LOL: What is a roaming mid laner?

In the afternoon of that day, YM held its first plenary meeting after landing in Berlin.

"There are a total of 6 teams in the main stage of this mid-season tournament..." Hongmi, who arrived in Berlin on the same flight as the KZ team this morning, had just woken up from sleep, and there was a bit of fatigue in his voice.

"Among them, YM, KZ, TL and FNC are guaranteed to be eliminated in the main draw, and the rest are the LMS champion Flash Wolves and the EVS team of the VCS (Vietnam Division) who successfully defended in the play-in stage."

The result is no different from the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational. The five major divisions plus the strongest wild card, the Vietnam Division, make up all the teams in the main stage.

"Six teams will compete in a double round-robin BO1, with each team playing 10 group matches. The last four teams with the best records will advance to the knockout stage..."

Although this was not the first time for the players to participate in the mid-season championship, Redmi still explained all the rules.

Because he is really the junior brother of MSI, and he didn’t pay much attention to the rules of the competition before.

"The point is here," he cleared his throat. "The team that wins the group stage will have the right to choose its opponent first in the knockout rounds. It can find a soft persimmon between the third and fourth place."

"I don't think this is of much use, right?" Jin Gong was a little skeptical, "They are all in a group of three or four, and their original strength is not very good."

"Why do I think this is to avoid what happened in 2016?" Lin Ran laughed.

The S6 MSI held in Shanghai had a schedule that Riot least wanted to see.

The host RNG, which had just won the spring championship at that time, achieved an impressive record of 8 wins and 2 losses in the group stage, leading the whole process and ranking first in the group.

The rules at that time were not as user-friendly as they are now. The first player in the group played against the fourth player, and the second player in the group played against the third player.

After all, in most cases, the fourth team in the group is considered the weaker side.

But 2016 is an exception.

The fourth in the group that year was SKT.

Peak 96line - SKT led by Faker, Bang and Wolf.

The result is obvious. SKT's state has improved rapidly after entering the knockout round. RNG is just a small rock in front of them. They bump into it and they don't know that they have crushed RNG.

After RNG was eliminated in the semi-finals, the host country failed to make any further progress. The highlight of the showdown between China and South Korea was ahead of them, and the ratings of the finals were naturally not guaranteed.

Lin Ran felt that Riot Games had learned smarter this year and simply gave the group leader an expanded advantage and let them choose their opponents.

So you can't rely on the competition system, right?

Hongmi thought so too. He reached out and tapped the whiteboard, "We and KZ are the first echelon, there is no doubt about it..."

"The remaining three teams are Flash Wolves, FNC and TL." Hongmi analyzed the situation for the players. "Among them, FNC is undoubtedly the strongest."

No one disputes this.

During the 14 hours on the plane, the YM players were not idle. Lin Ran, who couldn't sleep at the time, watched all the spring finals of the European and Korean competition regions.

FNC's performance this spring was quite impressive. Their regular season record of 14 wins and 4 losses ranked first in the league. In the finals, it was like eating a Snickers bar, sweeping G2 3:0.

According to the competitiveness of the previous divisions, Europe is considered the third division after China and South Korea, and is much stronger than North America and LMS.

"So we want to grab the first place in the group?" Jack felt that Hongmi had said some nonsense before. KZ and FNC were too strong. It would not be good to play these two teams in the semifinals. In the end, we had to grab the first place. , choose Flash Wolves or TL to advance easily in the semi-finals?

"No, no, no," Hongmi shook her head repeatedly after listening to Jiang Chenglu's feedback, "the KZ coaching staff will also do the team strength analysis I told you."

"You mean..." Lin Ran's eyes lit up.

Hongmi and Lin Ran looked at each other with approval, "That's right, KZ doesn't want to face us and FNC in the semi-finals."

He continued: "On May 13th and May 15th, we will face KZ twice. It can be said that the outcome of these two group matches will determine the final ranking."

"If KZ wants to guarantee first place in the group, he must reveal his hole cards in these two games. Only by defeating us can he guarantee that he will get the first place in the group. In this way, Gouba and I will break one of KZ's cards."

