Chapter 52: I Command My Mid Lane; I Raise Chickens in the Enemy’s Mid Lane! [Combined 4.8K]

On July 10, 2022, it was the fourth week of the EDG Summer Split.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Ye Bo arrived at the Hongqiao Tiandi Arena along with his teammates for makeup and equipment testing.

In fact, ever since the first match, Ye Bo had been extremely puzzled as to why professional players had to wear makeup before going on stage. It felt somewhat inexplicable.

However, a staff member had chatted with him at the time and answered this question.

Whether it was esports or traditional sports, the essence was "serving the audience"—they only existed to bring value to the spectators.

Without a sufficient audience and adequate viewership ratings, a tournament could not even be born in the first place, let alone endure for long.

Therefore, compared to the primitive era—when some competing players had bangs greasy enough to fry two dishes, faces full of crater-like acne scars, and even wore flip-flops to matches...

Applying a bit of makeup to cover things up could also be considered protecting the audience's eyes.

As for the first match of the day, it was BLG versus AL.

Even though it should have been the less anticipated opening match, the arena was packed to capacity remarkably early.

The reason... rumor had it that Uzi would be playing today!

To be frank, BLG's investments and results this year were completely disproportionate. Netizens were joking that Uncle Bill was about to go bankrupt and take the bus.

In the Spring Split, they barely scraped into the playoffs only to be eliminated in the first round.

The roster was reassembled for the Summer Split, featuring a powerhouse lineup of Bin, WeiWei, FOFO, icon, UZI, Doggo, and Crisp. No matter who looked at it, this was a rather impressive roster, right?

Yet, they were now fighting through the fourth week.

BLG started with two consecutive losses, and barely managed a 2-1 victory over the last-place UP team.

Such results, given to a team with this level of financial backing, were clearly far from satisfactory.

As for their opponent today, AL, they were also a bottom-tier team. With rumors of Uzi's appearance, everyone was hoping that "extremes would meet," wondering if it could result in a landslide victory...

Unfortunately, things went contrary to expectations, and BLG was ultimately defeated 0-2 by AL.

Who knew if extremes really met, only to reverse somewhere else entirely.

The EDG team members were chatting casually in the preparation room.

"Ah~ U~ zi~ has fallen~" Ye Bo shouted, raising his hands high.

"How strange. Their roster doesn't look like a team with major shortcomings, so why does it feel like something is off everywhere..." Jiejie looked very puzzled.

"It feels like their coordination isn't great, lacking someone who can shot-call," Meiko evaluated objectively.

"Anyway, from what I see on the chat boards, everyone is cursing the mid laner, saying the mid laner committed unforgivable crimes this game~" Scout raised his phone to show the livestream screen.

[Bin: I'm diving in! Where is Xiaohu, why isn't he flying to me? Wei, peel for me! Galahad, you're hanging back, turn it on and don't hold back! Oh, good thing Ming, you're still here...]

[Bin takes off his glasses: Wei! Puts on glasses: Why is it Weiwei?]

[Song Bin fed quite a bit this game too. Once he leaves RNG and there's no one to cover for him, all the problems get magnified. This guy needs teammates to cover for him. Looks like his professional career in BLG is doomed; it has to be RNG!]

[Isn't this trash mid laner to blame? Just heard on DYS that BLG originally wanted to buy Ye Wen, but EDG snatched him away. FOFO and icon, those two sleeping dragons and phoenixes combined couldn't buy three Ye Wens! What use are they?]

[These EDG bastards, they want to shove all the good stuff into their own pockets. Share some with the others!]

[The person above is hilarious. A month ago, granddaddy just said he wanted to go pro, and a bunch of people were mocking him, saying he could only play solo queue? Saying a champion puddle meant he was just here to be a clown on stage? Oh? Why the sudden change of face now?]

"Not bad, Master Ye, you're really blowing up now. People are even arguing over you in the chat!" Jiejie leaned in and immediately noticed the chat stream, which contained quite a few harsher remarks.

"This doesn't really count as a good thing..." Ye Bo was actually somewhat speechless.

He didn't understand why these chat arguments always had to drag him into it.

Clearly, it had nothing to do with him.

