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About the Author:
Name: EDG Sam (三少)
Bio: Co-founder and Current Manager of Edward Gaming
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 1)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original post: http://www.weibo.com/p/1001603839249614014655
Day One: Our goal is to arrive safely.
After receiving our new uniforms and equipment we got ready to start our trip. Before leaving, we held a meeting where we instructed the team to be wary of the flight times and to bring along anything to make the trip less tiring (books, movies, music, slippers, and pillows etc.). From the looks of it, we are well prepared.
Our itinerary is like this: Departure from Shanghai, Pudong Airport (13 hours), arrive at Seattle for immigration into the US, then to Atlanta, then finally to MSI. Ok lets just continue while looking at some pictures.
At the airport, there were fans and reporters waiting for us. After checking-in everyone took a group photo. From the looks of it everyone is looking pretty smart.
We began heading towards immigration. On the way EDG.Fireloli was extremely hyper, jumping up and down. Clearlove said to him: “You seem like a 3 time champion now!” He replied by nodding furiously.
Then I said, “This time in the US, maybe you’ll meet your dream girl!” His reaction said no but his mind must’ve been excited and hoping.
After heading through immigration, everyone began discussing what they would eat. Finally we agreed to eat Korean. My mouth agreed with everyone and shouted: “GO”, but my heart was very against it… Who goes to the airport to eat Korean food?…
Oh well, I’ll ignore it since everyone looks pretty happy. Only after arriving at Seattle did we suddenly realise that these two kids (I’m guessing he’s referring to the reserve players?) became so close.
The plane took off May 4, 12:30, and flew for around 13 hours. We arrived at Seattle. We were surprised to find out that we arrived at May 4 8:30 in the morning! We suddenly feel like our lives have gotten longer by 10 hours! The view on the plane was very beautiful, and everyone experienced the miracle of nature and time zones.
We were very rushed in Seattle because we had to head to immigration. Technically speaking, if anything went wrong, then the past 10 hours would be wasted and we'd have to pack our bags and head home. So everyone was extremely serious and nervous. Unfortunately, one of the reporters in front of me was taken away by the US immigration officers. Will he be repatriated? Will he be rejected by immigration? We all began to worry.
I saw that it was now EDG Clearlove’s turn. His face was dead serious, and of course, he was also taken to the private room on the side. I looked to Fireloli and thought “Don’t tell me it’s gonna be this guy starting at MSI… This kid’s only here on holiday to fulfill his childhood dreams… Probably not ready to actually start any games...” After a long time, our entire group was brought to the waiting room to wait for our results.
At this moment I heard someone say: “TSM’s prematch preperations are indeed impressive!” I turned to see Clearlove being brought back by a buff-looking immigration officer. As he walked over with Clearlove I heard: “JG? Are you a jungle?” I was stunned. This officer plays League?! After he went to U and asked: “U, what role are you?” U was clearly delighted. (Even American immigration officers knew his ID) and replied with proper english: “MID”. As we chatted with this League-playing officer, we all successfully passed immigration. But time was already running out and we could not explore the city. We headed straight for the gate and got on our flight to Atlanta.
On the plane, everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief after the crazy episode at the airport.
And we even went over as a group to pinch Deft’s face (lol…)
After about 6 hours we all arrived safely in Atlanta. As we were about to land, I asked the flight attendant and she told me it was 7:14. I quickly opened the window to catch the beautiful view of Atlanta under the morning sun.
Wait… why is it morning again? I was baffled because we had arrived at Seattle in the morning… Then the driver solved my puzzle and told us that it was the sun setting, it was 7 PM… Either way, MSI Here we Come!
On the plane, it was already night time. At this point the only thing we can capture is the picture of the players sleeping
Let me tell you something interesting to tell you guys how tired the players are. As the plane was landing, U asked me: “Why is the plane still not taking off yet?”. I said: “Bro, we’re about to get off the plane…” He didn’t believe me and swore he only closed his eyes for a second.
On this plane we met the Riot casters. Here’s a picture of Meiko with them (Jatt and Kobe):
As I write this blog and put the pictures together, the players are already asleep. Hopefully writing this blog can let the fans back home get a better picture of the players journey. We will treasure your messages and support. If we have more images tomorrow I will continue with “Day 2”. Goodnight!
Day One: Our goal is to arrive safely.
After receiving our new uniforms and equipment we got ready to start our trip. Before leaving, we held a meeting where we instructed the team to be wary of the flight times and to bring along anything to make the trip less tiring (books, movies, music, slippers, and pillows etc.). From the looks of it, we are well prepared.
Our itinerary is like this: Departure from Shanghai, Pudong Airport (13 hours), arrive at Seattle for immigration into the US, then to Atlanta, then finally to MSI. Ok lets just continue while looking at some pictures.
At the airport, there were fans and reporters waiting for us. After checking-in everyone took a group photo. From the looks of it everyone is looking pretty smart.
We began heading towards immigration. On the way EDG.Fireloli was extremely hyper, jumping up and down. Clearlove said to him: “You seem like a 3 time champion now!” He replied by nodding furiously.
Then I said, “This time in the US, maybe you’ll meet your dream girl!” His reaction said no but his mind must’ve been excited and hoping.
After heading through immigration, everyone began discussing what they would eat. Finally we agreed to eat Korean. My mouth agreed with everyone and shouted: “GO”, but my heart was very against it… Who goes to the airport to eat Korean food?…
Oh well, I’ll ignore it since everyone looks pretty happy. Only after arriving at Seattle did we suddenly realise that these two kids (I’m guessing he’s referring to the reserve players?) became so close.
The plane took off May 4, 12:30, and flew for around 13 hours. We arrived at Seattle. We were surprised to find out that we arrived at May 4 8:30 in the morning! We suddenly feel like our lives have gotten longer by 10 hours! The view on the plane was very beautiful, and everyone experienced the miracle of nature and time zones.
We were very rushed in Seattle because we had to head to immigration. Technically speaking, if anything went wrong, then the past 10 hours would be wasted and we'd have to pack our bags and head home. So everyone was extremely serious and nervous. Unfortunately, one of the reporters in front of me was taken away by the US immigration officers. Will he be repatriated? Will he be rejected by immigration? We all began to worry.
I saw that it was now EDG Clearlove’s turn. His face was dead serious, and of course, he was also taken to the private room on the side. I looked to Fireloli and thought “Don’t tell me it’s gonna be this guy starting at MSI… This kid’s only here on holiday to fulfill his childhood dreams… Probably not ready to actually start any games...” After a long time, our entire group was brought to the waiting room to wait for our results.
At this moment I heard someone say: “TSM’s prematch preperations are indeed impressive!” I turned to see Clearlove being brought back by a buff-looking immigration officer. As he walked over with Clearlove I heard: “JG? Are you a jungle?” I was stunned. This officer plays League?! After he went to U and asked: “U, what role are you?” U was clearly delighted. (Even American immigration officers knew his ID) and replied with proper english: “MID”. As we chatted with this League-playing officer, we all successfully passed immigration. But time was already running out and we could not explore the city. We headed straight for the gate and got on our flight to Atlanta.
On the plane, everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief after the crazy episode at the airport.
And we even went over as a group to pinch Deft’s face (lol…)
After about 6 hours we all arrived safely in Atlanta. As we were about to land, I asked the flight attendant and she told me it was 7:14. I quickly opened the window to catch the beautiful view of Atlanta under the morning sun.
Wait… why is it morning again? I was baffled because we had arrived at Seattle in the morning… Then the driver solved my puzzle and told us that it was the sun setting, it was 7 PM… Either way, MSI Here we Come!
On the plane, it was already night time. At this point the only thing we can capture is the picture of the players sleeping
Let me tell you something interesting to tell you guys how tired the players are. As the plane was landing, U asked me: “Why is the plane still not taking off yet?”. I said: “Bro, we’re about to get off the plane…” He didn’t believe me and swore he only closed his eyes for a second.
