“Did they release their Aatrox?”
“C’Sante was also released along with it.”
“What do you want to ban?”
“If we’re going with C’Sante, it would be better to also take Lucian.”
The ban-pick phase began, and our opponents unbanned the top-tier top laner C’Sante and Aatrox.
From their blue-side formation, their confidence was clear: regardless of what we picked from the two options, they believed they could win.
“Then let’s take C’Sante.”
“Shall we?”
“Considering Yuchung, it’ll be easier this way.”
The final decision rested with our top laner, Park Jinhwan, who had a preference for C’Sante over Aatrox.
“Let’s try C’Sante for this set, and ban Aatrox for the second game.”
“Let’s go with that.”
Once we picked C’Sante, our opponents selected both Aatrox and Xin Zhao.
It seemed that Lu Nyami judged that our composition with C’Sante lacked some luster, so we rounded out the team with Lucian and Nyami.
“Our opponent is also taking mid lane.”
“Orianna?”
The opponent’s mid-lane choice was Orianna—strong in lane and with good utility later in the game, this was a solid pickup.
“Be careful; our opponent can have Orianna’s burst combo and Xin Zhao dive.”
“Yeah, we need to keep that in mind as we go.”
In the next ban-pick phase, our jungler and mid-lane picks were Lisim and Taliyah, while our opponents’ bottom-lane duo was Varus and Nautilus.
“Are they running with Varus?”
“It feels like they are just securing the lane safely and conservatively for now.”
Among the remaining ADCs, combining Zeri with a utility support would heavily favor us, but our opponent prioritized line control and crowd control in exchange for some late-game value.
‘Do they plan to carry no matter what?’
Looking at our opponent’s overall picks, it seems that as long as the other lanes don’t fall too far behind, there’s a focus on carrying the game through the top lane. In reality, it’s something they’ve demonstrated in the first round of playoffs.
“Can we pressure the mid-lane?”
The skill range of Taliyah’s moves compared to Orianna’s Q isn’t very advantageous, although all of Orianna’s skills are non-targeted and can be dodged.
“I’ll try my best.”
“Okay, then if Seo Ha can hold things down, I’ll play aggressively too.”
“The bottom lane seems like it will need some tightrope walking, but let’s aim for some control first.”
“True, but if we get outplayed, the game might slip away from us.”
“Look, Nyami is top-tier. Even if it gets rough, our ADC will take the hits.”
“What does that mean?”
Amid the playful banter among the team, the coach’s voice cut through.
“Everyone, don’t overthink it. Let’s just play our game well.”
ARK team vs. DH team
1st game
TOP: C’Sante
JG: Lisim
MID: Taliyah
AD: Lucian
SUP: Nyami
VS
TOP: Aatrox
JG: Xin Zhao
MID: Orianna
AD: Varus
SUP: Nautilus
“Then it begins—the first-round playoff match between ARK and DH.”
“The most interesting match-up in this game is obviously the top lane, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. ARK’s C’Sante versus DH’s Aatrox, who is one of the most capable top players. We’re curious to see what will unfold.”
[Is giving C’Sante away correct?]
[Even if Caster is known for being highly skilled, Sante is on another level.]
[Yeah, Sante is not easy for any pro top laner.]
[Caster’s C’Sante is actually top-tier.]
“What do you think about the early-game matchup between C’Sante and Aatrox?”
“There’s not much in top that can really outplay early-game C’Sante, especially with the enhanced Q skill that boosts lane presence and mana efficiency.”
[Looks like C’Sante will dominate early.]
[Once Aatrox’s Q reaches level 3, it gets extremely strong.]
[This could be a story of C’Sante maintaining dominance until level 6, with Aatrox gradually countering thereafter.]
“But even if it seems like passive spectating, top lane is still like sharpening a double-edged knife, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Because with a build centered on Ravenous Hydra, even after recalling for items, C’Sante can still seize control over key neutral objectives like dragon.”
“Still, every single lane is crucial in this game.”
[To be honest, mid-lane is also something to watch closely.]
[The game’s pacing around Yuchung’s value makes the mid-jungle skirmishes paramount.]
[Mid is definitely Para’s lane to control, though.]
“At mid, we have Orianna against Taliyah. What do you think of this?”
“Orianna has the edge. Aside from being stationary-heavy, she also has strong laning utility and versatility, which is why she’s such a staple pick.”
“But isn’t that overshadowed by Para’s demonstrated laning prowess?”
“Regardless of which matchup is taken into account, he’s always managed to outperform—consistently. It’s peculiar to have two players like this, one of whom can dominate any lane matchup.”