Hongmi smoothed out his thoughts and spoke faster and faster, "Even if we face FNC in the semi-finals, there is no need to worry. Not to mention whether FNC can pose a fatal threat to us, even if it can, we are just exchanging trump cards for trump cards. Everyone No loss at all.”

"If KZ also tries to hide his moves, then I believe that we can be stronger than the opponent normally and get first place in the group. Let FNC attack KZ and peel off his skin!"

Manager Guo Hao listened and nodded in fascination, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter.

In S6, he could figure out how to use the US server rankings to give the illusion that Xiaoyao is proficient in Leopard Girl. He is not stupid and sweet, and his tricks are dirtier than anyone else.

At this time, he heard Hongmi's plan and regarded him as a confidant.

"Then our strategy for the group stage is basically determined now," Hongmi finally concluded. "Play normally, hide all the tricks until the knockout rounds, and don't insist on winning the first place in the group. The schedule is very long, and the last thing is to have the last laugh. Winner."

…

May 11th is the start of the MSI main stage.

The weather in Berlin is much colder than in Shanghai, and it has been cloudy and overcast these days with no sunshine. Lin Ran sometimes leaves the hotel at night to go out for a walk, and his fingers are numb from the cold wind.

Today, in order to keep warm, a group of people put on the MSI Conquest prepared by Tengjing this year over short-sleeved sweaters.

This time they came to Germany, the birthplace of the sponsor BMW, and not surprisingly received preferential treatment. A brand-new BMW 7 Series sedan with YM team logo spray paint sent them to the group stage venue-LCS EU studio.

"...Why does this look like a factory building?" Jack couldn't help complaining as he saw the entire venue through the car window.

Lin Ran and Jin Gong, who were in the same car, also nodded in agreement with Shiba Inu's statement. The venue looked unimpressive from the outside, and the rough architectural structure and casual decoration style really made them uncomfortable.

“It’s quite nice inside,” Vincent, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and explained to them. “Graffiti culture is popular in Berlin. Look ahead, you can see the unique graffiti wall of LCS EU.”

There are already many spectators waiting in line to check in and check in. The BMW painted with a unique team logo instantly attracted their attention.

The audience was ready to take pictures with their mobile phones, and at the same time they cheered like boos.

When the six YM members got out of the car, the German audience's eyes lit up with the MSI T-shirts they put on to keep out the cold.

The classic red and white base, the sleeves are also embroidered with traditional Chinese cloud patterns, and there is the LPL competition logo on the back, with a golden dragon surrounding the logo.

This costume was quite eye-catching in Berlin, a foreign country, and the onlookers responded enthusiastically.

"That's so cool!" A boy who looked like a German boy pointed at Lin Ran's back and asked in fluent English, "Where can I buy these clothes?"

Vincent answered the question while protecting the contestants. The audience was so enthusiastic that some even gathered around to take photos.

"Could you please let me through? (Can you please let me through?)" Lin Ran still wanted to run into the venue quickly, but he could only keep repeating, trying to get the audience blocking the front to move out of the way.

He felt that if he kept saying this, he would soon become Letme.

At the same time, the KZ team arrived outside the venue on a bus provided by Riot Games.

However, there are no eye-catching team logos, luxury cars, or costumes with strong regional characteristics. In addition, KZ’s historical performance is average. Except for Peanut, the popularity of others in Germany is not very high...

There were only a few Korean students gathered around the crowd at KZ, hoping to get the autographs and photos of Little Peanut. After careful counting, there were not even as many onlookers as KZ employees.

If it were normal times, forget it.

But now KZ's biggest imaginary enemy in this mid-season, YM, is not far away, enjoying the thunderous applause of the German audience!

Can this be tolerated?

Khan's eyes were red, like a ferocious rabbit.

"Ah..." Grella uttered the customary exclamation of Koreans, "BMW, so rich."

"What are you talking about?" Khan felt sour and expressed his dissatisfaction, "How about Equus?"

The Equus is considered a high-end model of Hyundai in South Korea, with a price close to one million yuan, and is highly recognized by the Korean people.

"Axi...Donghe, are you kidding me?" Pray, the senior rat king, laughed, "The Equus is good, but it can't compare with BMW."

Khan saw that Lin Ran was still trying to get rid of the enthusiastic audience, but there was not even a fan around him, and his fists suddenly became stiff.