On this plane we met the Riot casters. Here’s a picture of Meiko with them (Jatt and Kobe):
As I write this blog and put the pictures together, the players are already asleep. Hopefully writing this blog can let the fans back home get a better picture of the players journey. We will treasure your messages and support. If we have more images tomorrow I will continue with “Day 2”. Goodnight!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 2)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://www.weibo.com/p/1001603839572206330334
Day 2: Adapting
Before I write my Day 2 diary post, I’d like to address something from the post yesterday. About that buff immigration officer, he probably doesn’t recognise U and was just saying “YOU, what role do you play?” (And with the western-chinese accent). Most readers probably didn’t catch this intentional joke as well so I’d like to clarify it first (T/N Except reddit lol).
Late last night, with the players comfort during MSI in mind, the four of us went and bought some daily necessities for them. After picking out the items at the supermarket, we were stopped outside the store. Yep, you guessed it, we were being robbed. Just like a scene in an American TV show. An african-american male (T/N uhh… I’m not making this up), appeared and blocked us off. “Hey, You, XXXX give me money” I think was probably along the lines of what he said. I took a quick glance at the guy and thought, Him alone? has the balls to mug the four of us? Do you know Chinese Kungfu? While keeping an eye on him, I kept walking. The exchange students in front of us said to themselves: “What is this luck, we actually ran into a robber (T/N he mentions the race again but it’s not as offensive in Chinese), RUN!” Although I didn’t really agree with them (I was thinking: These kids haven’t seen anything. This is nothing compared to the Guang Zhou train station 10 years ago!), I was running with all my might and trying to keep up with the students in front of me. As we were about to run past the robber, I realised his right hand was reaching into his pockets. I suddenly tensed up, he’s reaching for his weapon! I suddenly made a impulse reaction. I pulled out the newly purchased “Head and Shoulders” Shampoo from the shopping bag with a solid grip. Although the way I held the bottle seemed like I was equipping a knife, my heart was already set… No matter what kind of weapon he uses……… I’ll 100% give him all the cash I have on hand! In the end, the robber seemed a bit frightened, guess he was defeated by our vigour, and we safely got back on our car. On the car, everyone else began discussing if he actually had a weapon. Me? I was already one step ahead and was already processing everything that just happened, his movements, my reactions, in the form of a movie. In my mind the robber had long lost to the might of my Head and Shoulders shampoo bottle.
Ok, lets get back on topic! This morning, all the players seemed different from their usual selves. What do I mean by this? They all went nice and early to the restaurant for breakfast.
This is a very abnormal occurrence, which probably shows that they haven’t adapted to the time difference yet. Considering they woke up at this hour, it’s probably safe to assume that practice today won’t be very effective. After breakfast, a Riot employee took us to the stadium. The event is held at Florida State’s basketball stadium. For me, an average college basketball stadium should only seat 3000 people… However, this massive stadium can actually seat 18,000! The venue is incredibly impressive, and the fans attending will probably enjoy it a lot. And their campus even has a 80,000 seater Football field! Think it’s probably safe to consider this incredibly impressive! The air and view in Tallahassee is really nice. All the teams and players all took a nice stroll from the hotel to the event grounds. The areas around the hotel and stadiums all have a really comfortable vibe to them…
…Kinda like my hometown Hainan.
At the training area, the players connected their equipment in preparation for scrims. From the establishment of EDG until now, there are many teams that we have never played before, not even in scrims. Two of the teams that booked us for long scrims for today and tomorrow The first unfamiliar opponent played us at 2PM.
(T/N FNC FNC FNC!)
Lets all try and guess who the other team is? Scrims were all very serious. Everyone wanted to perform well in their first scrims in NA.
The first set of scrims went by in a flash. But what was obvious was that the players were still not in top condition (in terms of their health, I guess due to the jet lag etc.). In the next set of scrims, the time difference heavily affected our regular training. Our scrim against TSM hastily ended and we dragged ourselves back to the hotel. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have to be more aggressive in recovering from the jet lag and tiredness. There’s only 1 day from the start of MSI and there’s not much time left. As we exit the basketball stadium, we see that there are people outside still rushing to finish the last minute preparations for the event. To hold a successful competition is indeed not an easy thing to do.
Lastly, we’d like to thank BigPomelo (T/N ex. OMG) for coming over to visit
Today’s theme was recovery. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a complete team that is at full strength. See you guys tomorrow! I didn’t take many photos today, 小申, I’m guessing it’s another staff member of EDG (maybe the photographer?), took many photos of the players expressions and actions. You can see the photos by following our team’s weixin (like twitter) EDGTEAM!
Day 2: Adapting
Before I write my Day 2 diary post, I’d like to address something from the post yesterday. About that buff immigration officer, he probably doesn’t recognise U and was just saying “YOU, what role do you play?” (And with the western-chinese accent). Most readers probably didn’t catch this intentional joke as well so I’d like to clarify it first (T/N Except reddit lol).
Late last night, with the players comfort during MSI in mind, the four of us went and bought some daily necessities for them. After picking out the items at the supermarket, we were stopped outside the store. Yep, you guessed it, we were being robbed. Just like a scene in an American TV show. An african-american male (T/N uhh… I’m not making this up), appeared and blocked us off. “Hey, You, XXXX give me money” I think was probably along the lines of what he said. I took a quick glance at the guy and thought, Him alone? has the balls to mug the four of us? Do you know Chinese Kungfu? While keeping an eye on him, I kept walking. The exchange students in front of us said to themselves: “What is this luck, we actually ran into a robber (T/N he mentions the race again but it’s not as offensive in Chinese), RUN!” Although I didn’t really agree with them (I was thinking: These kids haven’t seen anything. This is nothing compared to the Guang Zhou train station 10 years ago!), I was running with all my might and trying to keep up with the students in front of me. As we were about to run past the robber, I realised his right hand was reaching into his pockets. I suddenly tensed up, he’s reaching for his weapon! I suddenly made a impulse reaction. I pulled out the newly purchased “Head and Shoulders” Shampoo from the shopping bag with a solid grip. Although the way I held the bottle seemed like I was equipping a knife, my heart was already set… No matter what kind of weapon he uses……… I’ll 100% give him all the cash I have on hand! In the end, the robber seemed a bit frightened, guess he was defeated by our vigour, and we safely got back on our car. On the car, everyone else began discussing if he actually had a weapon. Me? I was already one step ahead and was already processing everything that just happened, his movements, my reactions, in the form of a movie. In my mind the robber had long lost to the might of my Head and Shoulders shampoo bottle.
Ok, lets get back on topic! This morning, all the players seemed different from their usual selves. What do I mean by this? They all went nice and early to the restaurant for breakfast.
This is a very abnormal occurrence, which probably shows that they haven’t adapted to the time difference yet. Considering they woke up at this hour, it’s probably safe to assume that practice today won’t be very effective. After breakfast, a Riot employee took us to the stadium. The event is held at Florida State’s basketball stadium. For me, an average college basketball stadium should only seat 3000 people… However, this massive stadium can actually seat 18,000! The venue is incredibly impressive, and the fans attending will probably enjoy it a lot. And their campus even has a 80,000 seater Football field! Think it’s probably safe to consider this incredibly impressive! The air and view in Tallahassee is really nice. All the teams and players all took a nice stroll from the hotel to the event grounds. The areas around the hotel and stadiums all have a really comfortable vibe to them…
…Kinda like my hometown Hainan.
At the training area, the players connected their equipment in preparation for scrims. From the establishment of EDG until now, there are many teams that we have never played before, not even in scrims. Two of the teams that booked us for long scrims for today and tomorrow The first unfamiliar opponent played us at 2PM.
(T/N FNC FNC FNC!)
Lets all try and guess who the other team is? Scrims were all very serious. Everyone wanted to perform well in their first scrims in NA.
The first set of scrims went by in a flash. But what was obvious was that the players were still not in top condition (in terms of their health, I guess due to the jet lag etc.). In the next set of scrims, the time difference heavily affected our regular training. Our scrim against TSM hastily ended and we dragged ourselves back to the hotel. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have to be more aggressive in recovering from the jet lag and tiredness. There’s only 1 day from the start of MSI and there’s not much time left. As we exit the basketball stadium, we see that there are people outside still rushing to finish the last minute preparations for the event. To hold a successful competition is indeed not an easy thing to do.
