Chapter 78: Rumble Stage vs VXG (2)

“Irelia here!”

“With KSante already picked, it looks like she’s going mid.”

“But this is ARK. We have to wait and see.”

“VXG takes Nami and Orianna, a high-tier mid laner.”

“And ARK picks Lillia for jungle.”

“Lesser, although often overshadowed by Para, is incredibly skilled with AP junglers. His carry potential has been well-known since his CK days.”

[Irelia mid for real?]

[Are they going for an AP jungle?]

[This pick counters Hoon’s Orianna, which usually dominates mid.]

“We’ll have to see how the draft unfolds, but Irelia mid? That signals ARK’s intention to disrupt VXG’s game plan.”

“How so?”

“VXG likes to play around Orianna mid and use a mobile AD jungler to snowball leads. But Orianna’s biggest weakness is her lack of mobility.”

“Irelia’s laning phase is quite strong, isn’t it?”

“Her teamfight execution can be tricky, but as a mid laner, she can pressure immobile mages relentlessly in the laning phase.”

[Is Para good at Irelia?]

[If she’s good at Yasuo and Yone, shouldn’t she be good at Ireliatoo?]

[This seems to be the first time she’s using Ireliain a tournament.]

[I watch Para’s streams every day, and I’ve never seen her play Irelia.]

“In the second phase, VXG rounds out their draft with Jarvan IV jungle and Gnar top.”

“Jarvan IV and Orianna were considered an OP combo until last season, but after repeated nerfs, it’s become a VXG signature.”

“It’s scary that they can still confidently pick them even after such nerfs.”

“With most ADCs banned, ARK picks… Xayah and Rakan to complete their comp.”

[Zeri is open; why aren’t they picking her?]

[What?]

[Isn’t Zeri good against Jarvan IV?]

[I predict Para will get crushed in mid and they’ll just lose.]

“With Zeri open in the current meta, is there a reason why ARK isn’t picking her?”

“I think they’re prioritizing lane dominance.”

“Are you saying they can win lane against Lucian Nami?”

“Lucian Nami’s current lane strength comes from Nami’s W sustain, but Rakan’s Q also received a significant buff this patch.”

“I see.”

“Also, Lucian Nami’s laning phase relies on Lucian’s Press the Attack procs to trade effectively. Xayah can poke with her passive feathers through minions and deny those procs.”

[Lucian without Press the Attack is pretty weak.]

[If Xayah can continuously deny Press the Attack with her feathers, the lane should be manageable.]

[Rakan can also interrupt Jarvan IV’s engage if timed correctly.]

[Doesn’t seem bad.]

[The draft isn’t the point! Is Para really wearing twintails today?]

---

[ARK]

TOP: KSante
JG: Lillia
MID: Irelia
AD: Xayah
SUP: Rakan

VS

[VXG]

TOP: Gnar
JG: Jarvan IV
MID: Orianna
AD: Lucian
SUP: Nami

---

“Got Nami!”

“Bot lane is over!”

Good news came from bot lane as soon as the game started.

I checked to see what happened.

“Nami deserves to die for positioning that aggressively at level 1.”

“They underestimated us.”

Both junglers started top side.

During the bot lane bush control fight, Nami stepped forward to land a skillshot, and Xayah and Rakan, both with W max, took her down.

“It’s good that we got the kill, but both Xayah and Rakan are without Flash, so be careful of ganks.”

“It’s a shame the kill went to Rakan.”

“If Plea had seen the kill potential and used Flash, he could have gotten it.”

“We’ll definitely have a Scuttler fight at six minutes, so Seo-ha, manage your HP well.”

Getting first blood in bot lane was a great start, but the core of this draft was me.

With Irelia, I had to snowball my lane as much as possible.

‘I’m not that confident with her, though.’

Irelia wasn’t a champion I favored in my previous life.

She didn’t have the same game-changing teamfight potential as Yone or Yasuo, and she was very difficult to recover with once behind.

Even in this life, I wouldn’t have touched her if not for the coach’s strong recommendation.

‘What?’