"There are good things too. Didn't Ye Bo just blow up on the Anti-Pressure Board yesterday... Hey, don't tell me you didn't know?" Scout sideways glanced at him with an expression of astonishment.

Then he suddenly remembered that this roommate really wasn't very active on the internet. He frequently went straight to bed right on time after training sessions, so it was normal for him not to know the latest trending news.

Scout opened the forum to search.

Then he handed his phone over to Ye Bo.

《How to evaluate Scout losing his starting spot for the third consecutive match, and then getting crushed by YE in solo queue?》

"Shouldn't a theft master like him be stepping down after this year's performance? As a livestream comment said the other day, even the status of the three-time World Champion Old Li has declined, and when they say he subs, he subs. Who do you think you are?"

"Indeed, he wasn't replaced all spring simply because EDG couldn't find a mid laner. Do you not know how scarce mid laners are in the LPL? Now that they've found one, he still wants to cling on and refuse to leave, right?"

"Will these devout fanboys up top just give it a rest? Hyping up a single solo queue game to the heavens!"

"Let's wait for tomorrow's match. Although Rookie is old, his laning intensity is incomparable to those two frauds from before. We'll see if the devout fanboy's granddaddy reveals his true colors~"

"I'm actually a bit curious now. Is there any chance YE or Scout gets bought out, and we get a stage matchup? Let's see who EDG really can't live without. That would truly rip off the pants!"

Ye Bo browsed through it.

He discovered that quite a few people were actually speaking up for him, earnestly analyzing the comparative impact of the two mid laners on EDG from a strength perspective.

This was actually quite unusual.

After all, a single solo queue match didn't really prove anything; logically, it shouldn't have caused such a massive impact.

Besides, given the typical temperament of the forum trolls, how could they possibly speak up for him?

They would be wishing for total chaos!

The reason for this, in part, was because Scout himself had a poor reputation, making his die-hard fans more bitterly resented by the Anti-Pressure Board.

However, more importantly, it was because of those words broadcasted on T1's livestream yesterday.

Aside from Zeus commenting on the "Diamond 3" meme, which led many people to go to Weibo and flog 369—

The evaluation of the mid laner by those two, and Lee Sang-hyeok's subsequent various reactions upon entering the door, were the real focal points!

From Gumayusi's camera, one could vaguely hear exclamations from the neighboring room like "Oh?", "Ah?", "Yo?".

And finally, that vague, seemingly unintentional mumbling to yourself:

"This person seems a bit better than Lee Chae-won..."

Relying on the detective skills of netizens, who amplified the volume and added translations, this remark instantly blew up the internet!

Numerous marketing accounts frantically reposted it.

Clearly, this casual muttering by Lee Sang-hyeok carried an impact no less explosive than Bin's inquiry in the comment section that sparked overnight virality.

After all, the Anti-Pressure Board had always harbored quite a few people who "worshipped Lee Sang-hyeok like a deity"—precisely the group currently rallying and analyzing in support of Ye Bo.

Ye Bo looked at the reposted video footage.

He was visibly delighted.

As a mid laner, a rookie who had only played a few matches, receiving such an evaluation from Lee Sang-hyeok certainly proved a great deal.

"Right? You're really blowing up now, even yesterday's Weibo hot—" Scout smiled as he said this, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"Huh? What's wrong with Weibo?" Ye Bo turned his head curiously.

"Nothing, nothing. Have you finished reading?"

"Almost, there seems to be another section below, something about eggs?"

Scout remembered that Ye Bo apparently didn't use Weibo and didn't even have the Weibo app, so the guy probably didn't know yet.

He had almost let it slip!

In fact.

Aside from the Anti-Pressure Board, the livestream rooms, and Summoner's Rift—these three "lawless zones"—last night...

In the unobservable zones with Weibo and RED as the main battlegrounds, EDG, along with Ye Bo, had been subjected to a frantic and massive wave of condemnation...

So much that Mr. MaKaoBu couldn't sleep well last night, boss Edward Zhu closed his Weibo comment section, and the EDG official Weibo account only dared to play dead, not even daring to post that day's poster.

Ye Bo was completely unaware of all this.