Lastly, we’d like to thank BigPomelo (T/N ex. OMG) for coming over to visit
Today’s theme was recovery. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a complete team that is at full strength. See you guys tomorrow! I didn’t take many photos today, 小申, I’m guessing it’s another staff member of EDG (maybe the photographer?), took many photos of the players expressions and actions. You can see the photos by following our team’s weixin (like twitter) EDGTEAM!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 3)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://www.weibo.com/p/1001603839869578261834
If you missed Day 2 you can find it here: http://redd.it/351smd
Day 3: Still Adjusting
Before I start todays entry, I’ll once again answer some questions from yesterdays post. Riot is very professional, the client language is purely up to the players, and the scrims were all played on NA’s tournament realm. The screenshot was from Deft’s PC so naturally it was in Korean. As for the icons, they are available for purchase in NA. However, they don’t have Chinese teams on there so the players had to pick the samsung icons. As for the results of scrims, lets not get too obsessed about it. All clubs will respect the integrity of scrims and the results will be kept private for the clubs themselves to use, especially in a big tournament like this.
Lots of things happened today, I was working, even up till the moment I began writing, to solve the teams problems. However, as of this moment, I am confident. Although there are many external factors when it comes to winning a tournament like this, all I hope is for the players to perform at their normal level. I believe they will be able to perform well in tomorrows matches.
For today’s blog, lets talk about things in reverse. In five minutes, we will have our other set of scrims. Koro and Pawn are both currently discussing which champions to use.
From the establishment of our e-sports club until now, we’ve played against pretty much all the Korean teams and strong teams. The only strong team we’ve never played against is SKT. We’ve never played against this legendary team, not even in scrims, and tonight we had our first long set of scrims against one another.
(T/N Confirmed Faker to start? Not exactly sure what EDG Aaron is doing there)
Everyone was incredibly focused before this match. We learned after that even a few Riot referees and employees entered into our training room to spectate our scrim against SKT. Our scrim lasted until 11. Both teams showed great strength and I’m sure both sides have learned many things from it.
Actually, before the start of tonights scrims, our main focus was to fix our players jet lag. So for the entire day we only attended Riot’s rehearsals and filming. All the other time we spent forcing the players to rest, wake up, and eat (at the right time). Wait, I shouldn’t say “forced” them to eat, because we announced yesterday that we would have Chinese for lunch today. Before the announcement, Fireloli requested to me that he would take the day off and not go to the stadium in the morning for practice. After hearing that we’d have Chinese, he suddenly became a different person, grabbed my hand, and warned everyone not to be late tomorrow! He explained: I didn’t really wanna go, however its another story if we’re going to eat Chinese food. The reality was as expected, a single meal of Chinese food, and he reincarnated into a fortune teller (T/N Reddit Translator Masters pls feel free to explain lol).
Of course, he thinks he’s a fashionista. I really like the environment around Florida State’s campus. Its got a very comfortable vibe, and the players were all in good spirits as they strolled to the Chinese restaurant.
Of course, there’s bound to be someone unhappy. Deft secretly told me, “Are we in America?” I said “Yes.” He continued: “Then shouldn’t we be having American food?!” I ignored him. In the end, he had no choice, and reluctantly followed us to the Chinese restaurant.
Another interesting thing, for breakfast we went to the stadium (as per Riot’s request) to shoot our promotional videos.
When it was time to meet up, Deft let his childish side slip through. He put his own name tag around Meiko’s neck and said: “I AM Kalista, GO GO GO!” And thus, Meiko was pulled away by his ult. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Lets talk about the time difference. I predict that the Asian teams are all troubled by this issue. Everyones performances on the first day were unsatisfactory. Deft, under our adjustment schedule, is still struggling to adapt. As soon as the 1 hour break time rolled around, he collapsed on the couch and couldn’t wake up. Even with our translator trying his hardest to pull him up, he wouldn't budge.
In the end, after our endless attempts, he finally surrendered and got up. From the training conditions of the teams in the last 2 days, I feel that TSM is in the best condition.
PS: I think Meiko can definitely grow to become a star on the world stage of LOL. Today was probably a precious experience for his development. I like him too much.
Big matches test a teams synergy (combined strength) and adaptability. Otherwise there wouldn’t be such a thing as Home and Away matches. I believe the players can perform what they are instructed and get back in top condition. Today there were lots of reporters interviewing me. One of the reports asked: “Is there anything that you’d like to say to the fans that support you guys?” I pondered this for quite a while and couldn’t give an answer. Thank you? I’ve said that too many times. However I cannot describe the emotions inside with mere words. From our establishment until now, the criticism, from a mere amateur team until now, we haven’t been able to give the fans much. However, we still gradually began to receive more love and support from the fans. Maybe you guys don’t realise, but I truly feel the strength that you guys provide. In the end I responded to the reporters question: “We can win.”
As I finish this article, we are about to begin our final set of scrims. Tomorrow we fight! We fight for the LPL! We fight for all the teams in China! We fight for the future of e-sports in China! We fight for all our fans! We are EDG!
If you missed Day 2 you can find it here: http://redd.it/351smd
Day 3: Still Adjusting
Before I start todays entry, I’ll once again answer some questions from yesterdays post. Riot is very professional, the client language is purely up to the players, and the scrims were all played on NA’s tournament realm. The screenshot was from Deft’s PC so naturally it was in Korean. As for the icons, they are available for purchase in NA. However, they don’t have Chinese teams on there so the players had to pick the samsung icons. As for the results of scrims, lets not get too obsessed about it. All clubs will respect the integrity of scrims and the results will be kept private for the clubs themselves to use, especially in a big tournament like this.
Lots of things happened today, I was working, even up till the moment I began writing, to solve the teams problems. However, as of this moment, I am confident. Although there are many external factors when it comes to winning a tournament like this, all I hope is for the players to perform at their normal level. I believe they will be able to perform well in tomorrows matches.
For today’s blog, lets talk about things in reverse. In five minutes, we will have our other set of scrims. Koro and Pawn are both currently discussing which champions to use.
From the establishment of our e-sports club until now, we’ve played against pretty much all the Korean teams and strong teams. The only strong team we’ve never played against is SKT. We’ve never played against this legendary team, not even in scrims, and tonight we had our first long set of scrims against one another.
(T/N Confirmed Faker to start? Not exactly sure what EDG Aaron is doing there)
Everyone was incredibly focused before this match. We learned after that even a few Riot referees and employees entered into our training room to spectate our scrim against SKT. Our scrim lasted until 11. Both teams showed great strength and I’m sure both sides have learned many things from it.
Actually, before the start of tonights scrims, our main focus was to fix our players jet lag. So for the entire day we only attended Riot’s rehearsals and filming. All the other time we spent forcing the players to rest, wake up, and eat (at the right time). Wait, I shouldn’t say “forced” them to eat, because we announced yesterday that we would have Chinese for lunch today. Before the announcement, Fireloli requested to me that he would take the day off and not go to the stadium in the morning for practice. After hearing that we’d have Chinese, he suddenly became a different person, grabbed my hand, and warned everyone not to be late tomorrow! He explained: I didn’t really wanna go, however its another story if we’re going to eat Chinese food. The reality was as expected, a single meal of Chinese food, and he reincarnated into a fortune teller (T/N Reddit Translator Masters pls feel free to explain lol).
Of course, he thinks he’s a fashionista. I really like the environment around Florida State’s campus. Its got a very comfortable vibe, and the players were all in good spirits as they strolled to the Chinese restaurant.
Of course, there’s bound to be someone unhappy. Deft secretly told me, “Are we in America?” I said “Yes.” He continued: “Then shouldn’t we be having American food?!” I ignored him. In the end, he had no choice, and reluctantly followed us to the Chinese restaurant.
Another interesting thing, for breakfast we went to the stadium (as per Riot’s request) to shoot our promotional videos.
When it was time to meet up, Deft let his childish side slip through. He put his own name tag around Meiko’s neck and said: “I AM Kalista, GO GO GO!” And thus, Meiko was pulled away by his ult. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Lets talk about the time difference. I predict that the Asian teams are all troubled by this issue. Everyones performances on the first day were unsatisfactory. Deft, under our adjustment schedule, is still struggling to adapt. As soon as the 1 hour break time rolled around, he collapsed on the couch and couldn’t wake up. Even with our translator trying his hardest to pull him up, he wouldn't budge.
