LOL: Reborn in S9, Coaching the Trident

Chapter 5: Can this win the world championship?

The video replay shows the first game of the 2019 MSI semifinals between IG and TL.

Chen Song set the tablet aside and began to speak in a detailed manner:

"During the ban/pick phase, IG (blue side) banned Taric, Galio, Lucian, Varus, and Ashe, while TL (red side) banned Jayce, Akali, Rakan, LeBlanc, and Nautilus."

"Judging from the bans, IG's coaching staff was targeting TL's bot lane, while TL's coaching staff was more focused on limiting TheShy in the top lane."

"Judging from the bans, I don't think there's a problem. The key question is why IG chose Ryze first. I'm actually quite puzzled."

"I don't deny that TheShy plays Ryze very well, but the data shows that TL doesn't play Ryze, so they can put Ryze off the table."

Mafa, standing nearby, sighed softly. He knew the reason, of course. He thought TL was very weak and picked strong heroes to directly crush TL in lane and win the game.

This is IG's consistent style in the group stage and regular matches.

Chen Song naturally noticed this, and he didn't continue to discuss it further.

"Let's take a look at the lineup choices for both sides. IG's lineup is Ryze in the top lane, Lee Sin in the jungle, Syndra in the mid lane, and Kai'Sa and Alistar in the bot lane."

"TL's top lane lineup consists of Neeko, Jarvan IV, Sylas, Sivir, and Braum."

"Actually, we could immediately tell the difference between the two teams' lineups from the final rosters. The blue side had the standard IG-style lineup, relying on strong laning phase and small-scale team fights to win the game."

"However, the problem is also very obvious: the team composition lacks sufficient margin for error and overall strength in the mid-to-late game."

"TL on the red side has a completely different style. They picked a lineup that is very weak in the early and mid-game, and in most people's eyes, it is a lineup that they will definitely lose to IG."

Mafa stared at Chen Song and nodded unconsciously.

As Chen Song said, he started the BP process with this mindset. In that BO5, not only him, but all five players sitting in the player seats felt that the BO5 was already won.

"Going back to the lineup, TL's coach was very smart in the draft and ban phase of this game. He knew that TL couldn't beat IG in the laning phase, so he picked a very late-game lineup to avoid going head-to-head with IG in the early game."

"Let's take a look at TL with their mid-to-late game lineup."

That's right. Seven minutes ago, the CS (creep score) in each lane of TL was almost even. What does that mean for TL?

This means that the most difficult initial stage has been passed.

For TL, falling behind in last hits or even losing a kill is acceptable.

As long as you don't get completely crushed in the early game, your mid-to-late game lineup has endless possibilities.

At 7 minutes and 43 seconds into the game, Syndra, along with Lee Sin and Alistar, secured the first blood on Sylas. Although it's unclear how the TL coaching staff warned them, they were not careful enough after the enemy bot lane support disappeared from the map, resulting in the first blood being given away. However, this was undoubtedly very good news for IG.

Lee Sin, a champion who gets kills in the early to mid-game, can easily help IG's lineup extend their advantage.

"The first Fire Dragon is crucial for IG, who have an advantage in the mid and jungle. At this point, Lee Sin shouldn't have let TL take the Fire Dragon so easily without paying any price just to help gank the top lane."

"Furthermore, knowing that Lee Sin was in the top lane, Jarvan IV took the opportunity to steal the red buff. In fact, at this point, considering the team composition, IG didn't have an advantage at all."

"As for Alistar going to mid lane to support and Kai'Sa losing her Flash, these kinds of plays should never have happened to our players."

In his previous life, Chen Song also went from being a Grand Slam player to a Grand Slam coach. He instinctively admires players with exceptional laning skills, but he also criticizes players severely for making minor mistakes they shouldn't have made.

As a coach, his consistent coaching philosophy is that players can make mistakes and have off days. After all, players are human and will make mistakes, but they should never make low-level mistakes like Kai'Sa's blunder that gives away a free flash.

As the saying goes, details determine success or failure.

"What do you think is the optimal course of action at this point in time?"

Upon hearing Chen Song mention that Kai'Sa had used Flash, Mafa first sighed, and then asked a question.

Their coaching staff reviewed the incident many times afterward, but he still wanted to hear what Chen Song, as an observer, would do.

Chen Song paused the video, placed his finger on the dragon pit, and said, "The first choice after killing Sylas is definitely to take the dragon."

"IG's mid and jungle are already strong, and with the kill on Sylas, forcing a team fight at the dragon is the best option right now. TL probably won't dare to come. If they give up, then we'll take the fire dragon. If they do come, then we'll kill them first, then take the fire dragon."

Indeed, Chen Song believed that forcing the Dragon Clan to make this decision was the optimal choice at this point in time, and also the only option to further expand their advantage.

He didn't mention invading the jungle to establish vision after killing Sylas, or ganking other lanes. In his view, these things were not important at all compared to forcing a team fight at the dragon.

Public resources play a very important role in League of Legends; for example, pushing towers is also a way to acquire public resources for the team.

Compared to this, the choice to throw away readily available public resources just to catch a dead person is simply foolish!

Once the coach sets a lineup, the direction of that lineup is essentially already determined.

For example, the early and mid-game lineups in terms of competing for public resources and the mid-to-late game lineup management are essentially based on the same template.

"As for Lee Sin choosing to gank Neeko in the top lane," Chen Song pointed the whiteboard marker at TheShy's last hit, "it's common knowledge that Neeko usually has a 40/60 or 40/70 matchup against Ryze, meaning Ryze is at a disadvantage."

"But judging from TheShy's last-hitting, it's clear that this disadvantageous laning phase doesn't exist; in fact, he's the one with the advantage. This is where the game breaks the mold; the player changes the meta through his individual skill. At this point, all we need to do is ward properly to protect TheShy and let him continue farming."

He dragged the progress bar, freezing the video at 11 minutes and 33 seconds:

"The Lee Sin's flank maneuver to catch someone from behind is also a waste of time."

"With the top, mid, and jungle all having an advantage, we should focus our energy on the Rift Herald instead of continuing to gank Neeko, who has been almost completely destroyed."

"As I said before, there's not much benefit in continuing to kill Neeko; Rift Herald is the real resource that can expand our advantage."

"The counter-gank here allowed TL to take the Rift Herald."

"The same applies to the previous dragons, and the same applies to the Rift Herald here."

By this point in the game, he was already itching to curse.

What are they playing?

How could a team like this win the S-series championship?

That's incredible!

How bad must the other teams be?