This is called death by drought or death by waterlogging?

"Do you want to take a photo?" He looked at the female international student beside him.

The girl's eyes turned between Khan and the cute little peanut, and she chose the latter without hesitation.

Khan looked at the girls who had gathered little peanuts together, feeling extremely sad and angry in his heart, feeling like a spit of sand.

I feel cold and trembling, can this world be better?

Lin Ran struggled to get away from the German audience and successfully entered the venue with his teammates and coaching staff.

As soon as he entered the gate, he saw the huge physical logo of LCS EU, which used three-dimensional 3D technology and looked quite shocking.

After passing the first security check, it was confirmed that no one was carrying any prohibited items before they were allowed to pass.

A narrow corridor leads to the team lounge in the backstage. The honorary history of the European Division is recorded on the walls on both sides.

The championship photo of S1 champion FNC and the corresponding skin portrait are very conspicuous, and everyone who enters here can see it at a glance.

After that, there were a series of small tournament championships. It is estimated that the total is not as valuable as the first king of S6.

Before entering the team lounge, Lin Ran also saw the souvenir display case, and something caught his attention.

"This is it?" He pointed to a pirate ship keyboard in the cabinet, feeling that it seemed familiar.

Vincent stood in front of him to lead the way, and turned around as soon as he heard Lin Ran's question.

"This," he was not surprised, "is the keyboard you used in the S6 Global Finals. You were elected FMVP. This keyboard is also very commemorative, so we kept it as a collection."

The pirate ship in the glass cabinet is dull, the well-maintained keycaps are clean and tidy, and there is a small YMRan tape on the palm rest. It was used to distinguish the equipment between teammates at the time, but now it has become the key that Lin Ran was using at the time. Keyboard’s credentials for conquering North America.

"The Corsair next to it belongs to Marin. He won the FMVP at the S5 Global Finals in Europe. There is also a Black Widow used by Faker in the 2014 Paris All-Star Game and the 2013 Global Finals." Vincent As a Riot employee, I am quite familiar with this history.

"My S6 is competing in North America, why did the keyboard come to Europe?" Lin Ran was curious.

Vincent shrugged, "North America and Europe are not separated now. They are all LCS. It is reasonable for things to be shipped back and forth."

He led a group of people to the room with the YM team logo on the door, opened the door and went in. There were tables and chairs neatly arranged inside.

As usual, in the center of the room is a Summoner's Rift whiteboard, which is now standard equipment for major teams, allowing coaches and players to discuss and plan strategies.

The TV screen in the room has been connected to the LCS EU commentary station. The advantage here compared to LPL is that the commentary and director list more types of data in more detail.

For example, right now, Lin Ran saw two commentators analyzing YM's activity route in the first fifteen minutes of the game.

"Ran usually starts his first attack attempt at 2 minutes and 40 seconds..." Commentator Vedius clicked on the screen with his finger.

The screen shows Lin Ran's early action heat maps in the two BO5 games in the playoffs. The density of points in the jungle areas of the two sides is quite high. The farther toward the side, the sparser the distribution of action points.

"He will take advantage of the first wave of artillery troops to clear the line and go to the opponent's jungler," another commentator Meidc analyzed, "mainly because he will not buy shoes before returning to the city for the first time. If you forcefully rush to the two sidelines when the speed is slow, it will waste a lot of time and even lose soldiers. In contrast, the jungle area is closer to the middle, and the time cost of wandering will not be very high. "

Lin Ran put his backpack on the chair, unzipped it and took out the keyboard and mouse, while listening to the forward-looking analysis of the two commentators. Quan thought he was practicing his English skills.

"And when Crisp gets the Tauren Chieftain, he likes to first call the jungler to help push the lane, and consume the opponent's health at the same time, and then use the advance of the artillery soldiers or the opponent's return to the city to resupply, leaving the side lane to help Feed back our own junglers..."

"Okay, okay," the famous female host Sjokz interrupted the two commentators, "I know that YM is the favorite to win this MSI, but can our analysis of them stop here?"

"Please, today's opening game is between FNC and TL, EU and NA. Can't you analyze this game?" She shook her blond hair with a hint of ridicule.