In the end, after our endless attempts, he finally surrendered and got up. From the training conditions of the teams in the last 2 days, I feel that TSM is in the best condition.
PS: I think Meiko can definitely grow to become a star on the world stage of LOL. Today was probably a precious experience for his development. I like him too much.
Big matches test a teams synergy (combined strength) and adaptability. Otherwise there wouldn’t be such a thing as Home and Away matches. I believe the players can perform what they are instructed and get back in top condition. Today there were lots of reporters interviewing me. One of the reports asked: “Is there anything that you’d like to say to the fans that support you guys?” I pondered this for quite a while and couldn’t give an answer. Thank you? I’ve said that too many times. However I cannot describe the emotions inside with mere words. From our establishment until now, the criticism, from a mere amateur team until now, we haven’t been able to give the fans much. However, we still gradually began to receive more love and support from the fans. Maybe you guys don’t realise, but I truly feel the strength that you guys provide. In the end I responded to the reporters question: “We can win.”
As I finish this article, we are about to begin our final set of scrims. Tomorrow we fight! We fight for the LPL! We fight for all the teams in China! We fight for the future of e-sports in China! We fight for all our fans! We are EDG!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 4)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603840259594020364
If you missed Day 3 you can find it here: http://redd.it/355ms1
Day 4: Defeat
Today, I’ve been hesitating whether or not I should continue this diary series. E-sports is a cruel industry. If you don’t win, you are worthless. To become a world champion, one must endure along this difficult road.
I think that the majority of todays readers are probably interested in our defeat to SKT. Regarding our formation and strategy, the reason for our defeat, you guys are probably looking for an explanation? Honestly, I’m no professional, my analysis is probably lacking compared to most players. So I’d like to begin by simply talking about some of the things that happened today. Before our defeat to SKT, you could say that things were going pretty well for us.
Today was the first day of the tournament. We never imagined that there would be so many fans in the US supporting us. To see local fans from the neighbourhood taking the time to come to the venue and display signs in support of EDG, I cannot be happier. However, I even ran into quite a few foreign fans who actually travelled long distances to see us! There was one from Washington! Another who flew 12 hours from Seattle! And even fans who drove long-distances from Ohio! Seeing all this really moved us. Preparations for todays matches emphasised staying calm and taking it easy. We did not have any large-scaled practices. In the training room, Riot gave us lots of merchandise. Let me show you what they look like.
As for our post-match analysis, I cannot reveal too much. All I can say is my own opinions. With regards to the match against SKT, I feel the main issue is with our choice of formation and the order in which we picked our champions on Purple side. This resulted in us being restricted in the laning phase. Along with mistakes in our decision-making and execution, caused us to be at a disadvantage from the start. The entire match was not only difficult to watch, it was also painful to play in. We were unable to display the teams style and the individual players strengths. Since fans do not know the results of our scrims, everyone is entitled to their own opinions on our composition. In e-sports, you win some and you lose some. Every player wanted to win. However, we lost because our performance was not up to par. I hope the players can draw from todays experience and treat it as a lesson. In addition, many people messaged me today, saying that after seeing our performance today, we should’ve just let XXX (T/N another) team come to MSI instead. In my opinion, this is unfair to our players. We did not qualify for this tournament through a lucky draw, we were not voted by the fans, we were not told by officials to attend. It was through our strong performance during an entire split worth of matches. You can question their abilities, hate them as individuals, rate their performance. But you cannot deprive them of their rights to be here. The players are working really hard. After all, they they are a determined group of guys.
To the fans who support us I’d like to say: Today we disappointed you guys. Sorry!
If you missed Day 3 you can find it here: http://redd.it/355ms1
Day 4: Defeat
Today, I’ve been hesitating whether or not I should continue this diary series. E-sports is a cruel industry. If you don’t win, you are worthless. To become a world champion, one must endure along this difficult road.
I think that the majority of todays readers are probably interested in our defeat to SKT. Regarding our formation and strategy, the reason for our defeat, you guys are probably looking for an explanation? Honestly, I’m no professional, my analysis is probably lacking compared to most players. So I’d like to begin by simply talking about some of the things that happened today. Before our defeat to SKT, you could say that things were going pretty well for us.
Today was the first day of the tournament. We never imagined that there would be so many fans in the US supporting us. To see local fans from the neighbourhood taking the time to come to the venue and display signs in support of EDG, I cannot be happier. However, I even ran into quite a few foreign fans who actually travelled long distances to see us! There was one from Washington! Another who flew 12 hours from Seattle! And even fans who drove long-distances from Ohio! Seeing all this really moved us. Preparations for todays matches emphasised staying calm and taking it easy. We did not have any large-scaled practices. In the training room, Riot gave us lots of merchandise. Let me show you what they look like.
As for our post-match analysis, I cannot reveal too much. All I can say is my own opinions. With regards to the match against SKT, I feel the main issue is with our choice of formation and the order in which we picked our champions on Purple side. This resulted in us being restricted in the laning phase. Along with mistakes in our decision-making and execution, caused us to be at a disadvantage from the start. The entire match was not only difficult to watch, it was also painful to play in. We were unable to display the teams style and the individual players strengths. Since fans do not know the results of our scrims, everyone is entitled to their own opinions on our composition. In e-sports, you win some and you lose some. Every player wanted to win. However, we lost because our performance was not up to par. I hope the players can draw from todays experience and treat it as a lesson. In addition, many people messaged me today, saying that after seeing our performance today, we should’ve just let XXX (T/N another) team come to MSI instead. In my opinion, this is unfair to our players. We did not qualify for this tournament through a lucky draw, we were not voted by the fans, we were not told by officials to attend. It was through our strong performance during an entire split worth of matches. You can question their abilities, hate them as individuals, rate their performance. But you cannot deprive them of their rights to be here. The players are working really hard. After all, they they are a determined group of guys.
To the fans who support us I’d like to say: Today we disappointed you guys. Sorry!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 5)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://www.weibo.com/p/1001603840633860170007
If you missed Day 4 you can find it here: http://redd.it/359wnl
Day 5: Relief
The group stages are finally finished. If you were to ask me before the FNC match, you would see that I was still nervous. The match against Fnatic was actually incredibly important for us. Since our scrim results against TSM were not satisfactory, we didn’t want to be in the uncomfortable position where we had to beat TSM to advance into the knockout stage. However, the players seemed pretty relaxed. While waiting for the bus (which takes us to the stadium), these two kids were still messing around. When they saw me with the camera, they were both embarrassed, and turned away together (good team chemistry).
Riot-organised tournaments allow all the players to feel both professional and comfortable. There were also many heartwarming moments. One Riot employee called Andy (Hopefully I didn’t remember his name wrong) was sick today and couldn’t attend the event. We were asked by other staff members to pose with this teddy bear, also named Andy, and send the photo as a surprise get well card to him. Koro gladly accepted their request.
Also, here’s a poster that a diligent fan made!
My god, it looks amazing! I really want one! All the players signed on the poster. It really is a precious gift!
After the match, I really wanted to find a way to help the players relax. However, this kid wouldn’t stop messing around!
“Clearlove, look over here!” “Sam, look over here!” Everyone was his victim! While he was messing around with the camera, I came up with an idea. If I ever get the chance I’ll ask Riot to release a new champion that wields a camera. His skills can stun enemies with the camera flash and his ult turns you into a photograph that can be printed/copied. After a while, he got tired, and went to bully Meiko. One minute he’s asking Meiko to be his pillow, the next he’s already lying across his lap saying: “I’m already asleep, I’m already asleep~~” Meiko had no choice but to let him lie on his lap.
Actually, before he went to Meiko, Deft had another target. From this I could see that he actually considered many factors when selecting his pillow. He had originally attempted to use Pawn’s lap as a pillow but quickly escaped as Pawn waved him away.
