In Bai Yu’s original plan, as long as Xu Bo could dodge the most critical teamfight engage, the game would be won.
Xu Bo had always been able to read Rote’s movements clearly. He had even executed a 0.2-second reaction play before. Bai Yu believed he was capable. So how did it go wrong?
Bai Yu bit his lip lightly, completely unable to make sense of it.
The first game had ended. They needed to enter the lineup discussion for game two immediately. If they were going to swap out their bot lane, the decision had to be made within ten minutes.
From the stage to the lounge, in those brief three minutes, Bai Yu’s mind had already gone through countless possibilities.
The entire team was actively involved in the post-game review.
Chen Shi'an commented, "The overall strategy wasn't the problem. The issue was whether bot lane could consistently output damage."
Xu Bo could indeed read the opponent’s movement, but he added, "You have to factor in instinctive reaction too. In real matches, a lot of operations are based on muscle memory. That 0.2-second limit I hit before was only possible because I was prepared in advance. But if something happens suddenly, even if your brain registers it, your hands might not react in time."
He couldn't react.
But Qi Yi could.
His APM hovered around 650, fully capable of that kind of mechanical response. The problem was that he lacked Xu Bo’s dynamic vision. He wouldn’t even recognize the danger in time to react.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Qi Yi.
Bai Yu pressed his lips together. He truly wished he could just combine the two of them into one player.
But that was just wishful thinking. If they wanted to win, they needed something new.
A moment later, Bai Yu seemed to think of something. His voice was sudden and sharp.
"Rote definitely doesn’t have dynamic vision like Xu Bo."
Everyone was confused. Why bring that up now? Whether Rote had it or not didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that he landed the ability, and Xu Bo couldn’t dodge it. That’s why they lost.
Unless Qi Yi could see as clearly as Xu Bo, or perform as precisely as Rote...
Chen Shi'an paused, suddenly realizing something.
Fang Zhixu also seemed to pick up on the implication. He hesitated.
"Captain, are you thinking of putting Qi Yi in next game and taking a gamble?"
The room went quiet for a second.
Bai Yu stood up.
"It’s not a gamble. It’s a calculated risk."
He pulled a marker and marked the in-game map on the screen. He pinpointed the exact location where Gnar had hit Xu Bo.
"Rote doesn’t have Xu Bo’s dynamic vision. So he relies on sheer repetition and extreme practice to reverse-engineer the terrain, memorizing every precise pixel-perfect spot. That’s not impossible. If he can do it, so can we."
He handed the marker to Xu Bo.
"You’ve got ten minutes. Reverse-engineer every terrain point where a displacement skill could result in unexpected angles."
Xu Bo was stunned. He instinctively took a half step back, voice rising in disbelief.
"Are you crazy? How could I possibly mark all of them in ten minutes? I’d have to go in-game to test it..."
Bai Yu insisted, placing the pen in his hand with calm authority.
"Don’t worry about it. Just mark. As long as your accuracy hits fifty percent, we only need to win one of two crucial teamfights. That’s enough to win game two. And even if we lose, it’s not a waste. We’ll have gained valuable insight, which raises our playoff odds. Just mark."
Xu Bo was stunned. Even after all these years, Bai Yu remained a terrifying figure.
He was actually trying to overturn the results of years of Rote’s obsessive solo training, and he wanted to do it in just ten minutes.
The atmosphere in the lounge ignited instantly. No one could remain calm.
All eyes were on Xu Bo’s pen. He gripped it tightly, stared at the map with intense focus, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
"Here. There should be one here."
A staff member came in to request the starting roster. Bai Yu told Song Bo to handle the submission.
Xu Bo barely managed to finish marking the points before the next game started.
"I marked every possible angle I could think of. These few here are low-confidence, but keep them in mind anyway."
Although the map points only directly affected Qi Yi, the rest of the team silently committed them to memory as well.
Once Bai Yu finished copying the coordinates, he gave Xu Bo a light pat on the shoulder.
"Good work. Stay sharp during the game. Watch for any new angles that might show up."
Xu Bo nodded. Then he suddenly called out.
"Hey, Bai Yu. You guys are going to win, right?"
Under the suffocating pressure of the situation, Bai Yu turned around the moment he heard his voice. He saw Xu Bo’s tense expression and smiled.
"I don’t know. We’ll try."
The truth was, after three years, Bai Yu had changed.
He was no longer the confident boy who used to flash a bright smile so easily. He was calmer now, more grounded. He had learned humility. And he had gained a kind of quiet resilience that came from enduring setbacks.
But one thing had never changed.
He still walked forward without hesitation.
Xu Bo’s nerves finally got to him. He took a deep breath, slipped on his headset, and focused all his attention on the match that was about to begin.
Although RAG lost, the difference between the two teams was minimal. Prediction models gave both sides a fifty-fifty win rate, and the audience watched with bated breath.
The pick and ban phase began quickly. Both sides banned the same champions as last game. IKG first-picked Gnar, and the entire venue let out a sharp breath.
The caster sounded nervous on RAG’s behalf.
"Rote’s Gnar is terrifying. He always finds unexpected angles to initiate fights. How will RAG deal with him this time?"
But Bai Yu didn’t flinch. He stuck with the same comp as last game, nearly giving the viewers a heart attack.
[No way. That confident?]
[I mean... I don’t think they can deal with Gnar!]
[I’m genuinely getting anxious now!]
[RAG’s gonna get 2-0’d, aren’t they?]
[But they swapped in Qi Yi this time. Maybe his reaction time is better?]