Of course, in Scout's mind, even if the guy knew, with his optimistic mindset, he probably wouldn't take it to heart anyway.

Scout guessed correctly.

In reality, even if Ye Bo had seen these public opinions, he would have remained utterly unfazed.

He only needed to think about the contents of Old Deng Bo's diary.

Compared to Old Deng Bo—who endured nearly ten consecutive years of dual attacks from both inside and outside the team, experienced bitterness, and ultimately departed in obscurity, yet still maintained an optimistic attitude—

What were these things in comparison?

Ye Bo knew he was doing what he ought to do. Public opinion or no public opinion, it neither should nor would become a factor that influenced him.

He now felt that although Old Deng Bo's experiences looked wretched, they had actually silently provided him with a lot of spiritual motivation.

Scout looked at Ye Bo, who was hugging his phone and smiling secretly, and also revealed a smile.

"The Egg Theory is not bad!"

"I can't take it hahaha, the netizens are truly interesting. I envy their talent..."

[Following Dr. Wu's invention of the great Shockwave Theory, General Lü Bu has now invented the great Second Theory. This can be regarded as the "Newton's Three Laws" of the LOL world!]

[Actually, I feel like the top laner is like a bucket for instant noodles. Since the difference between a good bucket and a bad bucket isn't too huge, it might not seem very important. But if your bucket springs a leak! You might just find out how important a bucket is.]

[Everything else is fine, but it's obvious that the support is the water, right? After all, if eggs lose water, they can't take a bath in the bucket at all.]

[HUUUUUGE! DAaaaRIIIIIING!]

[Following that logic, the mid and jungle are actually a pair of chopsticks. Breaking one is extremely painful, and without either, you have to stand up and "drink" the instant noodles, spilling it all over yourself at the slightest carelessness. Anyone can come along and blame the chopsticks for being useless, and even the two chopsticks can blame each other for being useless. Then there are chopsticks that snap halfway through eating, which are completely tasteless...]

Ye Bo stopped laughing and caught his breath.

Seeing the final paragraph, he actually found himself quite in agreement.

Especially the last sentence; it suddenly reminded him of something.

In Ye Bo's review and research on this V5 team, he had actually discovered that their opponents often seemed to have a pair of chopsticks that suddenly snapped halfway through eating...

"Alright, time to go on stage, brothers." Clearlove walked in, clapping his hands to summon everyone to get ready.

Clearlove glanced at Ye Bo; clearly, he didn't know the inside story.

So before leaving, he specifically walked toward him, wanting to offer some comfort and encouragement.

"Hang in there, little Ye Bo, the world's focus is on you today!"

Although Ye Bo felt somewhat baffled by the other's sudden solemnity,

he still nodded firmly in response!

"Don't worry, Coach! I will prove to them... Ah wait, that's not the line for today."

"Today, I rule the mid lane! The opposing mid laner, I'm farming him!"

"............"

Clearlove suppressed the urge to do the bear facepalm gesture, but seeing that the guy's mental state was completely fine, he felt relieved.

"Fine, as long as you have that confidence, go get 'em!"

The players from both sides entered the player tunnel to wait.

Today's host was ready, opening the show amidst the director's cue.

Xiao Yu, dressed in a vibrant and playful semi-denim JK outfit, strode onto the stage.

And when the welcome announcement read out Rookie's name, the chat stream immediately swelled in response.

[Song Yijin is truly damned! Come out and lane against me!]

[It's over, V5 brought a bear today, and even deliberately picked an out-of-game buff! This is unfair! This is an unfair duel!]

[Ye Wen, prepare to receive the holy light of Saint Song!]

[Today is the moment this fraud reveals his true colors! If EDG loses, hurry up and replace him honestly!]

[Sucks to be you. Xmm couldn't win himself, so he started pinning his hopes on Rookie. Even if Rookie wrecks him today, what does it have to do with you? As if Theft Master ever beat Rookie. Wasn't he captured twice in the spring? Still panicking!]

The director's next frame cut directly to the BP panel.

Miler spoke loudly: "Alright, V5 has priority side selection for this match. After taking the blue side, they choose to send Zeri straight to the ban phase!"