Vedius shrugged his shoulders, "Come on, maybe let Doublelift become Doctor Strange and go to the future to see 14 million endings. He can probably find a way to defeat FNC."

This is a plot from "Avengers 3", which was just released in Europe at the end of April this year. The explanation is vivid and practical, and it is directly transferred to the showdown between EU and NA.

As soon as this sentence was spoken, the three people in the studio laughed mercilessly.

No matter how China and South Korea quarrel, it will not attract too much attention from Europe and North America. They only care about whether they can defeat their old enemies.

"Let's Go Fnatic!" Sjokz encouraged his home team, "Let the world see your strength this time!"

"Set a small goal. Let's make up for the Intercontinental Championship we lost last year." Meidc teased with a wink.

Not only the three divisions LPL-LCK-LMS will hold intercontinental competitions regularly, but this event will also be held between Europe and the United States.

It is a pity that in the 2017 Intercontinental Championship, North America swept Europe 3:0 and successfully won the first Intercontinental Championship trophy, which made all North American viewers feel proud and taunted the Europeans.

Although they can't even reach the quarterfinals in the World Championship, in a head-to-head competition like the Intercontinental Championship, the winner will enjoy the right to speak online for a whole year.

The European audience, which has always had the upper hand, is very dissatisfied with this. This MSI is a good opportunity for them to avenge their previous disgrace.

"Send the keyboard and mouse over quickly!" In the lounge, Vincent was still urging the players, "I will send the peripherals for testing later. Remember to follow the staff to the dressing room!"

The six players put their peripheral equipment into the box. Vincent squatted down and easily picked up the big box with his arms in a circle.

"Hey, I have a good waist," Lin Weixiang pretended to be in a good tone while holding his throat. He even reached out to touch Vincent's abdominal muscles, but he almost got hit on the head by a box.

After they finished putting on makeup for more than half an hour, the YM players took off their uniforms. The constant heating in the venue meant that they only needed to wear their team uniforms and short-sleeves to cope.

"When you go on stage later, you will be right if you follow the yellow line drawn in advance." Vincent sent the keyboard and mouse back, and then took them to a location separated by a wall from the main stage, "Lin Ran, you His task is to deliver the MSI championship trophy to the high platform in the center of the stage. The other five people have an easier time, just stand behind him and don’t have to do anything else.”

The mid-season trophy is far not as big as the Summoner's Trophy. It doesn't take five people to work together, Lin Ran can win it by himself.

The six team members nodded in unison, indicating that they understood Vincent's instructions.

Everyone in KZ who were leaning against the wall saw the championship trophy in Lin Ran's hand, and their eyes showed obvious covetousness.

Khan looked like a rebellious champion, as if this golden cup was in his possession.

From the moment he embarked on his career, his only goal was to win the championship.

The audience was already waving cheering sticks and started spontaneously shouting for the countdown. The restless voices and unabashed excitement and joy poured into Lin Ran's ears through the wall.

"Three, two, one!"

There was an explosive cheer, and the sound of the fist symbol breaking glass was heard!

Lin Ran's heart trembled, and he took a deep breath to try to calm down the excitement spreading from the bottom of his heart.

This sound also kicked off his and YM's journey in this mid-season!

The first thing to be played was the promotional video for this mid-season championship. Berlin's major landmark buildings appeared in front of everyone's eyes one after another.

The camera finally stops at the Brandenburg Gate.

Then Ou Cheng's handsome face with sharp edges appeared in the center of the screen.

The popular local player made the audience even more excited and enthusiastic. Fans shouted Martin (Ou Cheng's real name) and cheered for him!

"Martin?" The Garlic Bastard still had his strange aura at this time, "Is he the European Emperor Ding?"

Jack was stunned and burst into laughter.

"This is the seventh year of my career," said Ou Cheng in the promotional video, with a shiny back hair. "I have never led a team to the finals of a world-class event before."

"But I think this time is an opportunity," Ou Cheng said firmly, "New FNC, new hope for Europe."

"I will tell LPL and LCK with practical actions - you have dominated this stage for long enough, and now it is time for Europe to revive!"

The audience burst into cheers, and even in the chat channel of the Mouse Platform live broadcast room, many Europeans expressed their expectations with various expressions.

