Chapter 25: Same Old Trick! Triple Combo Technique!

Eight minutes in, EDG firmly controlled the upper half of the map thanks to the advantages of their top and mid laners, initiating the Rift Herald.

Since the 0-2 Azir had no fighting power at this stage, LNG had no choice but to concede the objective.

"EDG's tempo this game is truly impressive. Once they take the Herald, if Doinb gets hit hard again, a tower will fall, and this Yone will become impossible to contain!" Miller voiced his concern for LNG.

"It feels like LNG is having a miserable game. Their best-performing mid-jungle synergy system hasn't produced any results; you could even say they've been completely suppressed..."

"Indeed. But it must be said, this rookie from EDG is performing incredibly well. To achieve such results in the early game, despite Yone being at a disadvantage, is remarkable," Jiejie added, highlighting the true crux of the situation.

"Fortunately, LNG's team composition has the potential to drag the game out. With the bot lane farming smoothly, there is definitely still a chance."

Jax, Azir, and Jinx—these three carries were all Tier 1 champions in the "Durability Update." Paired with the protection of Tahm Kench, it was clear that as long as the current disadvantage didn't spiral further, the team would essentially be generating its own economy once they reached their power spike.

LNG began to employ their "turtle formation" strategy, retreating fully behind their defensive lines.

"Jiejie, just drop the Herald in the top or mid lane. The enemy bot lane is playing too safely; there's no opening there," Meiko directed. "Viper, be careful over there; I'm going to roam to the mid lane."

Seeing no opportunity in the bot lane, Meiko wanted to head mid to see if they could accelerate the game with the Herald. However, Ye Bo seemed to have other ideas.

"I feel like their jungler might be nearby, protecting the mid lane. He’s playing very cautiously, and his Flash is back up. I don't think there’s much of a chance there."

"Actually, I have an idea..."

Before this match, while Ye Bo had performed well in scrims, he was still a newcomer, and it was hard for him to command total trust. But now, having correctly analyzed LNG and successfully executed every theoretical setup, his ability was beyond doubt. Naturally, no one refused to trust him.

At nine minutes, Yone vanished from the map after quickly clearing his wave. Because of the pre-match "rivalry," Doinb desperately wanted to win in a dominant, carry-like fashion to show the audience the difference between a "professional and a pub player." That was why he had picked Azir—a champion capable of both laning pressure and late-game carry potential.

But due to the early-game deficit, Azir had completely lost lane priority, and Yone’s wave-clearing speed at this point was no slower than his. Furthermore, Azir’s champion profile dictated that his early-game roaming and support capabilities were limited, especially when playing from behind.

Doinb looked at the map, using his experience as a roaming mid-laner to guess the opponent's intentions. The bot lane had Tahm Kench’s protection, so it didn't look like they could be killed. In the top lane, with his own Teleport up and Jax’s strong self-peeling capabilities against Jarvan IV and Yone, he should be able to respond in time. With that in mind, Doinb felt relieved, pinged "Missing," and continued to push the wave.

From the spectator's perspective, the casters watched Yone’s movements with confusion.

"Is Yone trying to dive the bot lane?"

"Although Ye Bo timed this perfectly—Poppy had just returned to base after clearing the bot-side jungle, creating a gap in vision—LNG’s only source of farm is their bot lane! Both sides are level six; Tahm Kench has his ultimate. It feels impossible to kill them!"

When the second wave of minions arrived in the mid lane, Yone still hadn't shown himself. Doinb sensed something was wrong. At the same time, as the bot lane slow-pushed the wave into the tower, a figure emerged from the brush and walked straight toward the turret!

"Damn, Yone is here! It looks like they want to dive!" the LNG bot lane duo frantically called for support.

Yone’s appearance was essentially a signal that Jarvan IV was nearby as well. This was a four-man dive. After all, diving this duo with only three people would be quite risky.

"I have Teleport! I have Teleport!" Doinb shouted while switching his screen.

The LNG bot lane was at full health and had no reason to retreat. The three EDG players didn't attack immediately, letting Yone charge his wind stacks with his Q. He ignored the cannon-form auto-attacks from Jinx, showing immense arrogance. It was as if his killing intent was absolute!

Doinb glanced at Poppy, who had just left the base, feeling unsettled. He didn't know if this was just luck—coinciding with Poppy's return to base—or if it had all been calculated.

But at that moment, Yone, with his wind fully charged, dashed in with his E!

"It's okay, I'm coming! I've used TP, I've used TP..."

"F***!"

The purple light of the Teleport on the LNG bot lane turret had just appeared, only to flicker and vanish. Seeing this, Ye Bo couldn't help but smile.

