“Good evening. I am announcer Yoon Ji-hye, welcoming you to the opening match of the LCK Spring season.”
“Hello, I’m Count, Lee Yong-hyun.”
“For this season, I understand the analysis will be conducted alongside Count. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, since my retirement, we haven’t met. So, it’s been two years now?”
“Time sure has flown.”
—
[Smart eye]
[Ah, Count]
[Good guy, should be able to provide good analysis]
[Didn’t like bringing someone non-professional last season but this is good]
—
“Moving on, in Game 1, ARK triumphed over AX. What were your thoughts on the bans and picks?”
“First, we should take a look at K’Sante in the top lane. It was indeed anticipated to be a powerful pick this season, and despite the loss, it did show a significant impact.”
“As you mentioned, there was a k*ll with Gwen, known as the counter, where it seemed that K’Sante did quite well in landing the solo k*ll. Was this more due to K’Sante’s play?”
“Many people have assumed that since K’Sante, with its percent health damage and usage of Total Assault, can be killed in one combo by Gwen. This perception is widespread, but let’s delve further.”
—
[Indeed]
[Seems Santé wins in the early game]
[Unstoppable with its health regeneration + Exploit + Shield Bash combo, it’s almost OP]
[That Exploit plus Shield Bash combination is insane]
[What if you add in a freeze?]
[Gwen, what freeze?]
—
“Currently, it remains strong, but with a nerf to its tankiness and damage in late game in exchange for early game buffs, it made a big difference in the solo k*ll potential.”
“I see. Speaking of ARK, let’s talk about Player Para. What are your thoughts on Para?”
“Ah… Para is really good, and I still remember getting beat up badly by her in the vll Finals.”
—
[Oh no…]
[Another victim]
[Indeed, Count was on a roll but Para carried his team to victory by herself]
—
“In any case, there was a particular scene that caught my attention. Specifically, this one.”
“Is it the last dragon team fight?”
“Yes, here you can see where Para ults and catches both advancing Lucian and Nyami. This was not the end, though.”
—
[Yune is too good]
[How come there’s no nerf to such an OP champion?]
[What OP champion? There are barely any pros who play Yune other than Para]
[Para only plays this because it gets nerfed early, and it can counter mages. It’s just that she’s carrying with it]
—
“Take a look at this moment where Para interrupted Arin’s teleport.”
—
[Indeed, didn’t see the bush there]
[Oh wait, I see it now]
[I see it too]
—
“Turns out there was one last ward that showed Arin entering the bush. However, due to timing issues, it wasn’t visible through Arin’s Lens, and he instantly teleported.”
—
[Oh gosh, if Para hadn’t sidestepped, K’Sante might have taken the tower]
[True, the game wouldn’t have ended there]
—
“What made this truly exceptional was Para interrupting K’Sante’s return with her movement and then cancelling the teleport with her Q’s end range.”
“Wow… Hearing this, she really seems remarkable. So, let’s find out who the pick for Player of the Game (POG) is!”
—
[Whoa…]
[Para all the way]
[POG pose is a heart, wow]
[Oh wow, she is both good-looking and got the POG in her LCK debut. She is doing it all]
[Yea, all the haters of Para will disappear now]
—
“Player Para! She was certainly responsible for carrying the game by compensating for deficiencies in the top lane with her growth in mid lane.”
“As AX’s bottom and top were heavily overperforming, she managed to keep the team alive through key plays.”
“Even her KDA was clean at 4-0-1.”
“But although she played well, it might not be wise to continually let K’Sante operate freely.”
“So, will the second game deliver a different set of bans and picks? We’ll soon find out!”
—
“LCK might be new to this team, but their style hasn’t changed. This style is shaped by this particular player.”
—
[She still looks beautiful with that hair style]
[Indeed, Para went around a lot from the beginning of Game 1]
[Go AX!]
—
“Although Seohwan’s Gwen caused some early trouble, in the end, he fulfilled his role well.”
“Indeed.”
“So the question now, can AX, this fearless team, teach the LCK veteran team AX a lesson? Game 2 bans and picks are now beginning!”
