Chapter 280-The Knight's Choice, the Merchant's Interests

"Last year's KT, this year's Samsung, nothing good happened when they met IG!!"

The LCK region was in mourning, and the commentators were in grief.

Last year's KT was their second seed, and this year's SSG is their third seed.

The two teams had no identical players, but suffered the same fate.

“IG is so strong!”

Everyone who watched the game said so.

"SSG's mentality has collapsed, come on ANX!!"

LPL audiences have never been so supportive of a wildcard team.

The next second game is between ANX and H2K.

H2K, defeated again.

It seems that after losing to IG last time, the ANX team was not affected at all, but instead improved their playing style.

The points of Group A are destined to undergo a major change today.

After two games, IG sat firmly in first place with a score of 4-0, while ANX also reached 3-1.

相比之下，1-3的SSG和0-4的H2K似乎已经要提前告别世界赛舞台了。

In the third game, IG faced ANX.

There is no way around the back-to-back format for teams that are not the number one seed in the group and they have to bear it.

Every day of the second round of the group stage was extremely cruel.

Some people are happy that someone is worried.

At this time, a voice was also becoming increasingly popular.

There is about fifteen minutes of halftime before the match between IG and ANX starts.

During this period, domestic bulletin boards, forums, and app stores have been buzzing with controversy, with even the barrage of comments fighting against each other.

There is only one issue in the argument, that is, should we act or not when facing SSG?

If they lose a game to ANX, then even if SSG beat ANX and H2K, the score will still be lower than ANX.

3-3 and 4-2, there is no comparison.

However, as long as IG beats ANX, SSG may win two games in a row, have the same points as ANX, and finally qualify as the second in the group through an extra game.

"Of course we have to act. SSG is not doing well and we have already secured our qualification. Why should we give them a chance?"

"That's right. If SSG advances to the knockout stage, they might even improve. What if they meet RNG in the semifinals or... never mind. Let EDG advance first."

"It's difficult. If RNG is second in the group, they will probably face teams like IG or SKT. I just hope we don't have to face a civil war. It would be best if we can be ranked in Group D. The players in Group D are not very strong."

"I support the performance too. Anyway, we have already qualified."

"Haha, after being sent off in the group stage, I just want to see the angry faces of the Koreans."

"The Samsung team in S2 is the top , right? They have experience."

"Last year's KT also made it to the top 16, and this year's EDG also made it to the top 16, without Si and Edison Chen."

Many people are looking forward to seeing those teams that were once at their peak fall from grace.

I don't mind taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

LPL viewers are no exception.

There are pig-slaughtering and dog-slaughtering conventions every year, which can be said to be routine activities every year.

Even on IG today, there are still black fans.

But the quantity is a little smaller.

It is the same now. Samsung has many fans in China because of the performance of S4.

It can even be said that LCK itself has quite a few fans.

"There's no need to act, just fight normally."

"IG is simply the perfect team in my mind. I don't want them to be tainted by anything dirty."

"Yeah, although IG also has some scandals, it is much cleaner than EDG."

"ANX should beat IG or SSG if they want to do well. What kind of hero are they if they always rely on others to help them?"

"I quite like the long-haired contestant from ANX. I don't think they want us to act either..."

……

Such topics also exist in the IG lounge.

This is a game that does not matter whether they win or lose. They have already secured first place in the group. Even if they lose one game, as long as they can beat H2K, they will qualify as first.

No matter how bad the situation is, there is always an extra game.

Fu Manduo doesn't even need to arrange any tactics, just let them play with the most conventional lineup.

In this situation, it couldn't be easier to act.

They were even confident that outside netizens wouldn't be able to tell that they were acting, and that they were confident that they would play their best, but unfortunately they still gave the illusion of losing the game.

For example...using AOE skills in team battles a little off, supporting teammates a little slower, being a little greedy for the minion line, and not placing wards at key positions.

