Chapter 34: Resource Exchange, the Counterattack Begins!

"Invading the jungle again!"

Seeing mlXg play the game this way, even though he knew this was mlXg's signature style, Clearlove couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising within him.

"Come on, let's take him out."

However, Chen Yan forcefully overruled Clearlove, marking the Camille in the top lane and saying, "Come kill this one instead."

Before Clearlove could argue, Chen Yan’s voice grew more insistent. "Listen to me!"

Clearlove’s gaze deepened.

The teammates present shivered, though there was also a hint of "watching the show" in their expressions. To them, it didn't really matter who they listened to.

Clearlove did not insist. He had always prioritized the big picture; even if he disagreed with Chen Yan’s tactical approach, since it had been decided that Chen Yan would command this game, any issues would have to be addressed after the match.

Thus, while mlXg was invading the jungle, Clearlove controlled Sejuani and headed toward the top lane.

"EDG is going for the top lane?!" Wawa sounded surprised.

EDG had always preferred to play around the mid and bottom lanes. Seeing them head top was unexpected, but...

"EDG’s top-jungle duo doesn't seem to have enough burst damage."

Miller was also secretly puzzled. Logically speaking, EDG shouldn't have miscalculated the damage. But as Kassadin’s Teleport lit up, everything became clear.

"Three-man collapse!"

"If Kassadin is coming, then they should have enough."

Watching Camille shivering under the turret, the casters' voices rose in excitement.

"Damn it!"

At the same time, RNG immediately sensed EDG’s movement. But it was far too late to save Letme, and if they did nothing, they would suffer a pure loss in the top lane.

mlXg reacted extremely quickly. After finishing a camp, he immediately pivoted to wrap around the bottom lane. Xiaohu in the mid lane also began rushing toward the bottom.

However, since Ming was playing a utility support, even a three-man dive against two was risky, so they had to wait for Xiaohu’s Ryze to arrive.

Realm Warp!

Xiaohu reached the middle of the river and cast his ultimate behind EDG’s bot lane duo. mlXg’s Gragas took a swig of his barrel and began to advance.

"Four of them on the other side! The bottom lane is about to be dived!"

Seeing the danger, Meiko quickly called out the situation in the voice channel. At the same time, he didn't stay idle, hooking Gragas to buy some time. But as Ryze landed, Kalista had absolutely no room to maneuver.

Ryze opened with Spell Flux and Rune Prison, locking Kalista in place. Gragas moved in to tank the turret shots. Uzi’s Caitlyn unleashed a barrage of attacks, while Karma used her abilities to supplement the damage. Seeing Gragas tanking, Karma even had the presence of mind to shield him.

Kalista didn't last long; her health bar was depleted, and Uzi’s Caitlyn secured the kill.

"Kill, kill, kill! We can kill more!" Uzi said excitedly, turning his focus to the Thresh under the turret.

However, at that very moment, bad news arrived from the top lane: Letme’s Camille had been dealt with by EDG, and the kill went to Chen Yan’s Kassadin.

Seeing that Thresh hadn't died yet, Chen Yan quickly commanded, "Shen, use your ultimate to protect Thresh."

Mouse immediately activated his ultimate. A white shield appeared over Thresh’s head. Seeing this, RNG weighed their options and decided not to force the kill on Thresh.

"One for one!"

Seeing both sides pull back, Wawa and Miller seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

Wawa: "I think both sides can accept this result."

Miller added with a smile: "Yes, both teams got their core carries some gold. It will come down to who can carry this game."

There was a hint of anticipation in their voices. From what they had seen so far, since Chen Yan had come onto the field, EDG had become much more proactive. Although they hadn't gained a significant advantage, this momentum was something the EDG of the first two games clearly lacked.

In the EDG backroom lounge, Abu finally let his guard down when he saw Thresh had been saved. However, he still had reservations about Chen Yan’s decision to gank the top lane.

"One kill top, but two deaths bot—plus Caitlyn has the momentum to push towers. They really should have protected the bottom."

"I actually think that decision was fine," Nofe said, looking at the screen.

"Oh? Care to explain?"

"mlXg invaded the jungle because RNG had lane priority bot, allowing them to support at any time. Plus, with Ryze’s ultimate in the mid lane, their rotation speed is extremely fast. In that situation, a direct confrontation with RNG had too many uncertainties. Instead, going for the top lane forced RNG to trade, which reliably gave Kassadin a kill."

To put it simply, it was a classic half-map trade. If EDG had chosen to fight in the bottom lane, it likely would have resulted in a bloody, high-stakes team fight. Conversely, hitting the top lane meant sacrificing the bottom duo to trade resources and build an advantage for Kassadin. Between the two choices, trading resources was clearly the more stable path.

"When you put it that way, it does make sense. If Kassadin loses the early game, the match becomes very difficult."

Abu realized this now. His game understanding wasn't bad, but because he was no longer a coach, his "game sense" wasn't as sharp as it once was.

With his thoughts cleared, Abu refocused on the screen. He looked at Chen Yan, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had been a step behind even with the god’s-eye view, yet Chen Yan had made the correct choice instantly during the heat of the game.

Compared to that, the gap was immediately apparent. Even someone as demanding as Abu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"This guy... his decision-making is truly crystal clear."

...

Chen Yan was very satisfied with securing the kill. Moreover, he hadn't lost any farm; when he teleported top, he had taken the opportunity to clear quite a few minions from Mouse’s lane. Mouse didn't mind; as long as his "Big Daddy" could carry, he was happy to give up whatever was needed.

Back at the fountain, he was still short on gold for the Rod of Ages. Chen Yan felt a bit frustrated—the Rod of Ages was a bit of a tempo-killer, but there was no other choice. Kassadin had to pick between that and Archangel's Staff; otherwise, he would be too fragile and run out of mana too quickly.

Moving forward, Chen Yan prepared to focus entirely on scaling. Before doing so, he assessed the situation and had his bottom duo swap lanes to the top to deal with Letme’s Camille.

"EDG has swapped their bottom lane." Seeing the movement, Wawa couldn't help but speculate on the reason.

Miller, whose game understanding was a bit higher, explained: "If I'm not mistaken, EDG knows they can't defend the bottom tier-one turret, so they decided to give it up and push the top lane instead."

This explanation was perfectly logical. After Uzi’s Caitlyn picked up a kill, her pressure was undoubtedly stronger than before. Even if EDG had tried to defend, losing the bottom tier-one turret was only a matter of time.

As expected, Caitlyn soon pushed down the bottom tier-one turret, securing the "First Brick" of the match. But because EDG had swapped lanes early, and with Sejuani and Kassadin providing cover, EDG also took down RNG’s top tier-one turret.

"EDG’s macro play today is almost flawless," Wawa and Miller noted the change in EDG.

Although EDG was known as the best macro team in the LPL, they had never been this smooth before. Throughout the entire rotation, they had played to their strengths and mitigated their weaknesses, all while securing exactly what they wanted.

However, with the Caitlyn tower-pushing rhythm now unstoppable, how would EDG contain her?

On screen, Caitlyn and Karma had swapped to the mid lane to push. EDG had also moved their bottom duo to the middle to defend. Every wave of minions, the health of EDG’s middle tier-one turret was chipped away. Although it wasn't much, if it kept happening, the turret would eventually fall to RNG.

In the blink of an eye, five minutes passed. During these five minutes, Uzi’s Caitlyn kept constant pressure on EDG’s mid turret. Even with EDG doing their best to defend, the turret’s health was hanging by a thread.

As Caitlyn and Karma continued to push, preparing to take the mid turret in one go, a red storm suddenly erupted from the brush on the side of the lane.

"TP! It’s Kassadin’s TP!" the caster shouted at the top of his lungs.

At the same time, Thresh suddenly turned into a spirit ball and flew into Kalista’s hand.

The counterattack had begun!