You call this thing stable?

Soon, both sides entered the BAN/PICK phase.

Round 1 Bans:

IG: Jinx, Caitlyn, Azir

V5: Gwen, Renekton, Viktor

Then Round 1 PICKS:

IG: Twisted Fate (first pick) + Aphelios + Nautilus

V5: Zeri, Thresh (first and second picks) + Lee Sin

The Aphelios-Thresh combo absolutely had to be broken up. If that was dismantled, any support pairing with Aphelios would be worse than what they had. A defensive support might work, but defensive supports struggled to coordinate with a mid-lane Twisted Fate.

As a side note, the match against IG was scheduled for February 13th, while Zeri's debut on the competitive stage was on February 10th. At this point, Zeri hadn't received any nerfs yet, making her an almost invincible pick if played well. This naturally influenced the first three BAN/PICK choices.

As for why IG didn't ban her?

Because no one expected an ADC to dare pick her at this point. It was too early; anyone who learned her by this stage was likely hoarding her as a secret ultimate ability.

Round 2 Bans: Camille, Xin Zhao, Corki, LeBlanc

It was clear that V5's main strategy for this game was to focus on the bottom half of the map, preparing to concede the top half and let 369 play as a filler. A healthy tactical approach should be like this: not playing what you're strong at just because you're strong, but observing the opponent, identifying their weaknesses, and then targeting them.

For the fourth pick, Rookie chose Poppy again.

Following the meta has a significant advantage: it greatly increases the team's BAN/PICK fault tolerance. This is what most LPL coaches do – they blindly pick meta champions. Their players have already mastered these champions, and their playstyle is well-established, regardless of advantage or disadvantage. It all comes down to performance on the day of the match.

Excellent coaches, on the other hand, build upon this foundation to ensure their players are comfortable and their opponents' coaches are frustrated.

Now that IG's Aphelios-Thresh combo was broken, and their mid-lane trio of Corki, Azir, and Viktor were banned, Twisted Fate seemed like a versatile pick. However, the opponent completely overlooked a crucial element for a mid laner: lane priority.

Asking Aphelios to push Rookie's lane with Twisted Fate is like an esports manager with a free-to-play lineup confidently challenging a max-level whale's roster. It's laughable.

For the final two picks: IG secured Jarvan IV and Kennen to round out their engage and AP damage.

Generally, completing a competitive lineup requires first deciding which lane to focus your offense on, then considering meta picks and ADC selection, and finally assessing the lineup's overall synergy. V5's core damage dealers were their dual carries, but Poppy leaned towards GANKs and engaging. Lee Sin was aggressive in the early game and could serve as an ADC protector in the mid-game, which, combined with support protection, was sufficient. This meant V5 still lacked a tanky engage option.

The mud truck 369 hadn't played in a while, and Ornn felt a bit off for him currently. So, the choice became simple.

Frowning, they picked the Lava Golem!

Thus, the final lineups were:

IG: Top Kennen, Jungle Jarvan IV, Mid Twisted Fate, Bot Aphelios + Nautilus

V5: Top Ornn, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid Poppy, Bot Zeri + Thresh

Looking at this lineup, if you told the V5 players that Coach Homme hadn't intended for IG to be a punching bag for Luo Zhen, they wouldn't believe you. They all knew their own ADC had been so thoroughly dominated by JKL recently that he was starting to lose his mind, and they were looking for a scapegoat.

And now, here it was.

Against IG, both their carries could vent their frustrations. Coach Homme even wanted to thank Su X Luo in person.

Seriously, he arrived at the perfect time!

"This game, we'll focus on the bot lane. Xiao Zhen, play aggressively, no problem, right?" Putting away his notebook, Coach Homme placed his hands on both carries' shoulders, smiling as he asked the team.

"Absolutely not! This game, I'm living in the bot lane!"

Evasion has guaranteed hits, and invincibility has penetration, but it doesn't matter. Karsa declared he could directly counter that defense this game!

Damn it, that's all there is to it!

Karsa's jungle pathing for this game was unusual. He opted for a solo red buff start, planning to hit level three quickly and gank the bot lane. To prevent his route from being discovered, he even had Rookie guard the jungle entrance, denying the enemy any chance to place vision.

Luo Zhen, meanwhile, went straight to lane, intending to secure the bot lane bush first and see if there was an opportunity to trade some damage.

