Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: Lulu-chan's Hidden Ferocity Emerges!
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The utterly unexpected Irelia pick left the casters and chat window with nothing to say as cheers exploded out of nowhere.
Picking such a notoriously high-skill champion in the tournament's very first game.
What really spiked everyone's dopamine was that the player doing it was Da-jeong.
Anyone who'd watched the scrims knew it well.
Da-jeong was a highly selfless player.
At the same time, she favored mage characters focused on teamfights and scaling.
Mages excel in teamfights and late-game growth.
But they lack damage early on before items.
They usually have poor escapes and struggle in 1v1s, making them vulnerable to ganks on the flanks.
Irelia was the total opposite.
She could threaten solo kills whenever the enemy slipped up in lane.
Once her core item, Blade of the Ruined King, came online, her power spike was massive.
Above all, she dominated split-push scenarios, letting her dictate the game's pace.
The opposing "Farming Strike" team was just as stunned.
Especially their midlaner, Han Du-chi, who felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
Of course, Orianna held the early range advantage.
But Irelia had first strike, no question.
For fragile Orianna, this tightrope was uncomfortable—one slip and she'd pay with her life.
Jungler Yoo San-gyeon tried to calm Han Du-chi.
Viego wasn't the strongest early jungler, but...
Irelia couldn't just dash away on minions forever—she lacked reliable escapes, so ganks were viable.
'A tier like this on Irelia? Easy pickings.'
Honestly, Yoo San-gyeon was underestimating Da-jeong.
As a Diamond player, he had tier pride.
To him, an Irelia that dives in recklessly, piloted by a Gold midlaner, looked like a 300-won minion.
With that, the game finally kicked off, all lanes settling in to start laning phase.
Thud thud—
"…!"
The moment both waves arrived, the enemy mid used Q on a minion.
Da-jeong's eyes widened instantly.
'It's over.'
This was plenty to work with.
Orianna was ideal for safe ranged clears, but at least half the lane setup she wanted was in place.
After that, the enemy played passively, just last-hitting.
Da-jeong deliberately stepped forward, baiting auto-attack range.
Thwack— Thwack—
The enemy naturally autos Irelia in response.
Da-jeong's minions swarmed to punish their owner-harasser.
Since her minions targeted the champion over enemy minions, the wave naturally froze toward her side.
Da-jeong actively pinged jungle for help while waiting for enemy wave to crash under tower.
Naturally, enemy jungle skipped mid gank for farm.
Meanwhile, ally Jung Jin-nam, opting for lane pressure over full clear, headed mid.
Right then.
Ding—
'Perfect, now!'
Enemy wave melted under tower first.
Da-jeong hit lvl 3 off tower while pretending to Q a minion, flashing E hidden in the dash chain.
Irelia's E marks and stuns in a line on double cast.
Visibility makes speed and concealment key to mastery.
Swoosh—
Han Du-chi, freely autoing tower-diving Irelia, froze as his champ locked up—eyes bulging.
A round mark sat on Orianna.
Too late—Da-jeong's Irelia pounced like a beast.
Irelia stacks passives on abilities.
Full stacks explode attack speed and bonus damage.
Minion-fueled full stacks from the start meant monstrous trade damage.
Overpushing led to the trade; after ages of free hits, near-dead Han Du-chi flashed out.
A split-second later and matching flash would've ended him.
No solo kill, but the flashy play drew gasps from all watchers.
Swoosh—!
Han Du-chi, backing on low HP, ate a skill from above.
Enemy jungler Lee Sin burst out, finished him, and dipped.
"590 and the No-Sales" mid-jungle duo shared warm words.
Truth was, Da-jeong knew solo killing was tough from the start.
Irelia's early damage was solid, Orianna fragile, but flashes made it iffy.
That's why she called Jung Jin-nam early—for cleanup.
From the moment enemy mid poked minions, it flowed exactly as planned.
Team consoled Han Du-chi's apology.
Emboldened, he TP'd tower, planning safe farm exploiting Irelia's short range.
Problem was...
Da-jeong TP'd too, matching perfectly.
Wave still hugged her tower from pre-death freeze she intentionally left.
One misstep and he'd feed Irelia again.
Forced to Q from max range for CS, his farm gap widened.
And then...
Hng... Yaap!
Da-jeong tanked minion damage with skills to freeze hard.
Situation worsened; fed-up Yoo San-gyeon stepped up.
Bait a trade angle for gank.
Sound logic: even no kill, flash cooldown relieves Orianna pressure.
Pre-6, no ult either.
Yoo San-gyeon pathed mid as Orianna crept up.
Swoosh—!
Irelia E'd invisibly fast, charging like a starving lion.
Yoo San-gyeon's Viego emerged from flank.
'Save W carefully. Tough on minions.'
Viego's stun W existed, but he held for commit.
'Dodge W post-6, we're good.'
Da-jeong clocked it.
Safe backoff was fine for her.
But backing felt wasteful.
She'd dance the blade here.
Decision made, she Q'd not to her tower, but low-HP enemy minion near foes.
Irelia's Q heals and resets on takedown.
Minions as platforms, she weaved dazzlingly.
Ding—
Minion kill bumped her to 6—ult unlocked.
Da-jeong ulted both instantly, then leaped via remaining minions.
No-flash Han Du-chi marked first.
Yoo San-gyeon charged W from behind.
But—
Flash—!
Da-jeong, focused solely, flashed the W.
Orianna down, eyes snapped to Viego.
Yoo San-gyeon fled for his life—bot gank had wasted his flash too, so walking back.
Swoosh—!
E landed anyway.
Ignoring tower, Da-jeong pursued.
Slash— Slash—
Mangled Viego crumpled.
Tower shots nearly loveshot Da-jeong too...
Haah!
She minion-dashed out gracefully.
W's physical reduction cut the final tower hit, surviving at 1 HP.
Da-jeong's godlike montage in game 1 stunned everyone live.
The beast-mode star herself bashfully returned to lane amid teammate praise.