—
[First cut Yune]
[Right, an unchecked Yune will run away with the game]
[But isn’t banning Yune costly?]
[ARK seems to have no room for error in their picks though. They are geared up in the top lane]
[And Para seems to have strange champion preferences. Didn’t she play Nautilus in CK?]
—
“First ban on K’Sante, followed by Yune. AX is well aware of Para’s capabilities.”
“The issue here is, Para’s carrying ability doesn’t depend on champion versatility.”
“That’s true. Nautilus, Yune, and even a ranged AD carry champion. Para is a player with a wide champion pool.”
—
[Will ARK go for Lucian-Nyami again? Or will AX beat ARK again if ARK loses?]
[K’Sante ban means they have to win early, as they lack a sturdy champion upfront]
[Right]
—
“And with the first pick, Udyr. AX seems intent on dominating the top lane.”
“ARK follows by completing the bottom duo. After seeing the last game, they’ve opted for an aggressive Lucian-Nyami pick.”
“Looking at the banned LuLu pick, what other bottom picks would be suitable?”
“Would Milio work here? So the next champion is?”
“Carrying on with Affer, they choose Affer Milio.”
“And ARK brings back Xin Zhao in the jungle.”
—
[What will Para pick?]
[Unless she knows, nobody does]
[Go AX!]
[Please break the monopoly]
—
“And ARK responds to Udyr with Gnar.”
“While Udyr might struggle a bit against a long-range h*rass champion, it can also counter K’Sante in terms of weight class.”
“And AX goes back to Aria in the mid and again B’Yai in the jungle. Next from ARK… Hwehi!”
“The first Hwehi pick in LCK.”
“Complete your assessment of both teams’ bans and picks please.”
“Both teams seem focused on gaining line dominance. The key will be how well they perform in each lane.”
“So is it likely the laning phase will decide this game?”
“Yes, the team that makes the first mistakes in laning phase might struggle throughout the game.”
“So let’s take a look at Game 2!”
—
[Does Para play Hwehi well?]
[Hasn’t played a single game yet]
[It wasn’t released until the end of last season]
[Let’s go!]
—
“I’ll play Hwehi.”
“Did you practice?”
At my words, Coach asked if it would be possible.
Given it was a champion added in this patch, I hadn’t used Hwehi even once in scrims.
Everyone worried about the mastery of the character.
—
‘I’ve waited for this.’
Personally, I’ve always favored versatile champions, and I rather like Hwehi.
Although its survival skills might be somewhat lacking, it has good crowd control, decent DPS, and among standing mages, strong pushing power.
A champion that would be hard to dislike in the mid lane.
The game started, and as soon as the minions arrived, I moved forward to grab the first push.
—
‘Started with 1-level Q.’
Typically, Arin tends to invest in W at level one and exchange pokes by auto attack W. But with Hwehi, you might also want to go Q against fast-clearing lanes.
With QE (the first input sets the theme and the second one of the three skills), I cleared all the minions, which gave me lead at 2 levels.
Once I hit level 2, I immediately approached the enemy tower and started putting on pressure.
—
With all our melee minions alive, the enemy had no other choice than to come forward for the experience.
In professional games, even a little difference in experience can quickly end the game, so the opposing Arin moved forward slightly recklessly.
When the enemy Arin used a skill to eat the minions, I could take advantage of that moment and trade damage favorably with my own skills.
—
“Can we take this creep score with Yuchung?”
“Mid lane is under pressure.”
“Still, we might have issues once Arin gets her ultimate.”
“Our top is pushing though.”
—
The opposing Arin was trying to maximize her item progress just before Yuchung despite being below half health. This was not a good option despite having teleport ready.
—
‘Now.’
The moment the enemy Arin moved for the cannon minions, I cast E, applying terror.
Followed by the ultimate and Q skill.
Hwehi’s passive summons a persistent ground effect that deals additional damage for consecutive skill hits.
It played a supplementary role in filling in the damage gaps of these skills.
—
[ARK Para (Hwehi) secured the first bl**d!]
—
“Caught in the mid.”
We could secure the first objective just as Yuchung arrived.