Audiences with a bird's eye view have a bird's eye view of the whole picture, but there are always some things they cannot see.

Not only is it difficult for the audience to notice, but if one of the five of them wants to act secretly, even their teammates will find it difficult to detect.

After reviewing the situation, we attributed it to mistakes. What can anyone say?
Everyone has their own ideas about the next game.

"I think it's better to forget it. It doesn't matter who you play against. Wanting to win two consecutive championships is something against the will of heaven. There's no need to go through all this trouble," said Jack.

"Do you want to be smart and play SSG, or be a fool and fight honestly?"

"I've been playing professionally for so many years. I've won all kinds of championships with you guys. I've become indifferent to all this. If you decide to be smart, let me go. Just tell others that I'm just having a try. If you lose, just blame me." Zizi shrugged. He didn't care about it.

Someone had to make the sacrifice, so why couldn't it be him?

"I can do it, too." She Keke quickly raised her hand.

"Be smart!"

Yuan Shen made a decision.

Fumanduo, Rookie, and TheShy on the side all looked at him, with Rookie looking surprised.

"Be smart and play normally."

Yuan Shen looked at Fu Manduo innocently, then asked in confusion: "What are you talking about? You don't think I want to act, do you? To me, it doesn't matter who we play against, but I think it's more beneficial for us for Samsung to enter the knockout round."

"There are three reasons. The first is that Samsung is in the same group as us, so they won't meet us before the knockout stage. In addition, the Korean team in the BO5 is strong enough to be a suitable pawn. Maybe they can kill a strong opponent for us. When we meet in the final, we will have confidence. Even if SSG is not good enough, they can force the opponent to use some of their strength. As for ANX, I don't think they have this ability."

After Yuan Shen finished speaking, everyone in IG fell silent.

Look, what is pattern?

While everyone was still discussing whether or not to push SSG into the top 16, Yuan Shen was already considering who would be more advantageous to play against in the finals.

But what Yuan Shen said is indeed true...

"The second reason is actually the ANX team. You have heard what they said. They fought their way out of their own region and made it all the way through the play-in rounds, defeating strong teams like SSG and H2K in a row. They have already achieved the ultimate of a wildcard team and created an unprecedented battle example. But they are still fighting and struggling."

"You all know how difficult it is to play in a competition. Even if you win, you only get temporary praise. After a few weeks, people may forget about it. But they still try their best because they love this game, love this profession, and love this arena. They even cry when they play. It's really..."

"It's so stupid, Ukrainian idiot, haha."

Xiao Ming smiled and said, "But I still like them. Sometimes it's better to be a little stupid."

"That's right. The choices made by smart people are bound to be different from ours. Who would want to play professionally? Shouldn't they study in the classroom?"

After all, compared to the uncertain future of e-sports, continuing education and graduating is the right path in life.

No matter what achievements the people gathered here have made now, no matter how many fans they have now, their original intention was just a group of fools who love games.

"Just play normally. If ANX wants a chance, go get it yourself."

Rookie shrugged.

"Nail polish, I carry, after the game I'm going to tell ANX's top laner, shoutu!"

TheShy looked serious, and the others were of the same mind, happily reached a consensus, and smiled at each other.

The atmosphere in IG's lounge returned to normal.

"Isn't there still a little bit left? Finish it."

Jack poked Yuan Shen's shoulder.

"Ah... I actually want to say that this is a bad idea. There is only one time or countless times of cheating. Match-fixing will also become a habit. Once the psychological defense line is broken, they may do something even more shameless in the future."

Yuan Shen sighed.

"I have been poor since I was a child. I am so afraid of being poor that I dare not spend a penny of the money I earned from playing professionally. Do you believe it?"

"I don't believe you. I just saw you placed an order for the latest massager yesterday."

Xiao Ming looked disgusted, and everyone on IG started laughing.

"rush!"

"Chenglu, you can try playing Riven. I will protect you."