In normal circumstances, when laning against any bot lane, Luo Zhen would maintain a relatively calm demeanor because he embodied the four virtues of the new era:

Discipline: Slacking off and goofing off every day. Tolerance: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right." Politeness: "I'm so grateful." Thoughtful: What should I eat today?

But now, he just wanted to crush the enemy, or be crushed by them.

There's a sense of pride when you bring out a new champion you've practiced for a long time, like showing off a new toy. Don't underestimate boys' various playful impulses. Back in middle and high school, many would feel completely refreshed and motivated just from getting a haircut or trimming their nails.

It's just that slowly... that childlike joy disappears.

"Diao Shen, whether we can dominate depends on your hooks," Luo Zhen said, casually pointing at the enemy bot lane duo.

As the saying goes, no matter how skilled you are, you're still afraid of a sharp blade. Luo Zhen felt no difficulty playing against an unknown bottom lane duo, but this was contingent on the support being effective. If Thresh couldn't initiate a fight, he couldn't exactly stand at the front and dive the tower himself.

"Is there a possibility, just a possibility, that Nautilus's Q hook hitting a wall could negate my hook's crowd control?"

"Huh? Is that how it works?"

"Isn't that how it works?"

"Oh, you're so bad then."

???

"Damn it!"

My fists are clenched, PPGOD declared his fists were hard.

Damn it. He's not some top-tier support right now, even if you brought the best from the LPL over, they couldn't guarantee their hooks would land perfectly.

However, the enemy bot lane in this match was clearly wary of V5's bush ambushes. They walked directly along the top edge of the lane, constantly moving back and forth to feign dodges.

Seeing this, Luo Zhen and PPGOD dropped the act. They stepped out of the bush and started emoting at each other.

Then, countless viewers noticed.

Before the minion wave even arrived, the bot lane duos on both sides had already begun a frantic dance and emote exchange, one above the other. The supports with hooks on both sides stood completely still, showing no desire to hook.

Here it comes, the highest form of etiquette among players.

Just like a Western duel, or a knife fight in CF, a mud truck race in QQ Speed, a pan-fight in battle royale, flashing summoner spells in LoL, or fist bumps in Apex. No need for excessive words; as long as the atmosphere, the opponent, and the scene are right, it's time for both sides to showcase their etiquette and raw strength.

Moreover, Chinese culture almost always emphasizes "courtesy before combat."

This courtesy, He offered it first!

Chapter 32: The First to Eat the Crab

"Zeri, is this Zeri's first time on the LPL stage?" Cat Emperor asked uncertainly to the Great Scholar next to him. As a commentator not as favored by the audience, he didn't commentate as many matches as Great Scholar.

"Yes, this should be the first time. I just didn't expect AK to be the one to bring out this champion the soonest. I can only say the young player is brave."

In a way, the first person to pick Zeri is the first to eat the crab. Whether they can eat it well or choke on it completely depends entirely on the player's performance. At least, to release it so soon, Great Scholar isn't too optimistic.

But hey, at least the show's effect is maxed out.

[Here we go, the player etiquette at the start is exchanging player icons, right?]

[I really don't understand the damage of this stupid champion. It seems amazing when others play it, but when I play, it feels like I'm just scratching.]

[Ashe, Kalista, and Zeri, I'm willing to call these three champions the "Scratching, Cupping, and Acupuncture" SPA trio.]

[To be honest, it's quite fun to slide around with this thing, it just tires your hands out a bit.]

Zeri's role is actually similar to Kalista and Draven, as these are ADCs that go against traditional ADC playstyles.

Because her auto-attack range (500 units) is shorter than her Q skill (800 units), and her auto-attack, once charged, applies a 1-second slow. So, when this champion first came out, many people used their Q to chase, dash, and last hit minions, with auto-attacks purely used for the slow effect.

As for the actual gameplay, [before Zeri was changed in patch 12.14], let's put it this way:

If Xin Zhao's kiting style is: Attack-move, Attack-move, Attack-move

Then Zeri's style is: Attack-move, Q, Attack-move, Q, remember here that Attack-move, move, and Q are three separate actions, and it's A-Q, not Q-A.

Because Zeri's auto-attack has a very small wind-up but a very large follow-through. This is very apparent at low attack speeds; if you greedily auto-attack after a Q, you'll be unable to move. The Q skill is a spell, and its cast animation cannot be altered. The auto-attack's wind-up also cannot be changed. Forcibly changing it will only lead to missed auto-attacks. The follow-through, however, can be canceled, either by clicking the ground or casting a skill.

This means that for players accustomed to using the A key first and then left-clicking to attack, this champion will be a disaster, as they must force themselves to right-click to attack when playing Zeri.

Does that sound complicated?

It's supposed to be complicated. Because this champion is simple for those who master it, but for those who don't, it's either don't play this champion, or just focus on using W as a ranged poke. There's no need to force yourself to adapt to the champion.

If you insist on playing her, then rebind your keys. Set the A key to smart cast auto-attack or check auto-attack binding to the left mouse button, which will save you one click. The downside is that the attack range circle won't be displayed, and you'll have to judge for yourself if the opponent is within your range.

By now, you should have learned the most basic Zeri gameplay. Your homework for today is to start a game and try to lane against a professional player with Zeri ( ).

Of course, this also depends on other factors.

Just like how everyone experiences different aspects of their peak condition at different ages, for example:

Peak energy: Elementary school

Peak physical strength: Middle school

Peak intellect: High school

Peak appetite: College

And peak mechanics are during the middle school to college period. For those who have entered society, it's recommended to just focus on W as a mobile turret, because your hands won't be able to keep up.

Originally, IG's new bot lane, AHN + LUCAS, thought that facing a new ADC, even one who had received tutelage from Xiang Zhangmen, would be less pressure compared to the top ADCs. Not to mention that the enemy AD has always been known for his steady playstyle since his debut.

But...

As soon as the minion waves met, AHN immediately felt the terrifying oppressive aura from the enemy AD from all angles.

Solid fundamentals, ridiculously precise distance control, and an aggressive trading playstyle using the A-Q rhythm from the moment they stepped into lane. This level of pressure, you call this 'Steady'?

"Holy crap, are you seriously playing this aggressively?"

PPGOD was stunned by Luo Zhen's play on the side. He had anger in his heart, but didn't he know his heart was full of fire? He maximized his A-Q trading for the greatest benefit right from the start. Aren't you afraid your hands will give out?

"Don't worry about it, reality has proven that even if you keep shooting, you need to fire 61 shots continuously to die, and this number varies depending on individual physique. I'm just laning against an AD right now, the problem will be even smaller!" Luo Zhen's eyes were locked onto the enemy AD's every move, and at the same time, he used a unique skill from novels on his support—high-speed divine words.

"Wait... which channel's reality are you watching?"

"Legal & Order."

"???"

This match was different from the previous ones. The coach had made it clear that the strategy revolved around the bot lane, and the jungler Karsa had also said he'd be heading bot lane at level three. This meant Luo Zhen didn't have to worry about losing vision when pushing forward.

Furthermore, the deeper he pushed, the less certain the opponents would be about whether the jungler was nearby, making them hesitant to act.

Of course, we can briefly mention something here.

Zeri's AQAQ combo is very reliant on the rhythm of its Q and auto-attack releases. This is quite mystical and unique, requiring a certain sensitivity to rhythm to master. But don't worry, next, please allow me to formally introduce a game that can help you train your rhythm: MuseDash!

In just three short days, it can help you grasp the rhythm needed to master Zeri's AQ playstyle ( )

It's hailed as the Mount Myōboku of the gaming world; mastering Sage Mode is just around the corner!

When Luo Zhen encountered a bot lane combination that wasn't strictly LPL-level, his inner "stomping weak opponents" instinct kicked in. He kited, adjusted his position, used his charged auto-attack to slow them down, hugged the wall for safety, and then, relying on the relatively secure environment, he relentlessly pressured the opponents' development.

Oh, right.

Zeri is quite unique. Her Q functions like an auto-attack, her W is like Lux's ultimate flash, and her E is like Bard's E. So, as long as she's near a wall, Zeri can have a very good environment for dealing damage.

This pressure immediately created an oppressive aura.

[Such a fierce Zeri, they've completely changed their playstyle.]

[He's so aggressive, like he's venting something, it's too violent.]

[AK seems to be improving so quickly. No other new ADCs are progressing this fast. Did Xiang Zhangmen secretly give him extra lessons?]

[Is there a possibility, I'm just saying, a possibility... that this dog-like laning pressure was taught by JKL?]

Despite being a rookie, it felt like he had absorbed the playstyles of several players.

This feeling of having support behind him, but not being able to guess who it is, is like the Soviet Union decades ago: Your names are unknown, but your achievements are immortal.

Of course, although fierce, they still need to win the game for it to count.

Otherwise, it'll be like in Japan: Your names haven't even been listed yet, but your achievements are fabricated.