“Caster and Para—who will shine brighter? We can all look forward to this.”
[Para’s carrying capacity is unmatched, for sure.]
[What’s this? A Taliyah when Yune isn’t in play?]
[When mid-lane is dominated, there’s no better roamer than Taliyah.]
[How many mages can open up teamfights by force? Not many.]
[The brutal truth is, even if Aatrox is in a 1v5, he can still win.]
[A 3-core Aatrox is practically godlike. If hit properly, it means instant ADC death.]
“At this moment, a fierce battle started at bot lane the instant the minions arrived!”
“The focus may have been elsewhere, but no one is backing down here!”
“Typically, when Nyami is picked, it’s common to couple her with a healing or shield support. With Varus here, things are different.”
[Level 1 fight looks intense.]
[Were they hit by Varus’s grab??]
[Nah, Nyami’s healing makes it manageable.]
[Varus’ W is probably intended for enemies. Was the healing taunt for real, though?]
“A heated exchange erupted, fueled by the use of healing and other survival abilities.”
“Neither side will see fatalities here, which is somewhat a relief for both teams.”
[Is there a chance Para uses Yune today?]
[Para looks like he might fall flat today.]
[Oh, the game lacks excitement already. When will the big teamfights happen?]
[It’s only four minutes in. Chill.]
“For now, it seems like things will flow smoothly until the Yuchung comes alive.”
“Perhaps the first game will serve as an assessment of each other’s skill levels, but…”
“Whoa, what’s Para doing?”
“What is happening at mid right now?”
[???]
[Why is Xin Zhao dead in front of the mid turret?]
[What is happening?]
“Let’s check the replay.”
“Maybe Xin Zhao attempted a gank too aggressively but failed?”
“Here’s what happened. In an attempt to secure an early objective for Orianna and push the lane simultaneously, the skills failed to connect and Xin Zhao was taken down by turret.”
[Spot on, that was a critical hit.]
[Whoa, that was brutal.]
[It wasn’t a Xin Zhao misstep. If they had left the lane pushed, Orianna’s paper skin was bound to explode.]
[Damn, Para played this well.]
“Such a play disrupts the mid-lane balance, allowing Lisim to farm Yuchung without trouble.”
“And the pressure seems to weigh heavier on Caster.”
“Wait…is Aatrox heading toward the dragon?”
“Perhaps he’s trying to counter-push while Orianna teleports back?”
“True, Xin Zhao will also be reviving and rushing back.”
[Will the fight be estimated here?]
[C’Sante can cut once to make this happen.]
[Aatrox has already purchased some items.]
“If we give up dragon here, it’s deemed too difficult, hence they’re engaging a fight.”
“But Aatrox’s End the World! And Lisim avoids using the ward sweep.
“Following that comes Taliyah’s combo! Orianna’s way to join is blocked!”
“Ultimately, with her ultimate duration ending, Caster had no choice but to retreat, and DH loses the dragon without any reward.”
[Combo was too strong.]
[Initially, fighting wasn’t the plan.]
[If they didn’t provoke this, Xin Zhao and Orianna could’ve flanked and caught us.]
[Seems like dragon was given away too easily.]
—
LOL Gallery
Title: Para Level 6 Gang Success
(Mini-wave pushed toward the enemy turret, Taliyah grabs Xin Zhao at the turret with W.)
Taliyah didn’t have much health, so retreating was an option, but taking the extra fight was actually remarkable.
This might have secured the chain for the dragon too. How can we stop ARK’s level 6 dragon control?
This was a very decisive move.
– ARK looking to win smoothly.
– The bot lane is impressively dominating after a while.
– Wow, Nautilus couldn’t grab; otherwise, it might have been winnable.
– Forcing Varus in a poking role without accurate skill execution, what’s the point?
– Let’s just give up.
—
LOL Gallery
Real-time Caster TriKill OMG!
(During a dragon fight, the teamfight started with Lucian being bursted down, and Aatrox secured a triple kill.)
He just tanked it with his log-like resilience!
With such kills, he’s fully carrying!
– Now, it’s hard to predict who will win.
– Aatrox already has two and a half cores!
– The game just exploded!
– Taliyah is scared to go side lanes, but when Aatrox ults and rushes in, you’re bound to die.
– C’Sante is still caught up here, so he’s weaker.
– What did Para do in that dragon fight? (Really confused.)
– Support’s ward placement was weird. Blaming Para is ridiculous!
– These guys are celebrating the cup even before the game ends!