I initially focused on farming safely, but my opponent overextended to push the awkward wave.

Seizing the opportunity, I landed a 3-level Q-Q combo through minions, followed by an E, stacking four tentacles.

I continued trading, dodging her slows, and finally forced her Flash, gaining a significant advantage.

I understood her frustration.

If she didn’t push that freezing wave, the next wave would also freeze in front of our tower.

That would increase her risk of getting ganked and lead to experience loss, so she wanted to push and recall.

‘But you shouldn’t throw a tantrum.’

That’s what junglers are for.

No jungler would refuse a gank call when the mid lane is pushed that far.

They refuse? Well, then they lose.

“Gank mid for Scuttler!”

At the six-minute mark, Lillia, thinking Orianna had recalled, started taking the Scuttler and got trapped in the pit by a gank.

“I’ll keep Gnar busy; you two deal with the 2v2.”

“I’ll stall with my ultimate! Orianna’s ult is down!”

Hearing Kim Do-jin’s call, I realized the Scuttler fight was a 2v2.

If both Orianna and Jarvan IV had used their ultimates to try and kill Lillia, who was using her ult to survive…

“I’m ulting.”

I placed a pre-emptive E in the bush near the river and arrived at the pit, flashing and ulting.

Since the enemy team was already inside the pit and Lillia had landed a sleep, they couldn’t avoid my ultimate. I followed up with my pre-placed E.

“Both stunned!”
“Let’s get them!”

Even without Blade of the Ruined King, which was still considered a core item on Irelia, with four stacks, she was a god in early-to-mid-game skirmishes.

KSante, who was holding off Gnar, managed to escape, but I secured a clean double kill on the enemy mid laner and jungler.

“Nice, this is huge.”

“Dodging Orianna’s ult with Flash was the key.”

“Good job, everyone.”

Even if the enemy team was good at teamfighting, two kills on Irelia at this point…

“I’ll carry this.”

…meant they couldn’t win unless I threw.

[Para with the double kill! Showing us why she picked Irelia!]

Seino winced slightly at the roar of over 10,000 spectators that followed Para’s double kill.

She’d heard many cheers over the past five days, but this level of enthusiasm was rare unless it involved the Japanese team.

“It’s the anticipation that comes with the LCK and LPL rivalry.”

Choi Eun-seo, sitting next to her, spoke as if reading her mind.

How did she know what she was thinking without her saying anything?

‘…Still scary!’

Seino simply nodded, speechless, and Choi Eun-seo continued with a smile,

“And since TXG’s advancement is almost guaranteed, international competitions are a celebration for everyone.”

“A celebration…?”

“If you have a home team or a team you’re rooting for, it makes it more engaging, but just being here is part of the fun.”

For Seino, who had started watching League because of Para’s challenge videos and only followed ARK, this was difficult to understand.

‘Can it be fun without a team to cheer for…?’

Usually, even the strongest teams can miss international competitions due to bad luck.

But for Seino, whose first favorite team was performing well internationally and on track for an easy victory, this felt surreal.

[No way, Para! Two more clean kills in mid?!]

[She mitigated Jarvan IV and Orianna’s ultimate combo with her W damage reduction, turning a gank into a double kill!]

Jarvan IV, trying to shut down Irelia’s growth, ganked mid, but Para dodged the combo with perfect W timing, weaving through minions and securing a double kill.

“Wow…”

Seino unconsciously gasped at Para’s dazzling display of skill.

Choi Eun-seo, watching her, asked,

“Why do you like Para?”

“H-Huh? There are many reasons…”

“Like what?”

“Well… she’s cute, pretty, good at the game, and even though we’re the same age, she’s so confident and cool…”

Choi Eun-seo burst out laughing, quietly so as not to disturb those around them, and said,

“Do you want to meet her?”

“Huh?”

The Rumble Stage ended today, followed by a four-day break.

Seino assumed there might be a fan meeting after the match, so she agreed.

“Oh, are you Ray, the singer?”

“Yeah, you said you were a fan, so I brought you along.”

“Eh…?”

Seino found herself unexpectedly invited to a very special meeting.