[Bro, I’m nervous because they swapped in Qi Yi.]
[Don’t tell me you still don’t know why Xu Bo became famous? It’s not his hand speed, other players are just as aggressive. What made him stand out was his dynamic vision. They say it’s better than anyone else in the league. That’s why he could keep outputting damage during chaotic teamfights.]
[I think I heard something about that.]
[Wait, so that was real? I thought it was just marketing hype.]
Back in Dong-ge’s broadcast room, the veteran caster broke it down for real.
"Xu Yibo absolutely has that ability. He can read Rote’s movements. There was a clear shot of it last game. He saw the move coming, but his hands couldn’t react in time. That’s why his play looked so disjointed. Personally, I think benching Xu Bo for Qi Yi was a mistake unless Qi Yi also has that level of visual acuity, otherwise it won’t matter."
The fans’ hearts sank.
It was obvious Qi Yi didn’t. Otherwise, he would’ve played game one.
The match began. Just like the previous game, RAG’s new mid-jungle-top synergy gave them a slight edge. IKG had prepped several counter strategies, but RAG held them all off.
They reached mid-game. Another decisive dragon teamfight. With an advantage in hand, Bai Yu called for an aggressive play. But to everyone’s shock, Gnar dared to dive in.
He moved to a certain spot and suddenly raised his arms.
That spot matched one of the coordinates Xu Bo had marked. Qi Yi instinctively hit Flash. But Gnar’s ult didn’t go toward him, it went for Fang Zhixu.
Xu Bo had marked the wrong location.
In the lounge, Xu Bo immediately realized what happened and let out a frustrated groan.
"Shit! That one was wrong!"
Qi Yi’s reaction had inadvertently removed him from the fight. He dealt no damage. Fang Zhixu got burst down. The entire fight was lost. Bai Yu made the call to back off.
In just two minutes, RAG’s early advantage had evaporated.
The crowd was stunned. The casters were visibly anxious.
"Gnar’s threat is just too overwhelming!"
RAG tried to avoid direct 5v5s, but IKG pressed forward. A confrontation at Baron was inevitable.
But could they win the gamble?
Was Xu Bo’s predicted accuracy really over fifty percent?
Tension filled the room. Over comms, Bai Yu’s voice remained steady and calm.
"Focus up. If we lose, at least we lose with clarity."
Both teams clashed.
Fang Zhixu opened with a beautiful engage. Just like last time, the fight began in RAG’s favor.
Then came the shout from the caster’s booth.
"Gnar’s in!"
Mega Gnar charged in like a rampaging beast, roaring as he aimed to crush Qi Yi. The moment he Flashed and went for the ult, he entered another one of Xu Bo’s marked locations.
That one had a 70% likelihood.
Qi Yi pressed Flash almost instantly but instead of retreating, he repositioned, laid down a trap, and gave himself the perfect angle to kite.
Even Bai Yu couldn’t help but admire him.
This was the guy who solo-climbed to Master as an ADC. Qi Yi really had it.
Gnar, who missed his ult, became the focus. Bai Yu chained the team’s crowd control perfectly. The crowd didn’t even realize what was happening until…
Double kill.
Triple kill.
Quadra kill…
[Holy crap! IKG’s getting wiped!]
[Wait, what just happened? Gnar didn’t hit Qi Yi?]
[How? Rote never misses his ult!]
[Qi Yi’s reaction is insane!]
[No, it’s not just reaction time. Look at where he landed. If it were instinct, he would’ve Flashed to safety. Instead, he adjusted his position.]
[He predicted it in advance!]
[He’s going for the penta!]
[Ahhh my baby! You’re incredible!]
Qi Yi was playing Jinx this game. A seemingly ordinary pick, but her passive was broken. Every takedown granted her “Get Excited,” boosting her attack speed to 2.5 and massively increasing movement speed.
After killing Gnar, IKG’s remaining members were all as good as dead.
The moment the system announced “Penta Kill,” the entire venue exploded.
It was the first pentakill of the regular season, earned by a rookie ADC.
IKG’s players’ faces turned grim. Qi Yi was still alive. They wouldn’t respawn in time.
As the casters shouted over each other, Bai Yu led the charge up mid. After breaking the inhibitor, Jinx’s passive triggered again. Her attack speed surged as she shredded through the Nexus turrets.
IKG’s players scrambled to click back in and rush out of fountain.
But it was already over.
Bai Yu blocked their engages. Qi Yi fired one final shot.
Victory.
RAG had tied the series.
[Qi Yi, you’re my baby. No, you’re my god!]
[This is the bot lane I wanted to see!]
[Feels like the twin gods are back. Flashback to the golden era…]
[Bai Yu really knows how to coach ADs.]
[Is he about to raise another god-tier ADC?]
[I’m so hyped I can’t even type straight!]
[LMAO IKG tunneled on Lu Sheng, and the bot lane rose up instead.]
[They’ve got to be panicking now.]
And panic they did.
IKG was at a loss. None of them could figure out how Qi Yi had pulled that off.
Still, they convinced themselves that as long as they banned Jinx, they could regain control. Even if Gnar didn’t land his full combo, they believed their teamfight was still winnable. And from Qi Yi’s earlier Flash misread, they figured he couldn’t predict perfectly every time.
After lengthy discussion, they locked in the decision. To ban Jinx and stick to the same comp.
But that left a hole in their bans.
Lu Sheng’s Zed made it through.
When Bai Yu saw their final picks, his lips curved slightly.
"Time to activate the second comp."