Chapter 50: Niubao! What on earth are you doing, Niubao!
Chapter 50: Nuguri! What are you doing, Nuguri!
Two more kills secured in the mid lane.
LWX and Liu Qingong, who were previously pressuring the bot lane, immediately retreated under their turrets.
Both the mid laner and jungler were dead; pressing the wave further would be suicidal. Did they really think the villagers were already setting up the banquet tables for their funerals?
Cheng Xian glanced at the bot lane's status. Lacking his ultimate, he wasn't in a great position to gank, so he simply called the bot lane over to take the Cloud Drake.
In this patch, the Cloud Drake had the worst stats of all dragons, providing a negligible boost to out-of-combat movement speed and a 10% reduction to ultimate cooldowns.
Compared to other elemental dragons that either boosted damage, increased tankiness, or accelerated health regeneration, the Cloud Drake was undoubtedly too embarrassed to show its face.
Still, 100 gold and some experience were better than nothing.
After taking the dragon and clearing a circle of the lower jungle, he returned to base like a miser.
Cheng Xian's bad habit as a low-tier player was fully exposed—he always loved backing to base... Oh wait, he always loved shopping.
"We can fight, we can fight! I'm coming! Yasuo got pushed in and can't roam, we can do a two-versus-one!" Nuguri spoke in Mandarin that wasn't entirely fluent, but was at least understandable.
Auto-attack!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a dark brown Eye of Insight appeared above his head.
His own Jarvan IV was just a few steps away from getting into EQ range.
He failed to jump over the wall!!
The two thugs behind him were already closing in.
At the same time.
Arcane Comet!
Even with good items, lacking an ultimate meant his damage output was always somewhat lacking.
After all, a good wash makes for a healthier life.
Auto-attack!
Yet who would have thought this Malphite was acting like a total hothead? The moment he saw him, it was like seeing his sister stripped of her clothes; howling at the top of his lungs, he activated his Hextech Protobelt and rushed straight into his face.
While answering, he also operated Jayce to slip from the top lane's tri-brush into his own jungle.
Jayce's Hammer-form Q ability included a small-scale displacement that could be used to vault over walls—a classic, routine little trick.
The Jarvan IV, rushing over at the news, found the jungle littered with a chaotic mess that was too unsightly to behold.
This time, it wasn't Nuguri making an operational mistake.
Jayce, having slammed into the wall three times, was hunted down by the hastily arriving Malphite and Twisted Fate, who colluded to finish him off in the brush near the red buff.
He added a pair of Sorcerer's Shoes! His damage output was fully formed; even if his combo couldn't instantly melt the enemy, it would leave them severely crippled.
"Climbing over that mountain just to let the enemy Krugs hear the embarrassing story of you slamming into the wall three times, huh!"
For a professional player, this mistake was fatal, and Doinb couldn't figure out why he had committed such a low-level error.
"However, Nuguri is holding onto his Flash, and there's a red Blast Cone right at his feet. He just needs to jump the Krug wall; they shouldn't be able to keep him," Miller's voice had barely trailed off.
"IG—Shaqima is unstoppable!"
At the venue, the caster desk fell into a dead silence.
Wheel rolling forward!
Also known by its full name, Hextech Rocketbelt, its effect was to grant a short dash in any direction while firing a ring of rockets dealing minor damage.
TheShy: "..."
He had originally thought that seeing him approach, Malphite wouldn't dare push any deeper.
Within the chat stream, FPX fans watching this scene completely broke down, openly venting in the public chat.
Confusion plastered across his face.
"Twisted Fate has used his ultimate to support Malphite! The current items of IG's mid and jungle are simply not something FPX's top and jungle can withstand! Shouldn't Nuguri choose to back off?" Having barely caught his breath, Jieder regained his composure and continued casting.
That practically counted as offering courtesy before resorting to force.
"Don't be toxic, Nuguri was just trying to help us relive the old classic *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*. A tribute to a classic, truly."
In the match, a scene unfolded that left everyone dumbfounded.