*Coin Brother, you really never learn.*

This was a case of "repeating the same mistake." Doinb had always been characterized by his "supportive" and "selfless" playstyle. Even when playing hyper-carry mid-laners, he never hesitated to use Teleport. Just like this time, seeing the dive, he had been incredibly decisive. But Doinb seemed to have forgotten he had been caught this way once before—only that time, he had been followed for miles by Akali.

This time, Ye Bo had set a trap, and Jarvan IV, waiting behind the river wall, caught him perfectly! Jiejie didn't hold back his spells, confidently initiating with his R, followed by an EQ combo to knock up and displace the enemy, effectively canceling the Teleport while giving the Azir no chance to retaliate!

"Meiko, look at me!" Ye Bo sounded the horn of attack.

Yone dashed in, wind ready. But the LNG bot lane duo was no amateur pair. Seeing their mid-laner's Teleport canceled, they panicked for a split second before responding.

"Spread out, spread out! Don't stand together so he can't hit us both!" Doinb commanded from afar.

"It's okay, I have Flash; he can't hit me. I can outplay this!" the ADC said confidently.

The bot lane hadn't fought yet, so both sides had all their summoner spells. Tahm Kench and Jinx positioned themselves at the sides of the turret, forming an "L-shaped cross-positioning" that allowed Tahm Kench to swallow the ADC at a moment's notice. If Tahm Kench were targeted first, Jinx could Flash to dodge and even place her traps to lock the enemy under the turret!

If Jinx were targeted first, Tahm Kench could simply swallow her. Clearly, the key to EDG’s dive was the skill of the 2-0 Yone, and Tahm Kench’s swallow was the natural counter to such abilities.

"LNG's bot lane positioning is brilliant! They’re spread out, and Tahm Kench can save the ADC instantly. Plus, the front positioning helps block skills!"

"Braum will have a hard time initiating on the ADC... wait!?"

The one who initiated for EDG wasn't Braum. It was Yone. Without hesitation, Yone charged straight at the Tahm Kench in front, firing his wind-Q at point-blank range—but his body shifted in mid-air, Flash shimmering as he tore through both of them!

*Q-Flash displacement!*

Landing, he turned and unleashed his "Fate Sealed" (R) in the opposite direction against the two airborne targets!

The theory that "Yone's QR is guaranteed to hit" isn't actually true, because both the wind-Q and R have a 0.75-second knock-up time, and the latter part of the Q animation consumes time, allowing opponents to Flash away. However, there is one situation where it is unavoidable: when the body and the wind arrive simultaneously!

The reversed "Fate Sealed" scooped up both enemies, dragging them out of the tower's range! At the same time, Aphelios’s [Moonlight Vigil] fireworks exploded overhead. Braum, ready to coordinate, slammed his shield into the ground, unleashing [Glacial Fissure] to chain the third knock-up!

Meiko was precise. Targeting the two bunched together, he auto-attacked Jinx, then Q'd the Tahm Kench, applying the passive "Concussive Blows" mark to both.

"Viper!"

Hearing his partner, Aphelios reacted perfectly. After releasing the fireworks, he didn't greed for more Qs, immediately swapping to his second weapon, Severum. The two blood-red scythe-pistols danced in the air, his movement precise as he targeted the enemies, using the rapid-fire of Severum to instantly trigger Braum’s passive!

As Tahm Kench landed, he was instantly stunned by Braum’s frost. Jinx hadn't even landed yet, but after taking Yone’s AQA, she was stunned as well.

"My goodness! What was that play!" Jiejie’s eyes widened.

"Was that a displacement from Yone? A Q-Flash? He dashed through them, knocking both up at the same time, giving Tahm Kench no chance to swallow, then brought them back with a reversed R. That was way too cool!"

"And the coordination between these three EDG members is perfect—three chained knock-ups, followed by two instant stuns upon landing. They’ve pushed the synergy between Aphelios, Yone, and Braum to the absolute limit!"

"That’s practically a 'three-person combo skill'!"

Miller quickly added, "Once the LNG bot lane took the first CC, they were unable to dodge the second, third, or fourth spells. They didn't even move for the entire duration of that combo!"

"Tahm Kench never had a chance to swallow, and Jinx was deleted from full health!"

"Tahm Kench tried to Flash away, but it was clear he wasn't going anywhere!"

Even though Tahm Kench had Flash, the remaining EDG members had theirs too. Moreover, after taking the full burst of a 2-0 Yone and the chain damage from the fireworks, there was no way a support Tahm Kench could survive.

In the end, they fell in defeat!