Today’s matches went by pretty smoothly. The atmosphere at the stadium was really good. Both during and between the games, I could feel the fans enthusiasm, which made the event more enjoyable. Even though I was backstage, I could hear the intensity when the fans shouted the 10 second countdown before every game. And when the home team TSM emerged on stage: “TSM TSM TSM” It was incredibly loud! TSM are so lucky. The participation from the fans probably hyped up the reporters and even the production team. Everywhere the camera went, people were chanting and screaming, everyone wanted to cheer for the team they supported. Hopefully one day, EDG can have as much support!
Today the group stage finished and we had a fan meet after. I really like this kind of event. I feel that it is not easy to be an e-sport fan. Fans all want the opportunity to meet the heroes that they look up to. I believe that Riot’s done a great job organising this. Even though it was incredibly late after waiting for SKT’s match to finish, I insisted that the players should attend. The event was absolutely packed. Countless fans were lined up outside to get an opportunity to meet the players and take photos. I’m very thankful to the fans supporting us! It’s an absolute honour that the fans are happy with our performance.
While the players were busy with the meet-and-greet, I went off to the merchandise area to have a look. This time around there are many awesome figures that I plan to purchase. In celebration of the opening of our new Wei Xin (T/N social media) account, I plan to give them out to a few of our lucky fans!
It’s going to be a long way home and I’m still not sure how many I can bring. Let me know which ones you like!
All the matches today are finished and all the teams have played one another. The players have all exchanged handshakes and hugs as fellow professionals. It is indeed quite an emotional sight. The E-sports industry is constantly growing due to their presence and hard work.
Finally, there’s something that I can’t help but smile about. According to Riot’s rules and regulations, coaches must shake hands after the pick and ban phase. Under normal circumstances, coaches would be polite and wish one another “Good Luck!” After the pick and ban phase against Fnatic, Coach Aaron ran up to me and said: “Sam, I think I made a mistake just now! While shaking my hand, the coach of Fnatic said: ‘Good Luck’ and I only replied with a courteous: ‘Thank You! Thank You!’” Even though I probably shouldn’t have, I burst out laughing in front of Aaron’s face. I’ll borrow this opportunity to apologise to the Fnatic’s coach and wish them good luck for tomorrows match.
Tomorrow we advance into the semi-finals to face old rivals AHQ. Hopefully everything goes well for us!
If you missed Day 4 you can find it here: http://redd.it/359wnl
Day 5: Relief
The group stages are finally finished. If you were to ask me before the FNC match, you would see that I was still nervous. The match against Fnatic was actually incredibly important for us. Since our scrim results against TSM were not satisfactory, we didn’t want to be in the uncomfortable position where we had to beat TSM to advance into the knockout stage. However, the players seemed pretty relaxed. While waiting for the bus (which takes us to the stadium), these two kids were still messing around. When they saw me with the camera, they were both embarrassed, and turned away together (good team chemistry).
Riot-organised tournaments allow all the players to feel both professional and comfortable. There were also many heartwarming moments. One Riot employee called Andy (Hopefully I didn’t remember his name wrong) was sick today and couldn’t attend the event. We were asked by other staff members to pose with this teddy bear, also named Andy, and send the photo as a surprise get well card to him. Koro gladly accepted their request.
Also, here’s a poster that a diligent fan made!
My god, it looks amazing! I really want one! All the players signed on the poster. It really is a precious gift!
After the match, I really wanted to find a way to help the players relax. However, this kid wouldn’t stop messing around!
“Clearlove, look over here!” “Sam, look over here!” Everyone was his victim! While he was messing around with the camera, I came up with an idea. If I ever get the chance I’ll ask Riot to release a new champion that wields a camera. His skills can stun enemies with the camera flash and his ult turns you into a photograph that can be printed/copied. After a while, he got tired, and went to bully Meiko. One minute he’s asking Meiko to be his pillow, the next he’s already lying across his lap saying: “I’m already asleep, I’m already asleep~~” Meiko had no choice but to let him lie on his lap.
Actually, before he went to Meiko, Deft had another target. From this I could see that he actually considered many factors when selecting his pillow. He had originally attempted to use Pawn’s lap as a pillow but quickly escaped as Pawn waved him away.
Today’s matches went by pretty smoothly. The atmosphere at the stadium was really good. Both during and between the games, I could feel the fans enthusiasm, which made the event more enjoyable. Even though I was backstage, I could hear the intensity when the fans shouted the 10 second countdown before every game. And when the home team TSM emerged on stage: “TSM TSM TSM” It was incredibly loud! TSM are so lucky. The participation from the fans probably hyped up the reporters and even the production team. Everywhere the camera went, people were chanting and screaming, everyone wanted to cheer for the team they supported. Hopefully one day, EDG can have as much support!
Today the group stage finished and we had a fan meet after. I really like this kind of event. I feel that it is not easy to be an e-sport fan. Fans all want the opportunity to meet the heroes that they look up to. I believe that Riot’s done a great job organising this. Even though it was incredibly late after waiting for SKT’s match to finish, I insisted that the players should attend. The event was absolutely packed. Countless fans were lined up outside to get an opportunity to meet the players and take photos. I’m very thankful to the fans supporting us! It’s an absolute honour that the fans are happy with our performance.
While the players were busy with the meet-and-greet, I went off to the merchandise area to have a look. This time around there are many awesome figures that I plan to purchase. In celebration of the opening of our new Wei Xin (T/N social media) account, I plan to give them out to a few of our lucky fans!
It’s going to be a long way home and I’m still not sure how many I can bring. Let me know which ones you like!
All the matches today are finished and all the teams have played one another. The players have all exchanged handshakes and hugs as fellow professionals. It is indeed quite an emotional sight. The E-sports industry is constantly growing due to their presence and hard work.
Finally, there’s something that I can’t help but smile about. According to Riot’s rules and regulations, coaches must shake hands after the pick and ban phase. Under normal circumstances, coaches would be polite and wish one another “Good Luck!” After the pick and ban phase against Fnatic, Coach Aaron ran up to me and said: “Sam, I think I made a mistake just now! While shaking my hand, the coach of Fnatic said: ‘Good Luck’ and I only replied with a courteous: ‘Thank You! Thank You!’” Even though I probably shouldn’t have, I burst out laughing in front of Aaron’s face. I’ll borrow this opportunity to apologise to the Fnatic’s coach and wish them good luck for tomorrows match.
Tomorrow we advance into the semi-finals to face old rivals AHQ. Hopefully everything goes well for us!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 6)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603841007551673762
If you missed Day 5 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35e9ky
Day 6: Go Beyond
Today we once again ate Chinese. However, purely by coincidence, the place was full of commentators, members of the broadcasting team, Tencent employees, and Riot staff. Some were leaders/seniors within the industry, others were renown casters of the game. However, in my eyes, the real star was in front of me.
Yep, it’s him, Fireloli. Once lunchtime rolled around, he said: “Sam, the picture you took of me last time was terrible… I’m supposed to look handsome, yet you made me look like an old Chinese fortune teller… Look how good I look with these shades.” He wouldn’t stop whining about it. At that moment, Misaya walked into the restaurant and Fireloli suddenly jumped up to go take a selfie with him. We were all puzzled by his abnormal behaviour. What happened to him today? Did he forget to take his medicine yesterday? After returning to the table, Fireloli began muttering to himself: “Since when was Misaya taller than me.” Clearlove, who was drinking water across from him, started laughing and almost sprayed everything out of his mouth. Everyone started laughing at Fireloli. At first, I thought he would be embarrassed and change the topic. However, he continued by saying: “Clearlove, after coming to EDG, you probably grew more than 10 cm. I remember you were around my height when you first arrived at Guang Zhou.” Looking at his serious expression, I almost believed him. While eating, Fireloli continued to tease Clearlove, trying to teach him how to jungle with Xin Zhao and telling him to play him in the current patch. Finally, he started reciting Xin Zhao’s lines in the game. While he was busy talking, everyone else finished the food.
Today’s semi-finals boasted the largest audience of MSI so far.
The stadium was packed. Before the match, someone showed us a team photo they took of us yesterday (T/N while they were sending the get well card to the Riot employee). Everyone looks pretty happy! Guess doing good deeds makes people happy!
The passion of the fans are infectious! There seems to be more fans holding signs in support of EDG!
AHQ performed really well yesterday. I was feeling pretty anxious. Hopefully the match goes smoothly!