After Yuan Shen finished speaking, everyone else's expressions changed.

"Okay! You're playing Riven in this game, and you still say you're not acting??"

……

The fourth game will start soon. ANX vs. IG.

In terms of the players' hard power, IG is definitely stronger than ANX, and IG also has a higher chance of winning.

Of course, hard power cannot determine the outcome of a game; on-the-spot performance is the key.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be possible to directly decide the champion by comparing the team's player configuration before the game starts? ?
A hard power champion is useless.

The champion is won through fighting!

And the most important thing is——

“Will IG just play a random game?”

The BP session started soon, and everyone was paying attention to IG's choice.

A team's attitude towards the game can be easily seen from their hero selection.

"IG's first four lineups are very conventional," said Wawa.

"Yeah, these are all the strong heroes in the version that the players are good at. It seems that they are not going to bring out new things."

Miller nodded.

Of course, if we only look at the lineup, there is still no way to determine IG's attitude, and it is difficult for him as a commentator to bring these things to the surface.

"On the other hand, ANX seemed to be very serious in this game, and the lineup they picked was also very interesting."

"That's right, with Spider and Zed's strong mid and jungle, they really want to win this game!"

"In the bottom lane, the Caitlyn and Nami combination has a very strong suppression power in the lane."

"It all depends on what the top laner uses to fight the opponent's Titan."

In this game, IG is on the red side.

This was also the only time IG was on the red side in the second round.

The final Counter position is reserved for the top laner.

But at this moment, a scream suddenly echoed at the scene.

The sound grew louder as time went on, echoing throughout the entire venue.

The hero locked by the red team IG on the fifth floor is a cold woman with silver hair.

"The day the broken sword is reforged, the day the knight returns!"

Exile Blade Riven!!

The appearance of this heroine ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue.

Because the last time the hero Riven became popular in the professional arena was Yuan Shen in last year's World Championship.

Before TheShy became a professional player, he was also one of the top players of the game.

This hero has a special feeling for IG's top and jungle players.

"Locked?? It's not good to play Riven in this version?"

Since the end of the S5 World Championship, Riven has been chopped into the gutter like other heroes.

It is not a T1 choice now, but it can be very effective against some specific heroes.

Even so, Riven still suffered a nerf after the World Championship.

The cooldown time of the ultimate skill is lengthened, and the flying speed of the ultimate skill is reduced, which greatly reduces Riven's early-stage competitiveness. In many cases, other top laners can come up and fight you head-on by relying on their ultimate skills that have been prioritized.

After S6, Riven seemed increasingly vulnerable when facing a group of top laners who found suitable ultimate talents and were thus strengthened.

In 2016, on the hero win rate rankings, Riven has been hovering around the 3s and s, making her a T-level hero.

Many Riven players will find themselves at this time using a light-speed QA combo to exchange blood. There are no mistakes in the operation, but the blood cannot be exchanged.

The reason is simple... In terms of statistics, other heroes are stronger than Riven in the early stages.

It is not until the mid-to-late game that Riven can rise up with her hero mechanism of high cooldown and multiple flexible displacements.

So much so that the faithful players who still insist on playing Riven in the casual games now start to focus on E and W as the secondary, develop in the early stage, and then start to exert their strength in the middle and late stages.

and so……

"What does it mean?"

"IG is about to start?"

This is the first question that comes to many people's minds.

You said he didn't want to play? Why did he choose a T3 level hero?

You think he's acting? Riven has a special meaning to TheShy.

Especially Miller. The moment he saw Riven, this veteran e-sports commentator immediately understood IG's idea.

"The Knight has returned. He is really stupid and straightforward..."

Miller shook his head and said "idiot" but a bright smile appeared on his face.

Below the stage, Su Xiaoluo also received a call from Principal Wang.

"I've already landed in Chicago when I saw your call and message. Haha! Interesting, SSG still has such a day. Before, I bid for a three-star player, but none of the ten people got him. So what decision did you make?"

