2018.
IG's top laner, TheShy, was insanely strong.
He could lane bully anyone he faced.
When he was in good form, he could even solo kill.
If you say Uzi was the undisputed best ADC, then TheShy was the undisputed best top laner this year.
He simply had no equal.
Head Coach Heart wanted to know how much higher RNG's overall strength would rise with the addition of "this point", Jiang Chen.
RNG had the world's strongest bot lane.
The jungler with the most stable map control.
Now with Jiang Chen, this sharp blade, their top lane would no longer be a point of weakness.
How far would they go?
What kind of sparks would fly when they faced IG?
…
The atmosphere in RNG's player lounge was relaxed, unlike G2's.
G2 was shrouded in gloom.
Head Coach Grabbz felt utterly bewildered.
He felt like he didn't understand the game anymore.
He had meticulously planned a three-vs-one strategy.
Syndra for damage, Olaf for tanking towers.
How… how did they get outplayed like that?
Such mechanical skill and awareness.
Why did you play tanks in the past?
You're making life difficult for me, Grabbz!
Seeing Head Coach Grabbz's grim expression, the team manager hurriedly offered comfort, "Coach, our team composition starts to dominate in the mid-game. In the dragon pit, the top laner has a lot of space to work with. As long as he gets the chance to make an impactful play, we still have a chance to fight back."
"Let's hope so," Grabbz sighed.
…
Coaches from other teams had also noticed RNG's rookie, Wang (Jiang Chen).
They all started making inquiries.
Just who was this substitute player?
They thought Royal Club had only brought him along to make up the numbers, but it turned out to be a hidden ace!
Earlier, these coaches had researched their strategies, thinking that as long as they banned Ornn, which was Jiang Chen's most played champion, they would be fine.
But now…
He pulled out Riven and started playing with such vigor.
In League of Legends, there are many players who are born for the big stage, like Uzi, JK, TheShy, Faker… but there are also some who crumble under pressure in major tournaments.
They dominate in the Spring Split and Summer Split against their own countrymen.
They carry games, but when they arrive at the World Championship, their mechanics become distorted. They don't make the plays they should, and they recklessly dive in when they shouldn't.
Forget the hype.
It was clear.
Jiang Chen was the first kind of player.
He had a big heart and dared to make plays.
Several coaches secretly wondered if the solo kill at level two was Jiang Chen intentionally playing the role of the underdog?
The more they thought about it, the more they felt Jiang Chen was an unfathomable player.
Too confident.
He dared to play like this in a do-or-die situation.
It's simply absurd… It wasn't just the coaches.
LPL players,
even international players and fans watching the match,
had similar thoughts.
They were all frantically trying to find out who RNG's new top laner was.
With this incredible performance, Jiang Chen gained a massive following.
The bullet screen comments on major streaming platforms even changed direction.
Many praised Jiang Chen's delicate mechanics.
But a greater number didn't want to admit they were wrong, so they changed their tune.
They started criticizing G2's jungler, mid-laner, and top laner for their poor performance.
Some even said that if Jiang Chen had met TheShy, he would have been crushed…
Many responded to that bullet screen.
They all agreed…
As long as they won this match.
In the next semi-final series (Bo5).
Jiang Chen would face TheShy.
He would meet this top laner who held the hopes of all LPL fans on his shoulders.
…
The casters at the venue were unbiased.
They showered Jiang Chen with praise.
They almost praised him to the heavens.
Simply put,
based on this performance alone, as long as they won this match, Jiang Chen would have a chance at the MVP award.
Former professional player Shen Chao's eyes gleamed.
He thought to himself, LPL was about to have a top-tier top laner.
LPL has always been a breeding ground for ADCs and junglers.
ADCs.
First there was Smile.
He had single-handedly elevated the ADC position to AD Carry, adding the letter "C" to the end of ADC.
The "C" stood for Carry.
After him came Uzi, JK, and the Walking-A-Man…
…
Junglers like Clearlove, MLXG, Karsa, Xiaohu, Ning…
And then there's the Golden Left Hand, the mid laner.
But top lane.
They're all just tanky, passive players.
Besides TheShy, hardly anyone could carry.
And TheShy?
While he was registered as a professional in LPL, he's still a Korean.
…
Back in Summoner's Rift.
RNG, a true powerhouse, capitalized on the momentum and secured the Rift Herald.
The anger in their voice comms had subsided.
It wasn't as tense as before.
"Nice one, Jiang Chen. You kept your cool under pressure. That was a sick play. After the game, I'm taking you out for crayfish when we get back to Beijing," said MLXG.
"After this fight, the top lane's split push will be really strong. The enemy doesn't have a champion that can go and gank him. We have Ryze to open up the map, and we have Jinx's ultimate. Even if G2 wants to engage, they can't catch us. We can just pull back. As long as Riven keeps split pushing, we can win even by just pushing."
Even Uzi, in a rare display of praise, said, "MLXG, after Jiang Chen respawns, drop Rift Herald in the top lane and make sure he gets the first tower. Extend our gold lead." This was praise from a god. …