And as the atmosphere around the stadium got more and more intense, I too got more and more anxious. Since AHQ Is a team whose performance depends on their form, if we let them play the game at their familiar rhythm, we run the risk of letting them control the series. Well, as for the results of the games, theres not much for me to say. We ended with a 3:0 victory, advancing into the Finals.
After the match, we went back to the waiting room with the AHQ players. Since our rooms were next to one another, the AHQ players and coaching staff came over for pictures and a final farewell. Besides discussing some points from the game, they were here to wish us good luck for tomorrows match. E-sports, outside of the game, brings us both friendship and strength. We even promised one another to meet again at the finals of the S5 World Championships!
Tomorrow is the finals of MSI. Against the legendary SKT, China and Korea are once again pit against one another on the highest stage. During the semi-finals match between SKT and Fnatic, Deft and Pawn told me: “SKT definitely needs to win, since it will be meaningless for us to win MSI if we don’t beat them in the finals.” I guess that makes sense. The easiest way for a new dynasty to rise is to seize the throne from the strongest opponent.
See you tomorrow!
PS: There was an unfortunate accident at the hotel that we stayed in. The local firefighters and police force were quick to arrive and resolve the issue. Everybody is fine. Don’t believe me? See for yourself… Fireloli’s at it again!
If you missed Day 5 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35e9ky
Day 6: Go Beyond
Today we once again ate Chinese. However, purely by coincidence, the place was full of commentators, members of the broadcasting team, Tencent employees, and Riot staff. Some were leaders/seniors within the industry, others were renown casters of the game. However, in my eyes, the real star was in front of me.
Yep, it’s him, Fireloli. Once lunchtime rolled around, he said: “Sam, the picture you took of me last time was terrible… I’m supposed to look handsome, yet you made me look like an old Chinese fortune teller… Look how good I look with these shades.” He wouldn’t stop whining about it. At that moment, Misaya walked into the restaurant and Fireloli suddenly jumped up to go take a selfie with him. We were all puzzled by his abnormal behaviour. What happened to him today? Did he forget to take his medicine yesterday? After returning to the table, Fireloli began muttering to himself: “Since when was Misaya taller than me.” Clearlove, who was drinking water across from him, started laughing and almost sprayed everything out of his mouth. Everyone started laughing at Fireloli. At first, I thought he would be embarrassed and change the topic. However, he continued by saying: “Clearlove, after coming to EDG, you probably grew more than 10 cm. I remember you were around my height when you first arrived at Guang Zhou.” Looking at his serious expression, I almost believed him. While eating, Fireloli continued to tease Clearlove, trying to teach him how to jungle with Xin Zhao and telling him to play him in the current patch. Finally, he started reciting Xin Zhao’s lines in the game. While he was busy talking, everyone else finished the food.
Today’s semi-finals boasted the largest audience of MSI so far.
The stadium was packed. Before the match, someone showed us a team photo they took of us yesterday (T/N while they were sending the get well card to the Riot employee). Everyone looks pretty happy! Guess doing good deeds makes people happy!
The passion of the fans are infectious! There seems to be more fans holding signs in support of EDG!
AHQ performed really well yesterday. I was feeling pretty anxious. Hopefully the match goes smoothly!
And as the atmosphere around the stadium got more and more intense, I too got more and more anxious. Since AHQ Is a team whose performance depends on their form, if we let them play the game at their familiar rhythm, we run the risk of letting them control the series. Well, as for the results of the games, theres not much for me to say. We ended with a 3:0 victory, advancing into the Finals.
After the match, we went back to the waiting room with the AHQ players. Since our rooms were next to one another, the AHQ players and coaching staff came over for pictures and a final farewell. Besides discussing some points from the game, they were here to wish us good luck for tomorrows match. E-sports, outside of the game, brings us both friendship and strength. We even promised one another to meet again at the finals of the S5 World Championships!
Tomorrow is the finals of MSI. Against the legendary SKT, China and Korea are once again pit against one another on the highest stage. During the semi-finals match between SKT and Fnatic, Deft and Pawn told me: “SKT definitely needs to win, since it will be meaningless for us to win MSI if we don’t beat them in the finals.” I guess that makes sense. The easiest way for a new dynasty to rise is to seize the throne from the strongest opponent.
See you tomorrow!
PS: There was an unfortunate accident at the hotel that we stayed in. The local firefighters and police force were quick to arrive and resolve the issue. Everybody is fine. Don’t believe me? See for yourself… Fireloli’s at it again!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 7)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603841371541795317
If you missed Day 6 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35hjyk
Day 7: Victory!
Hahaha! A years worth of hard work has finally paid off! We’ve succeeded in winning our first international tournament. Almost everyone broke out in tears. This feeling cannot be described with words. After the match finished, I couldn’t resist sharing on social media: “During S3 World Championships, everyone was staying up late to watch SKT and OMG/Royal Club play. We all witnessed the invincible SKT lift the World Championship trophy. Today, we somehow managed to win against them and become champions. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Before I turned on the computer, I was thinking about what I should write today. So many things happened, there was the match, the celebration after, and plenty of funny stories. Lets first talk about the finals. Since i’m writing after the game… perhaps more people will pay attention to this post. This time around I won’t be so tight-lipped and I’ll share with you guys the thinking behind our strategy as well as pick and bans. For game 1, I guess the points that the fans are probably confused about is why we banned Alistar and why we last-picked Orianna. In a best-of-five series, if the players are of a similar calibre, the tipping point is dependant on the teams overall strength. In regards to Easyhoon, we understood his style and wanted to focus on countering it. We wanted to pick a passive, strong wave clear, team-fight oriented champion, and thus decided on Sejuani and Orianna. Once we realised the comp wasn’t working, our coach quickly adjusted our ban pick strategy. We wanted to draft a comp that was aggressive and could initiate fights. After making the comeback and winning two games in a row, I went over to meet up with the team and passed by SKT’s waiting room. I took a quick glance in the room and noticed that the morale of the team was incredibly low. At that point I got the feeling that we’d finish them in game 4. However, their coaching staff was incredibly smart to make the substitution as well as change up their own pick-ban strategy, catching us off guard. We target-banned their jungler in game one, then adjusted to banning out their bot-lane. However, we didn’t expect them to ban out our bot lane, along with the fact that they swapped out the downcast Easyhoon for Faker, SKT looked like a completely different team. Once the series became 2:2, everyone was nervous. With only 10 minutes break time between games, what can we do to win? In the current patch, LeBlanc is an incredibly strong pick, It’s also Faker’s pocket-pick. “How about we give them LeBlanc and put Pawn on Morgana to counter them” “If SKT bans a jungle, we’ll follow them and ban one ourselves. We’ll leave Nunu for them to pick, then I’ll grab Evelynn to counter him.” We ban Kalista, Cassio, and a Jungler. We allowed them to get Urgot and pick Sivir to counter. We snatch the bot lane with our first two picks, thus freeing up Nunu and LeBlanc for SKT to pick. This match will be decided by the mid-lane and jungle. Would Faker choose not to pick LeBlanc? Possibly. But he’s made a name for himself on this champion and must be full of confidence. If someone dares to leave her unbanned, he will definitely take it. This is the strategy that our coaching staff and players made in the 10 minutes resting time. This is also the last strategy we prepared.
The final round began. I was very nervous during pick-and-bans. The first 3 bans went as we predicted. Once the picks started… First pick Urgot! Great!! We instantly grabbed Sivir and Wolf’s Alistar. SKT were quick to lock in Nunu, we were now left waiting for the final piece of the puzzle. Faker hovered over LeBlanc, I eagerly awaited the moment when he surrenders to temptation and locks her in. 20 seconds, it seems the coaching staff said something to him and he switched to Lulu, my heart sank. I stared at Fakers expression. I saw him talking with the coach, there’s hope! With 8 seconds to spare, Faker locked in Leblanc!! (T/N Never seen someone so happy to play against Faker’s Leblanc!) I breathed a sigh of relief. This round, whether we win or lose, we’re showing all our cards. Even if we lose, there won’t be anything to complain about. Luckily, we won the final game!
After our victory, the players had all kinds of photoshoots, interviews, and fan-meets, I won’t say too much about those. Look below for some more pictures and commentary.
This is a fairly ordinary team photo. However, since the area was very crowded, everyone had the squeeze together to fit in the photo. In order to be seen, Fireloli was quick to choose a good spot for himself. Then, out of nowhere, he found a stick, and made himself look like a disciple of the Beggar/Vagabond sect (Gai Bang 丐帮).
After returning to the hotel, he even started sparring with Meiko.
Sigh. I mean this kids appearance is not bad, why did he have to fall down the path of the comedian, what a pity!
Let me tell you another interesting story. After winning the match, 小申 was so excited that he started diving between the two beds like a fish. Since he used too much power, he missed his target and fell flat on the ground. He was in so much pain!
Thanks to all the fans that supported us! It’s so great to have you guys cheering for us!
Finally, I wish my fellow owner EDG.Freezer a swift recovery. You couldn’t make it to America, I’ll be sure to bring the glory of victory back for you. Without your help in building the players mentality, we wouldn’t have won the tournament. During the season you kept telling me: “Pawn is an incredibly strong player” He is indeed strong! Haha!
Finally, I’ll add the missing picture of the Head and Shoulders bottle from Day 2.
We’ve completed our Tallahassee journey. We’ll now spend some time to relax before the next split. I’ll be sure to capture more fun and happy photos to share with you guys! 2015 MSI is finished. As for the diary, perhaps I’ll write 2 more entries [T/N I’m not finished yet!].
It sure feels good to be champion! See you guys tomorrow!
If you missed Day 6 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35hjyk
Day 7: Victory!
Hahaha! A years worth of hard work has finally paid off! We’ve succeeded in winning our first international tournament. Almost everyone broke out in tears. This feeling cannot be described with words. After the match finished, I couldn’t resist sharing on social media: “During S3 World Championships, everyone was staying up late to watch SKT and OMG/Royal Club play. We all witnessed the invincible SKT lift the World Championship trophy. Today, we somehow managed to win against them and become champions. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Before I turned on the computer, I was thinking about what I should write today. So many things happened, there was the match, the celebration after, and plenty of funny stories. Lets first talk about the finals. Since i’m writing after the game… perhaps more people will pay attention to this post. This time around I won’t be so tight-lipped and I’ll share with you guys the thinking behind our strategy as well as pick and bans. For game 1, I guess the points that the fans are probably confused about is why we banned Alistar and why we last-picked Orianna. In a best-of-five series, if the players are of a similar calibre, the tipping point is dependant on the teams overall strength. In regards to Easyhoon, we understood his style and wanted to focus on countering it. We wanted to pick a passive, strong wave clear, team-fight oriented champion, and thus decided on Sejuani and Orianna. Once we realised the comp wasn’t working, our coach quickly adjusted our ban pick strategy. We wanted to draft a comp that was aggressive and could initiate fights. After making the comeback and winning two games in a row, I went over to meet up with the team and passed by SKT’s waiting room. I took a quick glance in the room and noticed that the morale of the team was incredibly low. At that point I got the feeling that we’d finish them in game 4. However, their coaching staff was incredibly smart to make the substitution as well as change up their own pick-ban strategy, catching us off guard. We target-banned their jungler in game one, then adjusted to banning out their bot-lane. However, we didn’t expect them to ban out our bot lane, along with the fact that they swapped out the downcast Easyhoon for Faker, SKT looked like a completely different team. Once the series became 2:2, everyone was nervous. With only 10 minutes break time between games, what can we do to win? In the current patch, LeBlanc is an incredibly strong pick, It’s also Faker’s pocket-pick. “How about we give them LeBlanc and put Pawn on Morgana to counter them” “If SKT bans a jungle, we’ll follow them and ban one ourselves. We’ll leave Nunu for them to pick, then I’ll grab Evelynn to counter him.” We ban Kalista, Cassio, and a Jungler. We allowed them to get Urgot and pick Sivir to counter. We snatch the bot lane with our first two picks, thus freeing up Nunu and LeBlanc for SKT to pick. This match will be decided by the mid-lane and jungle. Would Faker choose not to pick LeBlanc? Possibly. But he’s made a name for himself on this champion and must be full of confidence. If someone dares to leave her unbanned, he will definitely take it. This is the strategy that our coaching staff and players made in the 10 minutes resting time. This is also the last strategy we prepared.
The final round began. I was very nervous during pick-and-bans. The first 3 bans went as we predicted. Once the picks started… First pick Urgot! Great!! We instantly grabbed Sivir and Wolf’s Alistar. SKT were quick to lock in Nunu, we were now left waiting for the final piece of the puzzle. Faker hovered over LeBlanc, I eagerly awaited the moment when he surrenders to temptation and locks her in. 20 seconds, it seems the coaching staff said something to him and he switched to Lulu, my heart sank. I stared at Fakers expression. I saw him talking with the coach, there’s hope! With 8 seconds to spare, Faker locked in Leblanc!! (T/N Never seen someone so happy to play against Faker’s Leblanc!) I breathed a sigh of relief. This round, whether we win or lose, we’re showing all our cards. Even if we lose, there won’t be anything to complain about. Luckily, we won the final game!
After our victory, the players had all kinds of photoshoots, interviews, and fan-meets, I won’t say too much about those. Look below for some more pictures and commentary.
This is a fairly ordinary team photo. However, since the area was very crowded, everyone had the squeeze together to fit in the photo. In order to be seen, Fireloli was quick to choose a good spot for himself. Then, out of nowhere, he found a stick, and made himself look like a disciple of the Beggar/Vagabond sect (Gai Bang 丐帮).
After returning to the hotel, he even started sparring with Meiko.
Sigh. I mean this kids appearance is not bad, why did he have to fall down the path of the comedian, what a pity!
Let me tell you another interesting story. After winning the match, 小申 was so excited that he started diving between the two beds like a fish. Since he used too much power, he missed his target and fell flat on the ground. He was in so much pain!
Thanks to all the fans that supported us! It’s so great to have you guys cheering for us!
Finally, I wish my fellow owner EDG.Freezer a swift recovery. You couldn’t make it to America, I’ll be sure to bring the glory of victory back for you. Without your help in building the players mentality, we wouldn’t have won the tournament. During the season you kept telling me: “Pawn is an incredibly strong player” He is indeed strong! Haha!
Finally, I’ll add the missing picture of the Head and Shoulders bottle from Day 2.
We’ve completed our Tallahassee journey. We’ll now spend some time to relax before the next split. I’ll be sure to capture more fun and happy photos to share with you guys! 2015 MSI is finished. As for the diary, perhaps I’ll write 2 more entries [T/N I’m not finished yet!].
It sure feels good to be champion! See you guys tomorrow!
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 8)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603841752724309304
If you missed Day 7 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35lo39
Day 8: On Holiday
We’ve already arrived in LA. Somehow, it feels like things are always extremely rushed during trips like this. Even as we head off on holiday, we find ourselves fighting to make every second count. Merely 6 hours after our victory, we found ourselves on a plane to Los Angeles.
Turns out LA and Tallahassee has 3 hours time difference. Considering we’ve been struggling with jet lag for the past few days, this only made things more confusing. However, after arriving in LA, everyone was incredibly amazed at the place we were staying.
A beautiful villa with incredibly large rooms and a pool. Let me first issue a warning, these kids plan to throw Meiko into the water.
Not sure what happened, but they plan return at night and have a proper battle.
After dropping off our bags, we all went out to grab some local food, some sunshine, and some afternoon tea.
Next we went nearby for some shopping. This rare opportunity to relax also allowed me to see the players, who are usually very serious, laugh and smile. Pawn bought a watch for his Mom, while Deft got himself a pair of sunglasses. Fireloli went and splurged on 3 pairs of shoes. No one returned empty handed. Fireloli happily told me: “You guys better work hard! I still have to go to Europe at the end of the year!” [T/N lol] Clearlove, who overheard our conversation replied: “It’s not easy for a player to reach Fireloli’s level!” Everyone laughed.