"The red side, EDG, chooses to ban Taliyah. This is also because this champion is a T0 mid laner in the current patch; as long as proficiency is sufficient, the blue side's first-pick rate is quite high, and both team's mid laners happen to be masters of Taliyah!"

Wa Wa chimed in while hovering and thinking: "Speaking of which, Rookie's and YE's champion pools actually overlap! Both are very good at Taliyah, LeBlanc..."

First round of bans for both sides:

V5: Zeri, Graves, Jarvan IV

EDG: Taliyah, Kalista, Lee Sin

Aside from Taliyah, which had to be banned because the red side couldn't first-pick it, neither side targeted the mid lane with bans!

In fact, this was also because the public had already changed their initial impression of Ye Bo as a "champion pool one-trick." The champion pool he had displayed so far featured at least five or six champions.

With this quantity, it was clearly difficult to target him through the ban phase anymore, and Rookie was confident, simply letting them all through.

"Ah, they aren't banning Galio?" V5 coach NoFe showed a puzzled expression.

In matches where Ye Bo previously played, Galio was almost universally banned every single time.

NoFe was a former EDG coach.

However, during his tenure, EDG's Worlds results never broke past the top eight!

Yet just one year after he left... they won the championship!

So facing his former employer, NoFe probably also wanted to prove himself and take this match.

The original plan was to pick a laning champion for Rookie, using his solid laning ability to restrict the opposing mid laner.

However, this wasn't actually NoFe's optimal solution.

V5's journey from a 0-16 record and last place in the league last year to suddenly leaping to second in the league and first in the regular season this spring clearly meant they had their own successful tactical system!

He believed that if they couldn't rapidly break through the mid lane in the early game, it might lead to their bot lane's carry potential falling short of the opponents, easily falling into a disadvantageous position by the mid-to-late game.

"Yijin, if you play Galio against Akshan or Yone, is the pressure heavy?"

"Still okay, both are still playable."

Song Yijin had originally prepared to play Akali against the opponent.

The Akali from that solo queue match had genuinely left a deep impression on him, and his hands were itching to deal with it personally.

However, Song Yijin's style was very team-oriented, and he was always willing to adapt for the team, immediately giving an affirmative reply.

"Good, then for game one, we won't use the laning strategy and instead revert to the set we're good at."

Blue side V5 first-picked Galio.

While red side EDG didn't hesitate at all, confidently locking in Yone as a counter.

............

In the DYS livestream room, Kid the chubby boy shrieked upon seeing this, instantly letting out a roar!

"What the fuck, Ye Wen, on what grounds!? That's Rookie!!!"

"Even if it's Galio, that's still Rookie's Galio! How dare you pick it first on blue side!"

Xi Ka let out an "Awooo" howl: "Sigh, boring. I thought I'd get to see a LeBlanc versus Akali matchup coming up. Why did V5 pick a Galio for my Saint Song?"

"Hey, what's the matchup ratio for Yone against Galio?" Sun Yuye turned to ask Kid.

"Fifty-fifty I guess... But with Rookie's Galio, that's at least seventy-thirty!"

Kid spoke with absolute sincerity, then rattled off like reciting family treasures:

"Lest you forget, the final game of the S8 World Championship finals was none-the-other-than Rookie's Galio! Let me tell you boys, the MVP of that game definitely stole the mid lane's thunder; that Galio was massively crucial..."

Xi Ka watched the spectacle, eager to watch the world burn: "Alright, alright, as Kid says, Ye Wen, just wait!"

Sun Yalong chimed in as well: "Wait! Hey, these forum trolls, everyday they don't dare go on Weibo, but they dare to stir trouble in the livestream!"

"Even though my Scout got trampled twice by Saint Song in the spring, so what huh? This game is going to prove to you that replacing players makes zero difference!"

The team compositions for both sides were confirmed.

《Blue Side: V5 VS Red Side: EDG》

【Top Lane: Gnar VS Kennen】

【Jungler: Poppy VS Sejuani】

【Mid Lane: Galio VS Yone】

【ADC: Aphelios VS Senna】

【Support: Leona VS Tahm Kench】