Su Xiaoluo was a little embarrassed and explained, "I don't have a say, but they decided to fight normally, I think..."

"Only a fool would act. Don't you think it would be better to act?"

Hearing the principal's questioning voice coming from the phone, Su Xiaoluo looked embarrassed.

"The decision to play normally was the right one."

Businessmen only care about profits.

What is winning the game all about for the club?
What is winning the game all about for the club?
For the championship?

No, to be more precise, it is for the fan economy that can be gained after winning the championship.

Fan economy is what a club really needs to operate.

On the surface, IG's performance here seems harmless, but in fact, on such a global stage, doing such an unfair thing is nothing but being clever.

You are causing trouble for yourself and ruining your popularity around the world.

Precisely because this incident has attracted so much attention, audiences around the world will remember this black spot.

Even if IG wins more championships in the future, this incident will always be a black spot for IG, and some fans will develop a bad impression of IG because of this incident, which will cause endless troubles.

not to mention……

Today's IG is not just its own small business, it has the endorsement of Wanda behind it.

After winning the S5 World Championship, a lot of capital was invested. Wanda itself invested in and sponsored many teams, and IG was the top priority.

From a longer-term perspective, e-sports is an emerging industry. The LOL circle is currently the hottest in the e-sports industry, and the most successful club in the country is also IG.

It is no exaggeration to call the current IG the leader in the e-sports industry.

As the leader of an emerging industry, he took the initiative to distort the atmosphere in the circle... Isn't this just shooting himself in the foot?
Just to get a Samsung card that is not sure if it is useful or not to advance to the quarterfinals, IG will lose all its popularity in major competition areas. This deal is a loss no matter how you look at it.

If it were any other team playing in the World Championship for the first time, they would probably be blinded by greed and drive their players to perform well, trying to make as much money as possible, no one would care whether they were just taking advantage of the situation or not.

But IG has been competing in world competitions for many years, so they still have to save face.

Take ten thousand steps back and say...

Wouldn't they have suffered a great loss if they didn't resort to such tricks? ?
Are you so afraid that an SSG composed of all rookies will enter the knockout stage?
Too low self-esteem, too lack of confidence?
Were the Grand Slam achievements in the past year fake?

"I didn't do anything. It was them who made the decision." Su Xiaoluo said with a smile.

"Oh?" Principal Wang exclaimed in amazement. "People outside say that acting is the smart thing to do, but in fact, they are just short-sighted and only see the immediate benefits. I didn't expect that there are such far-sighted people in our club."

“Who first proposed it?”

"It's Yuan Shen." Su Xiaoluo shrugged and said with a smile: "But I don't think he has considered so many things. He probably just doesn't want to destroy something he likes.

Principal Wang smiled.

"Haha, that's great wisdom in disguise."

“Sometimes this instinctive choice is the most precious.

Principal Wang's laughter was full of satisfaction. Who wouldn't want to be friends with a person who has his own persistence and principles? He felt that Yuan Shen was a good friend. Even if he retired one day and had no commercial added value, he was willing to help him.

not to mention……

Judging from Yuan Shen’s current achievements, as long as Yuan Shen is retained, not to mention two consecutive championships, even three or four consecutive championships are not impossible.

The right version and the right players are two things a key team must have.

Yuan Shen is best at determining the direction of the version in advance, which gives them many choices.

If the players are not suitable, just practice.

If you can't practice it, you can just buy it...

There is nothing that money can't solve.

If so, it’s probably because there’s not enough money.

IG has a sea of ​​heroes at the top, middle and bottom levels.

TheShy can play tank, mage, warrior and shooter.

Rookie also has something to show for all four hero types.

Not to mention Jack, the bottom lane of Ziggs and Syndra is unique in the world.

Such players are enough to support IG to adapt to any system!

(End of this chapter)