Chapter 19: The Power of the TM Bear!

In truth, once the minion waves met, Zika did not show cowardice as imagined. Instead, he desperately fought Luo Ji for minion wave priority with the Volibear.

Stat-check champions are just built this way. Under normal circumstances, whichever of these two champions secured wave priority would win the matchup. Yet, facing a level-one Volibear equipped with a Doran's Ring and starting E, Zika's wave-clearing speed was still just a fraction slower.

Nothing could be done about it; he had to play the spacing game.

As mentioned earlier, during the era of the reigning Renekton in the latter half of 2023, the overall damage of the champion was buffed, including the burn damage from his ultimate. Even if you did nothing else, simply activating your ultimate and sticking close to someone would scorch away three to four hundred of their health.

However, that was not the case now. While the current Renekton was also heavily reliant on pure stats, against a Volibear...

To win the lane, he could only rely on executing an E-A-W-Q-E combo. Trying to outlast a Volibear in terms of sustain was out of the question, as their burst capabilities were simply not in the same league.

And then, the dilemma arose yet again.

Karsa's general jungle routing involved tracking the opposing jungler to path in the opposite direction, especially since the enemy bot lane consisted of Senna and Tahm Kench, which required very little attention.

So, if he used his E to engage, and a bald monk suddenly popped out from the bush, wouldn't that completely ruin him?

Disgusting, aggrieved, and resentful.

This was the psychological state of all top laners facing the stat-check monster Volibear.

Especially when he realized that the opponent enjoyed trading health and suppressing his HP bar for no particular reason, the stifled anger in his heart grew even more intense.

"Xun, can you come top and bail me out?"

"Can't do it. I haven't located Karsa yet, so I wouldn't dare go."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Just tough it out and make do. What else can you do?"

Xun had indeed considered helping the top lane. The problem was that he couldn't pin down the Lee Sin's location, and Diana needed to rush level four; for Diana, levels were paramount.

Conversely, Karsa's Lee Sin was a different story. A level-three Lee Sin could already roam and cause all sorts of trouble around the jungle.

For IG, with a reliable crowd control champion like Renekton in the top lane, knowing the Lee Sin's position would undoubtedly allow them to gank the Volibear.

However, for V5, knowing full well that their top laner was a Volibear, it would be inexcusable not to dive the enemy turret, wouldn't it?

Therefore...

Taking advantage of the roaming window at level three, Karsa stealthily slipped around to the rear of the top lane minion wave and glided in through the top lane bush.

This path completely avoided the vision ward Zika had placed in the river. Seeing Karsa arrive, Luo Ji grinned from ear to ear.

Didn't expect that, did you?

Not only do I play a stat-check monster, but I'm also shameless enough to call for external assistance! Facing Renekton's attempt to secure a last hit, Luo Ji stepped up, delivered a Q-W combo, and immediately retreated backward.

Seeing this, and with no one spotted in the river vision, Zika figured this trade should be manageable. He activated his E, dashed forward with a W, and executed a secondary E to disengage.

Little did he know, this exact movement played right into Luo Ji's hands.

Chasing forward and anticipating Renekton's retreat path, Luo Ji pre-cast his E skill, [Thundering Smash]. Simultaneously, Karsa's Lee Sin timely leaped out of the bush with Safeguard, dropping a ward directly into the thunder zone to execute another W dash.

A multiple-choice question was now handed to Zika.

Without Flash, he would be closed in on by the Lee Sin. If he kept running, he would enter the thunder zone and get slowed. Turning to fight meant a 1v2. Only one path of survival remained for him.

And that was...

"Swish!"

Flash.

Seeing the opponent burn their Flash, Luo Ji and Karsa exercised their mutual understanding of sparing someone who flashed away and retreated respectively.

Such is the top lane.

No matter how fierce your mechanics are, the moment the enemy jungler arrives, you simply must find a way to fall back.

