Today's host was switched to Luo Xin, known for her endless poses. She wasn't awkward at all—after introducing both teams, she immediately went full send, striking an Ultraman laser-beam pose.
"The Suzhou LNG versus TES match is about to begin. LPL — fearless, racing toward the peak!"
The livestream chat instantly exploded.
"Where does she even get so many bits from?"
"They say Wang Lao'er unlocked all these poses. I don't even know what that means."
"Well that explains it. Two people exchanging ideas and new poses are born."
"Are we playing cringe chicken now?"
'Flavorless but going crazy!'
"She's actually kinda cute. Lucky Wang Lao'er."
"The moment I heard Luo Xin was hosting today, I wanted to see how many poses she had—probably never-ending."
"Don't let the bad woman steal the spotlight. Today's focus is still Rise of Kingdoms Bro showdown."
"Monkey feels kinda weak this season… but he's not that easy to break either. I think today's match will be pretty good."
"Before this, mid laners treated Rise of Kingdoms Bro like free food, then got served themselves. Even pulling out Zed—you know they were messing around. Doinb will definitely learn from those mistakes today."
"So this match is gonna be good!"
"The Weibo vs OMG match was eye-burning. The rooted soul just wouldn't move, SofM just farmed, and Huanfeng really held himself back from going in to deal damage?"
"Still Su Xiaoluo being inhuman. Otherwise Shy-ge wouldn't have gone to Weibo."
…
"Didn't Song Jiang throw the second game too? Just because his hand broke means we selectively ignore it? Jiang fans are really impossible."
At this point, the broadcast switched to the player booths.
The commentators for this match were Miller, 957, and Tongxi.
"Both LNG and TES players have entered the booths. Once equipment checks are done, the match will begin immediately. 957, which side do you favor more in today's matchup?" Miller turned his head toward 957, who was wearing a black-and-white shirt.
As a former pro player, 957's analysis was naturally more insightful than that of a pure caster, with sharper points and clearer logic.
So Miller directly handed him the floor.
This was also why other casters loved working with Miller—he was willing to give space to his partners. Coupled with seniority, his rapport was excellent.
"Both teams are in similar form. If we really break it down, it's about a 50–50 situation. It'll depend on their on-the-day performance."
"But looking at TES versus FPX last round, those two games completely suffocated FPX. The tempo was stifling—FPX was led by the nose from start to finish. That game's tempo was driven mainly from mid lane.
"And LNG's mid-jungle is also very strong. With Doinb, everyone knows—if he can't win lane, he won't even think about solo kills. If you're a mage, he'll grab Mercury's Treads; if you're a fighter, straight Plated Steelcaps.
"So I don't think TES's tempo will be that smooth today. If it doesn't get going, that's LNG's chance. Ale can completely pressure through side lanes."
957's statement was classic veteran talk—praising both sides evenly, flawless and airtight.
For the commentators, this match really did demand caution.
"So Rise of Kingdoms Bro's form today will decide the outcome?" Tongxi asked.
"Yes! This match is mainly about mid-jungle confrontation. Whoever's stronger there will be the one laughing last."
…
Inside the game lobby, both teams quickly readied up.
"Hello, Rise of Kingdoms Bro," Doinb greeted Lin Fan in the bottom-left chat box, social butterfly as ever.
Even if they didn't know each other before, now they did.
"Just warmed the seat—go easy on me, Coin Bro."
"I'm the one who's old. How can I fight you youngsters? After the match, let's add each other and play sometime. We're on the same streaming platform anyway."
Watching Doinb furiously typing, Tarzan was completely baffled. He genuinely couldn't understand how a Korean player could communicate so seamlessly with Chinese players.
And type so loudly, too.
"No problem, no problem."
Doinb then started chatting with Tian.
Old teammates meeting again—surely all grudges were wiped away with a smile.
Whether there were knives hidden behind that smile was another matter.
At least Tian rubbed his hands together.
"Later I'm just gonna camp him directly. If he doesn't die eight times today, I'm failing as a jungler."
"Doinb's not that easy to gank, right?" Mark asked.
"Times have changed." Tian glanced at Lin Fan.
Mid has a real daddy now! Weren't the past few games smooth sailing because mid was strong enough?
"Zoom, start the game."
The referee behind them spoke up.
Zoom, who'd been resting with eyes closed, snapped them open, grabbed the mouse, and clicked Start Game.
They officially entered the BP phase, and the team atmosphere instantly turned serious.
This point was crucial for TES. Against tough opponents like this, every game had to be treated like the last—played at full effort.
Only with eight wins could they avoid an early vacation and secure playoffs.
"Ahri doesn't need to be banned this game. I can play it," Lin Fan said confidently.
Luo Sheng picked up his pen and scribbled in his notebook.
"Doinb doesn't play Ahri either. No need to ban." The latter half of Lin Fan's statement was conveniently ignored—he hadn't forgotten the recent scrim disaster.
"Ban Twisted Fate. If he just keeps roaming without laning, it's annoying."
…
As the big screen switched and the match music started, Miller immediately took control of the tempo.
"Alright, TES versus Suzhou LNG officially begins. Game one—TES on blue side, LNG on red side."
"TES immediately bans Twisted Fate, clearly aiming to stop Doinb from roaming. Then they ban Ryze and Lee Sin—signature picks for Doinb and Tarzan."
"On LNG's side, the three bans go to Syndra, Ahri, and Zeri. A lot of mid laners are being taken out in the first ban phase. Doesn't that leave a lot of meta answers open?"
"Indeed. Let's see if TES picks Renata. If they do, Aphelios probably won't be available."
TES instantly locks in Renata at first pick.
The current T0 support—there's no reason not to take her. She pairs well with any ADC.
Whether engaging or protecting her ADC, she excels at both.
LNG didn't want to give TES everything, but JackeyLove's recent Zeri performances were undeniably cracked.
Letting Zeri through meant Zeri plus Yuumi in bot lane—an absolute nightmare in mid to late game. After all, this was JackeyLove.
Between two evils, they chose the lesser. Giving up Renata wasn't too painful.
LNG responded decisively, locking in Jinx and Lulu—a very solid bot lane duo.
TES stayed calm in BP. Since you dared to leave it open, be ready to get beaten in lane.
Second pick, they locked in Draven for JackeyLove. Time to start chopping.
Third pick went straight to Jayce for Lin Fan. This champion had already proven himself in scrims, and Luo Sheng trusted it.
The moment Draven was locked in, the cheers from the crowd instantly doubled in volume.
Signature pick! JackeyLove's absolute signature!
To see it in game one today—no one expected the powder keg to be this explosive right from the start.
This was getting interesting!
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup