“Coach Camera seems to be expecting something from Para?”
“Similar to the saying ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ don’t you think we should show something?”
[Why isn’t the camera switching?]
[admiration time for beauty ㅇㅇ]
[What is this on the cheek?]
[somebody got a tattoo?]
[It’s just a sticker lol, why are you making a tattoo joke?]
[In LoL, would anyone get a team tattoo ㅋㅋ they’ll all be rivals next year]
“Ah~ the pose chosen by Para.”
“It’s a heart.”
“A heart placed over the logo drawn on the cheek— it well represents Para’s determination to elevate the team!”
[Wow heart on the cheek]
[Look at that tank!]
[Her face is unreal]
[ seriously anything she does carries an aura]
[These guys talk trash about idols but they’re obsessed with looks too]
[Para is just good so she’s getting hyped but y’all focus on faces too, lol]
[True;;]
“This way, all ARK players enter the LCK arena.”
“Since this is ARK’s first game here, they should try not to be nervous.”
“But then again, there’s a rookie player who doesn’t seem the type to get nervous.”
“That’s correct. It’s Para. The solidity of ARK’s mid-focused strategy is key, and if TH can disrupt it through its player, the match will be crucial.”
[Still, Art has experience; ARK will win the second half ㅇㅇ]
[LOL what’s there to be proud of with a 1-17 record?]
[If I were a TH fan, I’d just go to sleep. What’s the point?]
“Then, let’s introduce the lineups again.”
“TH has Uco, Cross, Art, Jinhyuk, Ruth. ARK has Caster, Lesser, Para, Plea, KAI!”
TH
Uco, Cross, Art, Jinhyuk, Ruth
ARK
Caster, Lesser, Para, Plea, KAI
[TH is definitely messing up ㅇㅇ]
[It’s nice that there’s no ㅇㅅㅇ here]
[ㅇㅅㅇ]
[Who won yesterday?]
[Isn’t it obvious, why ask?]
[BU completely fell apart with a 0-3 beatdown]
[Promotion is hard, period]
“Let’s start the ban-pick.”
“ARK might stick to their usual plan with bans focused on mid and bottom, while TH might emphasize jungle and mid.”
“While we’re discussing, ARK has picked Yone.”
“Para’s Yone, many fans were looking forward to it this season. I wonder how TH will respond…”
“LeBlanc? And connecting it with Lisim…”
[Counter on counter?]
[Looks like they’re aiming to demolish mid-jungle]
[LeBlanc vs Para, lol]
[Fact remains, Para just dominates lane]
“With the last pick on ADC, Ashe has been chosen. Is TH trying to rely on bottom lane for early action?”
“In the midst of hyper-carry ADCs dominating, Ashe was picked first. We should watch carefully.”
[Ashe?]
[Since Jinyuk has been trash at lane phase, giving Ashe was the right move ㅇㅇ]
[Info: If Jinyuk takes 2 kills in bottom lane today, he’ll reach 30 lane-deaths, lol]
[The bottom lane death count is ridiculous]
[Keep feeding like a champ.]
“As it’s the first set, ARK seems to be sticking with their strong ban-pick.”
“Oh no, time is running out. They need to pick fast?”
“ARK finishes the composition with Aphelios.”
“TH has chosen Lulu for the last pick.”
TOP: K’Sante
JG: Lisim
MID: LeBlanc
AD: Ashe
SUP: Lulu
VS
TOP: Oryun
JG: Taliyah
MID: Yone
AD: Aphelios
SUP: Thresh
[Looks like it’s a neutral combination]
[Neither side seems overly advantageous?]
[What’s advantageous? Having Para on your side is the advantage]
[Let’s ban some meat soup]
“Please give us some overall comments on the ban-pick.”
“In the top lane, tank picks that have been common all season, while the mid-jungle picks are geared towards team fights.”
[Bottom lane seems divisive]
[Yeah,]
[TH overall looks slightly underpowered this round]
“But with Ashe-Lulu picked by TH, and Aphelios-Thresh by ARK.”
“TH’s bottom lane probably has a smoother lane phase ahead.”
“Correct. However, ARK needs to be cautious of Aphelios Graviton during ganks.”
“How do you see Taliyah, the rising AP jungler?”
“Great pick, actually. The patch nerfed her Jungle-clear damage on Fragment Toss.”
[Taliyah has become OP after the patch, isn’t she]
[Is this the buffed patch?]
[Yes, qualifiers and promotion matches are in a different patch]
[Not bad]
[Didn’t Resher struggle with Taliyah?]
[Para good af]
“Then let’s begin!”
Coach said to pick a support-type ADC, but the plan unraveled as the opponent had picked first.
Among the support types, Ashe is high tier, but the rest were nerfed and not as strong in performance.
“Yuseong, can you do Aphelios?”
“…”
“Yuseong?”
“Ah, yes. I can do Aphelios. Shall we take him?”
Looking to the right, Jin Yuseong, the ADC, seemed to be spacing out.
At least we could pick Aphelios and not go full random.
“Snap out of it. Let’s go Thresh on support.”
“Yes.”
Thus, the ban-pick finalized with our usual picks, ones we felt confident with.
“Relax, everyone. If we lose, we just come back stronger next season.”
The coach tried to keep us loose, making a joke during the remaining time.
“And if we lose, it’s my picking fault, so blame me. Everyone play confidently and as you usually do.”
With that, the coach removed his headset and stepped out.
Under normal circumstances, team chatter would’ve filled this silence, but no one said a word.
As the game started shortly after,
[TH, fight!]
[ARK, fight!]
The deafening cheers and claps pierced through the headsets, making the keyboard and mouse vibrate.
“LCK is different.”
“The atmosphere’s unlike CK.”
Only then did team members start speaking.
It appeared to be the unique LCK ambiance causing the tightness.
‘CK is more of a festival-like event for everyone.’
While CK lacks designated team seating, just being a pure tournament,
in LCK, each team has dedicated cheering sections, with a cheering culture established.
TH, even as a relegation team, has played many seasons in LCK.
‘Makes sense why it felt weird coming in.’
Even in the central neutral area of the arena, where introductions take place, TH fans filled the seats.
‘Clearly our fans are fewer.’
I, having dealt with this repetitively in a past life, didn’t think much, but the team felt the lack.
While CK treated us like kings with most spectators cheering for us,
here, at LoL Park, we were strangers.
“Focus up, guys. The opponent’s the one in a rush anyway.”
“Yeah, let’s stay calm and do what we usually do.”
“You seem the most nervous, man.”
“That’s true.”
Finally finding our footing, the real game began.
“LeBlanc is the traditional counter to Yone.”
“And Art’s player even comes with Lisim. A brutal lane phase is anticipated.”
“Generally, in these situations, players try subtle footwork adjustments to ease the lane phase.”
“Para has chosen Conqueror.”
[Conqueror can simplify lane phase]
[But doesn’t it make mana management harder?]
[It’s fine if you don’t get chained]
[Like Para will get chained, lol]
“There is a lingering issue with Conqueror.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s the need to constantly hit minions to maintain the stack, which could push you back into position. That makes you more susceptible to a LeBlanc-Lisim combo.”
[True, now that you mention it]
[Anyway, Para doesn’t get ganked, right?]
[True lol]
.
.
.
“Up to level 6, it’s been a pretty smooth game.”
“Perhaps the junglers being level 6, we’re seeing some movement…”
“Lisim starts toward mid.”
“He’s probably trying to coordinate the timing for tower dives, or going for a gank.”
“However, LeBlanc’s health is a bit low, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s true. Let’s wait and see.”
[Is there a gank coming?]
[Just pushing the lane, maybe?]
[Can Lisim use ultimate to knock back while in the ward zone?]
“Yone also seems to think pushing the lane would be best and uses Skill E!”
“Taking advantage of this moment, LeBlanc lands a chain! Following up, Lisim uses ward from behind!”
“This is going to be tough to survive, isn’t it!?”
“But E skill is used again to break the chain… what’s this!?”
“At the moment LeBlanc gets hit with Lisim’s ultimate, they use their ultimate for a double ultimate combo!”
“LeBlanc dies with the low health, granting the gank success to ARK!”
[What were they looking at?]
[Seems like a pre-inputed ultimate]
[Delete this op champ, lol]
[If you pre-input accidentally, you’ll just eat all the CC and get pushed out lol, this is skill]
[Ignoring the incoming ultimate from Lisim and using Q anyway… honestly, that wall placement feels OP]
