Although there was only one match today, the star power was undeniable.
JackeyLove and TheShy together accounted for a huge portion of the league's popularity.
Even before the match began, the arena was already packed with spectators.
They waved their signs nonstop.
When the clock hit five and TES and Weibo walked onto the stage, the crowd grew even more excited, shouting the IDs of the players they supported.
Lin Fan even heard people shouting "Infinite Borders Bro" from the seats to the side.
While the players were adjusting their equipment, the broadcast cut to the commentary desk.
Since this was the final match of the regular season, the caster lineup was especially strong: Guan Zeyuan, paired with Miller and Gugu.
"Alright, viewers, today's match is the final one of the regular season. The two teams closing things out are both heavyweight contenders.
For TES, if they win this match, they'll complete a perfect ten-game winning streak. Turning a six-loss start into ten straight wins in the Spring Split would be extremely memorable."
"Yes, and on Weibo's side, they're also hoping to end the regular season on a good note.
This match doesn't have a huge impact on the playoff picture for either team, so fans don't need to be overly nervous."
At this point, Guan Zeyuan brought up a topic.
"So which team do you favor more today?"
Ever since Guan Zeyuan earned the nickname 'Colonel Guan' and the reputation of a walking curse, he had shifted roles before matches.
Instead of making predictions himself, he preferred asking questions.
After all, if he openly supported a team and they lost, fans might pin the blame on him.
To avoid getting flamed, he simply changed his role.
"For me, I'm leaning toward TES. Their double-carry form has been incredible. Nine straight wins restored their confidence, and anyone watching TES lately can feel that momentum," Gugu said, her eyes lighting up when she mentioned the carries.
Strong gameplay plus good looks—those kinds of players were always a bonus.
Miller wasn't surprised at all by that answer.
Even if Gugu hadn't said it, he would have.
TES's system was already very refined.
Zoom absorbed pressure top lane and waited for the teamfights. Tian farmed and hovered mid to help the carry. Dine took early resources and then supported the bot lane.
With everyone helping each other, TES's tempo was fully unleashed.
"I'm leaning more toward Weibo. Their top–jungle synergy has been pretty good recently…"
After saying that, Miller almost wanted to touch his nose to see if it had grown longer.
Weibo's jungler mostly farmed. Their mid laner mostly farmed.
Top and bot were basically left to fend for themselves.
They had won plenty of regular-season games, but that was largely because top lane was strong and opponents made mistakes.
Otherwise, they wouldn't even make playoffs.
And with this style, they were almost certainly a first-round exit.
As the three casters continued discussing, the background music suddenly changed.
With a prompt from the director, they immediately shifted the topic back to the match.
The big screen transitioned to the draft phase.
Angel looked at the opposing mid laner's ID.
A new solo-kill leader had emerged mid lane recently, and he was well aware of it.
For this match, he had prepared thoroughly.
No roaming, no risks—just farm safely in mid and give no openings.
You can roam and kill my teammates, but you won't kill me.
Angel rubbed his face.
Just then, the coach walked up behind him.
"What champion are you planning to pick?"
Angel looked up at the screen.
The first ban phase had already ended, and they were now in picks.
"Azir. Azir's pretty stable and hard to kill."
"Azir? But that champ isn't ideal to pick this early."
"Let's lock Aphelios for Huanfeng first. You can pick later depending on the situation."
"Alright."
…
"Weibo locks in Aphelios first. Huanfeng has been playing a lot of Aphelios lately, and his performances have been decent. No issues picking it early."
"TES answers with Gragas and Draven. Having Draven in the AD pool gives a lot of tactical flexibility."
Gugu picked up Miller's line.
"Since TES is on red side, the counterpick is probably being saved for Infinite Borders Bro."
Meanwhile, Weibo had already selected Kennen and Thresh.
It was clear Weibo wasn't throwing this final regular-season match.
Their composition was solid, and TheShy's specialty was long-range champions versus short-range ones.
Kennen was the perfect example—a long-range, explosive AP top laner.
TL: AP = Ability Power = Magic based
If he scaled well, a single ultimate could melt entire teams.
TES's third pick was Nautilus.
In terms of bot-lane strength, Draven clearly had the edge.
Aphelios simply didn't deal damage as quickly.
In the second ban phase, TES removed Lee Sin and Nocturne.
Weibo banned LeBlanc and Hecarim.
TES locked in Jarvan IV for Tian at four, leaving the counterpick for Lin Fan.
Blue side then picked Azir at four and Zed at five.
The moment this mid–jungle duo appeared, plenty of people in the arena started complaining.
"Picking Kennen top and then Zed jungle? Is he just playing for himself?"
"This feels like another game where TheShy gets camped nonstop."
"Jarvan and Gragas—Kennen's going to die every time he gets caught."
…
"This composition puts all the engage pressure on TheShy. How does this even work?"
People also noticed that TheShy's expression at the Weibo booth had turned sour.
Sometimes even he couldn't tell whether the jungler was doing it intentionally or not.
…
"What does Fan-ge want mid? Feels like mid lane is free kills."
"He wants to farm? Only an idiot would farm with him. Pick Vladimir—I'll just kill him outright."
"Isn't Vladimir a scaling champion?"
"That's because you've never been solo-killed by Vladimir."
"Alright, I remember when you first switched to mid, you insisted on playing Vladimir. You've brought it out before, and you played it really well."
With that, Luo Sheng closed his notebook and made the call.
TES locked in Vladimir as their final pick.
Both teams' lineups were now set.
Blue side Weibo: Kennen top, Zed jungle, Azir mid, Aphelios and Thresh bot.
Red side TES: Gragas top, Jarvan IV jungle, Vladimir mid, Draven and Nautilus bot.
"With Vladimir mid, it's a peaceful farming lane. Both teams will need their junglers to set the pace. Jarvan might have more gank potential here," Miller analyzed.
"Right. LeBlanc and Syndra are banned, and other picks can't really pressure Azir. Picking Vladimir to scale together seems reasonable."
The coaches met at center stage to shake hands.
The match entered the loading screen.
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup