. Otherwise, I'll arrange Extra Practice for you when we get back."

"It should've been like this long ago. But let's be clear: LWX's form is visibly getting better and better with every game. Once you notice Something's Wrong in the Bot Lane Matchup, don't Hard Support it. Request for Aid from us immediately." Karsa looked serious as he spoke earnestly to Luo Zhen.

After building momentum for so long, this might be the best stage for his debut.

But similarly, it also meant risk.

Just like how 369 had once been beaten so badly by Theshy that he needed to see a Psychologist, Luo Zhen was now preparing to face LWX head-on in lane—a genuine World Championship-winning bot laner. The hot blood of Young People was admirable, but they feared even more that Luo Zhen's Dao heart would be damaged.

"Ah, it's fine."

Luo Zhen answered calmly. Beneath his composed gaze was blazing fighting spirit deliberately buried deep within.

A very, very, very long time ago, he had wanted to choose a non-Functional AD and properly test himself against these world-class top ADCs. If he became afraid merely because of their past accomplishments, then how could he ever speak of becoming the Number One AD in the world?

The stage was perfect, and the lights were bright.

Let this be where This Old Man announced his arrival to the entire LPL!

Chapter 27: Even Pro Coaches Have Their Gaps!

"V5 are back on Red Side this game. It feels like V5 must find a way to deal with LWX. His form is absolutely exploding."

"That's difficult. V5's tactical focus has mostly been on top lane, and without resources being tilted toward bot lane, it'll be hard to find a breakthrough there."

"Do you think... there's a possibility that V5 actually have a tactic built around bot lane too?"

"You're overthinking it. They're a New Team too. How could they possibly come up with two separate tactics on the spot?" Dàxiào found Jide's words a little ridiculous. They were both Rookie Player teams; there was no reason for some kind of my Rookie Player team > your Rookie Player team situation, right?

Of course, everyone acknowledged V5's ability to pick up bargains.

Although they had yet to be tempered by the Full Build LPL, V5's positions were all at least eighty out of a hundred from what they had shown so far. If certain players found their form, it wouldn't be impossible for them to break ninety.

Who would have thought that, among all the Galactic Battleships, a Pinxi xi battleship would set sail?

That Avengers synergy was just like this when assembled. Back then, I almost thought V5 bot lane was going to buy Xiao Yan.

Apparently, that had been the plan, but with the appearance of the New AD and Hong Mi joining, they had no money left to hire him.

It's fine. This one is good too—economical and practical, with the occasional little surprise. Isn't that nice?

Even today, many Audience members watching the Demacia Cup still remembered Luo Zhen's Kaisa diving one-versus-five. The LPL's arena of fame and profit was like this: the first step toward fame was always spreading your name.

So the question was, what kind of spread was most effective?

A Famous Scene!

Whether it was a good Famous Scene or a bad one didn't matter.

For example, being the Background Board in a dual Zed battle; the Famous Scene of a Level 4 Pantheon versus a Level 6 Kha'Zix; the mid-lane Soldier Emperor's Azir triple kill; or plays named after players such as the Huang Xing triple kill and the Insec Kick—these were all Famous Scenes that could make viewers remember faster.

Yet while the Bullet Comments were still arguing fiercely, LWX on FPX suddenly felt inexplicably uneasy.

As one of the few ADCs in the LPL certified by a World Championship title, his instincts had never lied to him. He seemed to sense that something was about to arrive, and his grip around his hand tightened further.

Was it Hong Mi?

Or perhaps Rookie and Karsa?

He could not understand.

Ten Minutes later, when both teams appeared on stage once again, Hong Mi's BP underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.

First Ban Phase:

FPX: Corki, Lee Sin, Xin Zhao

V5: Moon Man, Thresh, Kennen

They continued leaving LWX's hot-handed Jinx open, while also releasing Caitlyn, but banned Thresh. This was practically sending a signal to the opponent's coach.

That is: I'm building a composition around bot lane. Do you believe it or not?

FPX's coach naturally didn't believe it.

You fucking played Top Mid Jungle for three games, and you hadn't picked a single bot-lane-focused composition throughout the Demacia Cup. Who were you trying to fool?

Then came the common flaw of domestic coaches: blindly trusting their own Star Player.

First Pick Phase

FPX: Jinx (First Pick), Karma, Viktor

V5: Caitlyn, Lulu (First Two Picks), Azir

The instant the first three picks were locked in, FPX's Coaching Staff immediately realized they had Fell for the Trap.

They took Lulu, broke up the Jinx Lulu combo, and paired it with Azir mid. This transformed V5's composition from a Caitlyn Fast Push system that absolutely needed bot lane to gain an early advantage into a double Big Carry system centered on Lulu.

The pressure was distributed, and the composition underwent a Qualitative Change.

These three picks meant V5 only needed to fill in a Frontline and two Utility Players for engage, and they could comfortably drag the game into the late game without thinking.

Second Ban Phase:

Xin Zhao, Nidalee, Jarvan IV, and Rek'Sai were all banned away.

To restrict V5 side's Jungler pick in the second phase, FPX even banned Karsa's pocket Rek'Sai. There was no choice. Although FPX's greatest strength at this point was their Bot Lane Big Daddy, their weakness was just as obvious.

Their mid lane was too weak.

It was Hard to Imagine that a Mid Laner like Gori, whose Basic Skills were absurdly poor, had come out of EDG.

His laning was terrible, so to ensure FPX's Early Game Tempo could function, they had to give their Jungler a relatively More Comfortable pick.

Of course.

Under Hong Mi's calculations, there was actually nothing much left for him to choose in the jungle.

With the Fourth Pick, V5 took Trundle.

Both teams had immobile, short-legged compositions. Both needed a Frontline to absorb damage. The Warrior junglers had either been banned or taken, leaving Beichuan on FPX with nothing but scraps. He could either choose Jungle Core picks like Talon or Qiyana, or go with Volibear or Olaf for engage.

But it was still the same problem: they couldn't withstand it.