Regardless of whether Ou Cheng's words can be realized in the end, but in terms of public opinion, it is true for him to understand.

The camera switches to the senior brother who is traveling with the team this year. He has a muscular body and an inverted triangle figure. It seems that he has been exercising a lot recently. His pectoralis major muscles have filled up the liquid uniform.

"When everyone thinks of North America, the first impression always loses," the senior brother said with a cheerful smile on his face. "But this time we will show something different. It's time for the audience to change their stereotype of NA."

[Before, NA could win two games, but now they are eliminated without winning a single victory. The audience will break the stereotype of NA and put them on the same level as Vietnam]

【NA and Vietnam, lol】

[EU monster, what are you saying? You haven’t been defeated in the intercontinental competition yet, right? 】

[This made me laugh so hard. Can North America qualify for the World Championship once without relying on C9? Qiuli paste】

[What, C9 is not an NA team, right? The U.S. Air Force is coming to your door soon! 】

It has to be said that the name of C9’s sponsor was loud enough. Once the US Air Force took action, the entire chat channel in the live broadcast room was filled with emoticons.

In the LCS EU studio in Berlin, the promotional video is still playing on the big screen.

Maple crossed his arms and appeared in the center of the camera.

"Everyone thinks that the LMS is in decline, and they would even say that we are the weakest among the five major regions..." His crooked accent was similar to that of Gou Ba. After listening to it for a long time, Lin Ran felt a little friendly. This thing may be related to the Northeastern dialect. It's also contagious.

"But this time the Flash Wolves will use actions to prove that we are definitely not just free to be slaughtered."

The next Vietnamese team also came over and made harsh words, but they looked fierce and shy, and at first glance they were not as confident as the previous star players.

Khan's champion face appeared. Just like last year's World Championship, he is still quite domineering and cool. "I have conquered the LCK. Now, top laners from all over the world, come and kneel before me!"

The German audience at the scene really appreciated Khan's words and applauded with some praise.

Finally, Lin Ran's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

In just a short moment, the shouts that broke out at the scene echoed in the confined space!

All the German spectators swung the cheering sticks in their hands with all their strength, and the sound was so loud that it made people's hearts beat!

At this time, it was the domestic evening rush hour, and there were a large number of viewers watching the live broadcast of the event. This scene made many domestic viewers gasp in admiration.

[Guigui, what kind of card is this? 】

[After all, double champion, what do you think? 】

[If Lee Sang Hyuk doesn’t come, Brother Ran will be the god of this MSI! 】

[What kind of precious thing is KZ? Waiting for YM to win the championship again, Han Za’s big B face will be swollen, and he will be arguing with us here? 】

"All the contestants came with some rhetoric," Lin Ran's voice on the screen was very calm, "I'm different."

"I don't seek improvement in this MSI, as long as I have the same results as last year," he nodded matter-of-factly, "Come to think of it, I'm relatively easy to be satisfied with."

The scene burst into laughter, and even Sjokz couldn't hold it back.

[Box box boxes, are you starting again? 】

[I didn’t expect the results to be the same as last year. You just said you won the championship (dog head)]

[Indeed, the starting point of Brother Ran is the goal of your entire career]

[Ran: I’m not targeting anyone, I’m talking about everyone here...]

[Stealing my senior brother’s words, right? 】

The promotional video ends here.

"Next, I would like to invite the 2016 and 2017 global finals champions and the 2017 MSI champions, Young Miracles!" Sjokz shouted.

Lin Ran held the championship trophy and, under Vincent's guidance, followed the yellow line on the stage floor to the central high platform.

He stretched his hands forward and placed the championship trophy on the high platform amid continuous cheers and cheers!

When the trophy was placed, the dry ice mist erupted from the edge of the stage and made a loud chirping sound!

Behind him, the other five YM team members stood separately, and began to pretend to be cold and aloof.

Sjokz waved his arms to stir up the atmosphere again, "Let us welcome KingZone from the LCK division, Team Liquid from the LCS NA division, FlashWolves from the LMS division, EVOS Esports from the Vietnam VCS division... and Fnatic from the LCS EU!!"

The appearance of the host FNC team on the stage brought the already restless atmosphere to a climax again!

