The head coach's face turned a sickly green.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, then said in broken Chinese, "Jiang Chen… if this Riven doesn't carry us, then leave RNG!"
Jiang Chen blinked, but didn't respond.
At the commentator's desk, Miller, looking at the hero icon flashing on the big screen, was also speechless. "This is… a wrong pick?"
娃娃 immediately jumped in to help. "I was surprised by this Riven pick too. Do you think Royal Club chose Jiang Chen just for this pick?"
Miller, a veteran of many battles, instantly regained his composure after being subtly reminded by 娃娃. "No way, this is clearly a wrong pick. According to his Korean server rank history, Jiang Chen only plays tanks. He barely plays any aggressive top laners. And he definitely wouldn't pick Riven in this meta."
“Yeah. If he really wanted to play this hero, he wouldn't have picked it so early. It's likely they could have gotten it in the next ban/pick round.”
A hint of bitterness flashed across 娃娃's face, almost imperceptible.
Jiang Chen was already at the bottom of the food chain in this Worlds.
Now, he's picked the wrong hero, and he's going to get countered by the enemy top laner and ganked by the jungler…
How can he even play?
Usually.
When the opposing team picks late-game carries like Riven, Vladamir, Kayle, or Kassadin.
The enemy jungler will focus on ganking a few times before level 6.
Jiang Chen's situation is understandable…
Not just the LPL commentators.
Korean, European, even the official commentators questioned Jiang Chen's first pick Riven, all in unison.
The barrage of comments on all the major streaming platforms went wild.
“666…”
“This rookie top laner must be crazy!”
“Even TheShy isn't this crazy when he first picks Riven?”
“Yeah, maybe he wants to grab some attention from players around the world. Think about it, if he wins, he wins big, if he loses, it's not a big deal.”
Even more comments were filled with sarcasm.
Like congratulating RNG for securing a top 8 finish…
Or how G2 is too reliant on Jiang Chen…
Even insults like "trash top laner" appeared frequently in the comments.
…
The ban/pick phase continued.
G2 countered their opponent's pick.
They indeed picked a strong top laner in this meta – the Darkin Blade.
Their jungler then picked Olaf, a champion who excels at early game aggression.
They chose Leblanc for mid lane.
“Looks like G2 is going to focus on the top-jungle-mid lanes.”
“A lot of teams have this approach against RNG. They give up the bot lane and focus on top-jungle-mid. This year’s Uzi is just too strong.” Miller chimed in.
“The only good news is that Riven counters Darius in lane. Xiaohu can support with his Ryze. If top lane gets the lead, they can play a split push strategy, it'll be easier to win.” Shen Chao also shared his insight.
…
Ban/Pick complete.
The RNG players' blood pressure returned to normal.
Earlier, when Jiang Chen didn't listen to the coach and locked in Riven, the RNG players' hearts almost jumped out of their chests.
But, after all, they are pro players.
Their ability to adjust is strong.
"Jiang Chen, play it safe in the early game, it's ok to fall behind on farm, just get the experience. Wait for me to hit level 6."
Mlxg picked Nightmare…
Nightmare is a hero who undergoes a quality change at level 6.
But he's too weak before level 6. The opponent picked Olaf, a berserker, and Mlxg will have a tough time in the jungle.
‘How much does he dislike me…’
Jiang Chen thought to himself, but still nodded and said "Okay."
Ban/Pick finished.
Blue side – Top: Riven, RNGwang; Jungle: Nightmare, RNGmlxg; Mid: Ryze, RNGxiaohu; ADC: War Goddess, RNGUzi; Support: Karma, RNGming
Red side – Top: Darkin Blade, G2Wunder; Jungle: Olaf, G2Jankos; Mid: Leblanc, G2Perkz; ADC: Jhin, G2Hjarnan; Support: Braum, G2Wadid.
Both teams entered Summoner’s Rift.
The cheers from the audience for RNG filled the arena, echoing through the heavens.
RNG and G2 stood in a line facing each other, neither side invaded.
It was a decisive game, both teams were being cautious.
…