In the top lane, individual skill isn't the most crucial factor; what matters most is your interpersonal relationships within the team, or your backing. If your backing is rock-solid, whatever you play is rock-solid. If you have no backing, the enemy will punch you twice as hard.

"What on earth is this?"

"He's already playing Volibear, and he's still calling for backup?!"

"Is there any justice left? Is there any law? How can there be such a scummy top laner?!"

Zika was thoroughly disgusted by V5's top-jungle tandem play.

That Flash was non-negotiable. With the enemy jungler present, you would rather take the Bear King's W than eat the Bear King's E. Catching the falling lightning meant a slow; a slow meant certain death. If the enemy were willing to burn a few more Flashes, his life would practically be a free gift.

Though his health bar remained healthy, lacking Flash while unsure of the enemy jungler's location meant Zika genuinely did not dare to step out and farm the wave.

Meanwhile, Diana, who had painstakingly scraped together enough experience to reach level four, arrived fashionably late. While issuing a warning to the opposing top-lane Volibear, she prepared to recall in the top lane to purchase items.

However...

Luo Ji showed zero fear toward him.

This time, he initiated directly with a Q-E sequence. Volibear's Q skill could mask the startup animation of his E skill, forcing opponents to rely solely on audio cues to determine whether Volibear had cast his E.

Watching the Volibear suddenly surge forward, Xun frowned.

After a moment of thought, he deliberately allowed Volibear's E skill to land on himself, attempting to bait the opponent into overextending.

Yet, just as Volibear ran halfway, he abruptly stopped charging. Seeing that the E skill had connected, he decisively turned around and retreated, acting as if landing that E skill meant nothing at all.

He had been played.

Still, that was to be expected; if the enemy had actually charged all the way in, they would have been fools. However, looking at the chunk of health instantly shaved off the top of his head, Xun, operating Diana, felt the full disgust of the stat-check monster:

"What kind of garbage damage is that? A single lightning strike takes away this much of my HP."

Seeing this damage, Diana shook with fury. In the heat of summer, she broke out in a cold sweat, her hands and feet turning ice-cold. What had become of this League? Everywhere was filled with oppression against female champions, and tears fell uncontrollably.

What?

You say the opponent isn't human, but a beast?

Then that settled it.

Luo Ji only briefly harassed Diana's recall.

For this game, at least until level six, he could bully the enemy top-jungle duo however he pleased. Once they hit level six and the enemy Twisted Fate obtained his ultimate, he wouldn't dare play quite as recklessly.

Clearly, Karsa understood this as well.

Therefore, upon returning to base, he directly chose to gank the bot lane. Experience and farm could be put on hold because the S12 jungle featured an experience catch-up mechanic; there was no need for him to compete with the enemy in farming speed.

This was precisely where a veteran's competitive experience shone through.

While Diana was just returning to base in the top lane, buying items, and heading back out, Karsa had already finished shopping and successfully sneaked down to the bot lane turret brush.

In the current patch, Tahm Kench's Q skill still carried a 50% slow. As long as the Q landed, following up with a W almost guaranteed a knock-up. Up in the top lane, because he had to manage minion last-hits and couldn't hide in bushes to ambush, this combo was practically useless.

But down in the bot lane?

This trick was utterly effortless to use.

Facing IG's support Thresh, PPGOD directly executed a Q to apply the slow, followed by a W to scoop him up.

Behind them, Karsa's Lee Sin used Safeguard to hop onto an ally and follow up, coordinating with Senna's W root.

This single roam executed the bot lane duo's crowd control to absolute perfection, successfully claiming Thresh's head.

V5 Karsa killed IG LUCAS.

"Nice one, Bro Karsa!"

"Well played, God Diao!"

Instantly, praises and "666" flooded the team voice communications.

In the top lane, hindered by Twisted Fate reaching level six and holding his ultimate, Luo Ji no longer dared to push Renekton as far up as before. After all, a post-level-six Renekton, combined with Twisted Fate's damage, could easily kill him.

Even a stat-check monster had to read the situation rather than running amok blindly just because they picked one.

Stat-check monsters fell into a few categories:
Immobile juggernaut = Stat-check champion.
Meta champion plus exceptional awareness and mechanics = Broken/Over-moded.
Letting you play it yourself = "Ah, if my jungler had come, I would have slaughtered them long ago."

Right.

This game was brutally realistic.

Gradually, however, Luo Ji sensed that something was amiss.

Karsa was in the lower jungle, but even after invading, he hadn't caught sight of the enemy jungler. Although Twisted Fate's positioning in the mid lane was erratic, for some reason, Luo Ji had a strong premonition that he was going to fly up to the top lane.

"Bro Karsa, I feel like they're about to collapse on me. Can you come?"

"Huh?"

Karsa glanced at the top lane, then looked at the jungle camp he was halfway through clearing, and instinctively asked:

"How long can you hold out?"

"I can probably last about thirty seconds before the minion wave crashes under the turret. I don't dare step out right now."

"Alright! Then I'll set off to save you in thirty seconds. Hold on a bit longer."

"?"

"Wait! Don't you feel like something's wrong with what you just said?"

Karsa's response made Luo Ji's scalp tingle slightly.

Still, glancing down at the lower map half, if they truly came to gank him, at least V5 would secure the first Rift Herald; even if he died, it would be a profitable trade.

Soon enough.

As the minion wave arrived, sure enough, IG's mid and jungle arrived right on schedule.

Twisted Fate used his ultimate, Diana flanked from behind, and Renekton took the lead by activating his ultimate to dive the turret. Facing this composition, let alone the Wall of Sighs, no goddamn wall could block them.

The only thing he could do...

Was right before Renekton stepped up to crowd-control him, to toss an E at his own feet for a shield, and the moment Renekton moved to deal damage, abruptly activate his ultimate, [Primal Roar].

By the power of the bear!

Instead of targeting the turret-diving Renekton, he aimed straight at Twisted Fate, who had just landed from his ultimate off to the side, forcefully creating distance between himself and Renekton through the activation of his ultimate.

Volibear's ultimate granted immunity to crowd control.

Luo Ji knew this, and the enemy Zika knew it too, so he certainly wouldn't lead with his W. This timing was the sole opening he could manipulate.

Coming for me?

Yuekai stared in surprise at the activating Volibear, yet his heart harbored not a shred of panic.

This was a three-v-one situation. If they were coming for him, Volibear wouldn't even finish executing his full combo before being melted by the combined damage of the three of them.

Yellow card tossed; stun applied.

Xun's Diana dashed in with her ultimate, re-engaged, and Renekton burned all his mobility skills to follow up with a W. In mere seconds, the health bar above Volibear's head visibly began to plummet.

Yet overall...

This ultimate combined with the repositioning successfully allowed his E skill shield to absorb damage rather than being broken by Renekton's empowered red-rage W, granting him a microscopic margin of error.

The very instant freedom was restored, Volibear chained his Q skill with the [Flash] summoner spell.

The Q skill provided a movement speed boost immediately followed by a forward Flash, creating distance while blinking into the bush, briefly breaking line-of-sight for the IG contingent.

He looked like an absolute veteran of running for his life.

IG's top, mid, and jungle: ???

Hold on.

Weren't you acting invincible just a second ago? Why are you running away so smoothly the next second?!

"Chase!"

Yuekai's hands moved faster than his brain, following immediately.

Xun's Diana went without saying, trailing right behind, while Renekton hesitated and chose not to follow. He had exhausted his mobility skills, was tanking the turret, and mostly felt that with the sliver of health Volibear had left, Twisted Fate should finish him off with the cooldown of just about any basic ability.

On the map...

A comical scene began to unfold: a Volibear running for his life in front, chased closely by IG's mid-jungle duo behind. In V5's voice comms, Luo Ji's howling echoed repeatedly:

"Help, help, help, help, help!"

"Where are my teammates? Come save me, teammates!"

"Onegai! If no one saves me, watashi..." (with a crying voice).

"Alright, alright, aren't we here now?"

At the crucial moment.

Rookie's voice rang in his ear.

Right at the exact moment Twisted Fate's next W ability refreshed, about to deliver the final judgment to the Volibear before him.

Before Yuekai's eyes...

A cluster of magical energy radiating dark aura suddenly manifested.

Wait.

What is this?!

R [The Shatter]

Accompanied by the successful activation of the second part of her ultimate, the next second, Vex, operated by Rookie, soared from afar and slammed directly onto Twisted Fate's face.

Upon landing...

She immediately unleashed her passive fear-empowered W-E-Q combo.

Under the effect of fear, Twisted Fate was forced to turn around in place. This crowd control granted the near-death Volibear the chance to successfully escape.

"Damn it, just missed him!"

Yuekai's face darkened at the sight.

He was just a hair's breadth away from successfully eliminating the low-health Volibear. Yet now, recovering from the CC, he could only select the refreshed yellow card and direct the stun toward the Vex right in front of him.

Behind her...

Xun's Diana successfully arrived.

In the caster booth.

The commentators' attention swiftly shifted.

"Vex has successfully arrived on the battlefield, saving the low-health Volibear!"

"But what about herself?! Twisted Fate locks down Vex with a yellow card, Diana follows up, and Vex has no abilities left!"

"Karsa's Lee Sin is here too!"

"This skirmish has evolved into a 2v2 duel! Zika's Renekton is moving up, but wait! There's someone even faster than him—Mebius hasn't left! Mebius is controlling the Volibear and he's charging back in!"

The situation in the jungle...

The moment Lee Sin arrived, it transformed from a tactical skirmish into a pure brawl.

Both mid-jungle duos had expended all their abilities, trading blow for blow with basic attacks. IG's confidence naturally stemmed from Renekton, who had rushed down from the top lane with a quarter of his health remaining. Though his HP wasn't high, he was still an active combatant.

However...

The moment they saw that storm-wreathed Volibear, shielded by his E and turning back to re-engage, their hearts abruptly skipped a beat.

He came back?

How did he come back?!

How could someone with that little health dare to turn around and fight?!

Yuekai's Twisted Fate attacked frantically with basic attacks, trying to shred Volibear's HP, but his damage was entirely nullified by Volibear's E shield. Instead, after Volibear re-entered with his Q, a single W bite—[Frenzied Maul]—successfully devoured the remaining two hundred health of Twisted Fate.

V5 Mebius killed IG Yuekai.

Retaining his final sliver of health, Luo Ji simply stopped running, standing his ground to trade autos with Diana.

What was there to panic about?

If he feared death, he wouldn't have turned back.

Some great philosopher once said: First blood isn't panicked, second blood is healthy, third blood even a cough won't hurt.

Facts proved: He was right.

Following that...

Volibear's highest-tier combo unfolded.

Namely:

Weaving basic attacks between movements, and stepping between auto-attacks.

In a 3-v-1 scenario, Xun's health bar dropped no slower than Luo Ji's. It wasn't until Renekton finally arrived at the battlefield and waded into the fray that two kill notifications rang out simultaneously across the arena:

IG Xun killed V5 Mebius.
V5 Rookie killed IG Xun.

On the battlefield...

The ones left standing in the end were Karsa and Rookie, engaging in a 2-v-1 beatdown.

Zika still attempted to take down Rookie.

Alas...

Such a prolonged skirmish had allowed Vex's second passive cooldown to refresh. Through the fear effect of her ability, she successfully created distance from the opposing Renekton once again.

Clearly within arm's reach, and yet at a low health threshold...

Because of that small gap, it became a reality Renekton could never touch.

And finally...

Accompanied by yet another kill notification ringing out,
V5 Rookie killed IG Zika.

IG's sky had fallen.