The earth trembled!
Just as Twisted Fate was about to land.
"Xian, come top once."
FPX's team voice comms were dead silent.
As Xun Ge once said: when the enemy takes few kills, running away is the only way when contesting jungle camps.
Strange, wasn't their own red buff just cleared by Malphite?
"Xian, our red is on you."
"No, no." Cheng Xian picked up his mouse, directly pinged the red buff in the enemy's upper jungle, and smiled faintly.
Two giants of literature had given Cheng Xian an abundance of confidence as he swaggered toward the enemy top lane, controlling Malphite.
Having picked Yasuo this match, his top lane life was rough.
"Shy, our red is right here."
Of course, for an extremely fed Malphite, soaking in the fountain a bit more did no harm.
Twisted Fate's ultimate, Destiny!
It allowed for instantaneous teleportation within a 5500-range radius!
"Little Xian, I'm coming to help you!" IG's team voice comms rang with Rookie's shout.
Nuguri clicked the Blast Cone, hoping to jump the wall.
"Ancient history had Yu the Great pass by his door three times without entering; modern times have our Nuguri hit the southern wall three times and fail to cross. Brothers, the case is solved! This wave from Nuguri... this wave was hinting at wanting to join the Party!"
An A-E-Q-A combo instantly took away half of Jayce's health.
Dazai Osamu once said: As long as you secure enough kills, red and blue buffs are yours to touch.
...
He brazenly pulled the very first mythic item straight out of his pants: the Hextech Protobelt!
"Wait, let me clear our own red buff first." As Cheng Xian's voice faded, TheShy curiously glanced toward their own red buff jungle.
Unfortunately.
His purpose in picking Twisted Fate was precisely to assist Malphite in invading the jungle.
Living perpetually under Jayce's shadow, especially after just being solo-killed, he was practically mute, unable to utter a single sound.
It was simply as if he had been hexed.
"This guy is going to invade my red buff!" Tian was at a disadvantage, so he had warded the bush behind the wall of his own red buff with a Control Ward, just in time to spot Malphite's figure: "Give it up if we can't contest."
"I'm numb! The entire FPX squad has been beaten numb by Shaqima!"
At this moment, TheShy's call echoed through the team comms.
Nuguri's pupils trembled slightly, and he decisively burned his Flash once more.
With a 'clack', he slammed into the wall again!
The Goddess of Fortune smiles!
Accompanied by the Goddess of Fortune, Twisted Fate.
Whether Nuguri panicked because he was surrounded, or because FPX's abysmal performance this game caused his mental state to shatter completely, remains unknown.
His third attempt to clear the wall ended in failure yet again.
He hadn't found the right spot!
He crashed headfirst into the thick stone wall.
Five kills in hand, plus the economy and toll fees from monster camps.
"Holy shit! How does this guy dare to play like this!"
He could be killed!
Cheng Xian, having witnessed the whole thing, wore a mysterious smile.
"Nuguri! What on earth are you doing, Nuguri!"
As for the outcome, it went without saying.
The system prompt sounded.
"Ah-shibal... I forgot to mention that Twisted Fate had his ultimate..." Doinb's voice arrived fashionably late.
"This..."
Instantly tucking tail, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
The three casters stared at each other in blank dismay, taking quite a while to recover their senses.
Instead, the Twisted Fate chasing closely behind had already thrown his yellow card, forcibly yanking the airborne Jayce right back down from mid-air.
In his desperation, Nuguri finally snapped back to his senses, dropped a trinket ward over the wall, and switched forms for To the Skies!
Target: Krugs!
Nuguri felt a pang of shock, but then recalled the fact that Malphite didn't have his ultimate.
Nuguri, who had proclaimed "I can carry this game" just a short while ago, wore a mask of numbness across his face after slamming into the wall three times consecutively.
He slumped back into his player chair for a long moment before pulling himself up, moving his mouse to ping the enemy jungler Malphite.
He spoke in a slow voice.
"Do not approach, or misfortune will follow."