…

After the team's debut ceremony was over, Lin Ran and his teammates returned to the backstage lounge, preparing to watch the opening game between EU and NA.

In the first game, FNC mid laner Caps showed enough strength. The Ryze he selected used Rift Herald to level the first tower of Team Liquid in the early 10 minutes.

Ou Cheng, who is on the bottom lane, is still growing steadily facing his senior brother.

Nicknamed European Gao Xuecheng, his playing style is very similar to Smile, with stable laning and team fights taking over the game.

The engine of the entire team was handed over to Nakano Suke.

Especially the assistant Hailisang, who plays the bull head skillfully, and frequently moves around to drive the rhythm of the game.

"FNC's level is good!" Lin Ran watched their game against G2 before and found that he still underestimated this re-emerging European hegemon.

Jin Gong and Lin Ran have similar views, "The main reason is that their three lines are not weak in the line-up, and the strength of the entire team has been raised."

In this game, three-way laning is the basis. As long as the laning is strong enough, even a jungler can win.

Because protecting the jungle area online can protect the jungler's performance limit.

The jungler is responsible for driving the early rhythm and feeding back the online advantage, which can raise the upper limit of the entire team's strength.

So the pattern is quite obvious.

Most of the strong teams in the league are absolutely top-tier in terms of strength in the third line, at least without any obvious shortcomings. As long as the strength of the third line is here, coupled with a decent jungler, it is enough to dominate the league.

And the historically strong team that dominates the World Championship needs a jungler with a very high ceiling in addition to its laning strength.

From stupid chicken to anti-three to Xiaotian, some have outstanding awareness, and some win through operation, but there is no doubt that they all crushed other opponents in their championship years.

Now this FNC relies on the lineup of top laner bwipo, mid laner King Caps and bottom lane Oucheng, which is enough to be called a strong team in the league.

But whether we can go further still depends on the jungler.

"Caps Shark is crazy!" The European commentator roared, "He is harvesting the battle, and the Rune Mage has become a super god!"

Under the camera, Caps, who looks exactly like Mr. Bean, is grinning wildly. In just 22 minutes of this game, he refreshed his record to 8/0/4.

Now Ryze's three-piece set has high meat output and high health. The senior brother sees that he has less than 1/4 of his health left and wants to step forward to collect the bounty.

The Kai'Sa he controlled turned into a void phantom and rushed behind Ryze!

"Caps was well prepared. He turned on the active effect of Seraph's Embrace and refreshed a layer of shield. EW immobilized Senior Brother and the overloaded burst damage was unbelievable!"

"He destroyed TL!"

At 22 minutes, the economic gap between the two sides was as high as 1.2W. FNC won the Baron and prepared to end the game in a wave!

The German audience excitedly tapped the cheer sticks to express their inner excitement!

【EU＞NA! 】

[10% off water bottles in North America? It’s so funny]

[Eldest brother, do you dare to fly? 】

【Fly, fly, fly, fly! 】

A fact stood out in the live broadcast room of Mouse Channel. The North American audience changed into Sima's face and remained silent, allowing the European audience to ridicule him.

"Let's go, get ready to go on stage!" Hongmi clapped her hands to get the players to focus.

Lin Ran went to the bathroom, picked up a drink, and walked to the stage holding the peripherals.

"TL fought and retreated, giving up two highlands. FNC played steadily, returned to the base to resupply equipment, and pushed Team Liquid to the high ground with a huge advantage of 1.50,000!"

The elder brother still wanted to fight to the death, so he bought a piece of mercury to increase the operating space.

"Caps flashed forward, QEQ combined with Ezreal's ultimate move to kill the senior brother instantly!"

Everyone in Doublelift was dumbfounded. He was so big and Kai'Sa was just gone?

"FNC pushed all the way and destroyed the opponent's base!" The European commentator couldn't hide his joy, "Congratulations to Fnatic on a good start!"

"This is a good start! The sleeping European hegemon is waking up!"

The players from both sides shook hands and packed up to leave. Players from YM and Flash Wolves stepped onto the stage, ready for their first game!

In fact, there is still a little more to save, but I’ll stop here. If I write 9k, I won’t be able to finish the bp, so I’ll just leave it until tomorrow.