At night we returned to the villa. While I was resting on the couch, I suddenly heard everyone laughing outside at the pool. Xiao Shen 小申 rushed out from his room and said: “Don’t tell me they threw Deft in the pool?!” and then headed off to the pool while laughing. I had to go see what the fuss was about. Just as I arrived, I saw Deft in the pool by himself, while everyone else stood outside laughing. Deft was helpless. While shaking his head he climbed out of the pool. Night time in LA is actually kinda chilly. I tried touching the water to check the temperature. I gasped, oh my god its cold! Before I could say: “What in the world are you guys doing?!” I heard Meiko explain to everyone: “One loss, here. Two, here.” while pointing.
Seeing him talking like this, reminds me of Meiko organising ward control during games: There’s a ward in tri-bush, I’ll go clear dragon pit after this wave! After hearing Meiko’s explanation, Deft quickly responded: “Ok ok, go go”. At this, everyone gestured to one another and formed a circle. What are they playing? They’re playing rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses, has to jump in the pool and walk to the point that Meiko decided earlier. Lose a second time? You’ll have to go deeper. Lose a third time? Even deeper! I surveyed the contestants and instantly realised a potential problem. Earlier, where Deft was standing in the pool, the water reached his chest. If Fireloli was to lose, he’ll be completely submerged!! This could potentially be life-threatening. However, he didn’t listen to me and continued to play despite the obvious danger. All I could do was pray for his safety!
Ok. Match start!
[T/N Uhhh… is that PAWN Smiling?!?! and having a beer?]
Round one, there was no clear winner/loser. Again, Deft has to go in the water, but the water barely reaches his knees. Deft really sucks at this game, in a few rounds, he found himself all the way in the deep end.
In the end, he had to receive the final penalty. After the first round finished, Deft had no choice but to take off his shirt, which was completely soaked, exposing his bare chest. Under the night sky, the water reflected the moonlight onto his skin, exposing his curves, as well as his embarrassed and frustrated expression [T/N What am I translating… hope this doesn’t get reported? lol]. Everyone watching was stunned for a second. I quickly handed him a towel and wrapped him up. During all this, only one person was having fun. See the picture:
Ok lets start again. This time around, Deft returned with an Infinity Edge, in a 4-round consecutive sweep, avenged himself and forced all four of the guys into the water.
For safety reasons, Fireloli stayed on the stairs close to the edge of the pool. I wanted him to just stay there, because if he kept going, he would be at the area where the water reached Deft’s knees. However, being competitive-in-nature, he chose to ignore my words and kept going. You can see the results in the image below:
Everyone nearby had a smile on their face.
Unbelievably, in a strange turn-of-events, Pawn found himself all the way in the deep end.
As it got later, the wind also gradually picked up, even as a mere spectator, I was feeling cold. There were many instances where I wanted to tell them to be careful not to catch a cold and to stop. However, seeing their smiling faces, I couldn’t bring myself to stop them. As I stood there pondering, I realised that this was probably our first vacation together. I took another glance at their happy expressions and tried hard to save this precious moment. Hopefully during my career in e-sports, I can enjoy more carefree moments like this. As for the players, I hope that they can realise that besides trusting one another in the game, to also treasure the happy moments outside of the game as teammates.
Although the vacation has only just begun, we’re already counting down the days to go. As for this front-line diary, we’re getting close to the end. For the remaining two days, I will share with you guys some interesting episodes from our holiday to wrap up the series.
The thing I’m most conflicted about today is this photo of Deft. Should I include it or not? The moment of Deft half-naked in the pool captured on camera… Sigh, the struggle…
If you missed Day 7 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35lo39
Day 8: On Holiday
We’ve already arrived in LA. Somehow, it feels like things are always extremely rushed during trips like this. Even as we head off on holiday, we find ourselves fighting to make every second count. Merely 6 hours after our victory, we found ourselves on a plane to Los Angeles.
Turns out LA and Tallahassee has 3 hours time difference. Considering we’ve been struggling with jet lag for the past few days, this only made things more confusing. However, after arriving in LA, everyone was incredibly amazed at the place we were staying.
A beautiful villa with incredibly large rooms and a pool. Let me first issue a warning, these kids plan to throw Meiko into the water.
Not sure what happened, but they plan return at night and have a proper battle.
After dropping off our bags, we all went out to grab some local food, some sunshine, and some afternoon tea.
Next we went nearby for some shopping. This rare opportunity to relax also allowed me to see the players, who are usually very serious, laugh and smile. Pawn bought a watch for his Mom, while Deft got himself a pair of sunglasses. Fireloli went and splurged on 3 pairs of shoes. No one returned empty handed. Fireloli happily told me: “You guys better work hard! I still have to go to Europe at the end of the year!” [T/N lol] Clearlove, who overheard our conversation replied: “It’s not easy for a player to reach Fireloli’s level!” Everyone laughed.
At night we returned to the villa. While I was resting on the couch, I suddenly heard everyone laughing outside at the pool. Xiao Shen 小申 rushed out from his room and said: “Don’t tell me they threw Deft in the pool?!” and then headed off to the pool while laughing. I had to go see what the fuss was about. Just as I arrived, I saw Deft in the pool by himself, while everyone else stood outside laughing. Deft was helpless. While shaking his head he climbed out of the pool. Night time in LA is actually kinda chilly. I tried touching the water to check the temperature. I gasped, oh my god its cold! Before I could say: “What in the world are you guys doing?!” I heard Meiko explain to everyone: “One loss, here. Two, here.” while pointing.
Seeing him talking like this, reminds me of Meiko organising ward control during games: There’s a ward in tri-bush, I’ll go clear dragon pit after this wave! After hearing Meiko’s explanation, Deft quickly responded: “Ok ok, go go”. At this, everyone gestured to one another and formed a circle. What are they playing? They’re playing rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses, has to jump in the pool and walk to the point that Meiko decided earlier. Lose a second time? You’ll have to go deeper. Lose a third time? Even deeper! I surveyed the contestants and instantly realised a potential problem. Earlier, where Deft was standing in the pool, the water reached his chest. If Fireloli was to lose, he’ll be completely submerged!! This could potentially be life-threatening. However, he didn’t listen to me and continued to play despite the obvious danger. All I could do was pray for his safety!
Ok. Match start!
[T/N Uhhh… is that PAWN Smiling?!?! and having a beer?]
Round one, there was no clear winner/loser. Again, Deft has to go in the water, but the water barely reaches his knees. Deft really sucks at this game, in a few rounds, he found himself all the way in the deep end.
In the end, he had to receive the final penalty. After the first round finished, Deft had no choice but to take off his shirt, which was completely soaked, exposing his bare chest. Under the night sky, the water reflected the moonlight onto his skin, exposing his curves, as well as his embarrassed and frustrated expression [T/N What am I translating… hope this doesn’t get reported? lol]. Everyone watching was stunned for a second. I quickly handed him a towel and wrapped him up. During all this, only one person was having fun. See the picture:
Ok lets start again. This time around, Deft returned with an Infinity Edge, in a 4-round consecutive sweep, avenged himself and forced all four of the guys into the water.
For safety reasons, Fireloli stayed on the stairs close to the edge of the pool. I wanted him to just stay there, because if he kept going, he would be at the area where the water reached Deft’s knees. However, being competitive-in-nature, he chose to ignore my words and kept going. You can see the results in the image below:
Everyone nearby had a smile on their face.
Unbelievably, in a strange turn-of-events, Pawn found himself all the way in the deep end.
As it got later, the wind also gradually picked up, even as a mere spectator, I was feeling cold. There were many instances where I wanted to tell them to be careful not to catch a cold and to stop. However, seeing their smiling faces, I couldn’t bring myself to stop them. As I stood there pondering, I realised that this was probably our first vacation together. I took another glance at their happy expressions and tried hard to save this precious moment. Hopefully during my career in e-sports, I can enjoy more carefree moments like this. As for the players, I hope that they can realise that besides trusting one another in the game, to also treasure the happy moments outside of the game as teammates.
Although the vacation has only just begun, we’re already counting down the days to go. As for this front-line diary, we’re getting close to the end. For the remaining two days, I will share with you guys some interesting episodes from our holiday to wrap up the series.
The thing I’m most conflicted about today is this photo of Deft. Should I include it or not? The moment of Deft half-naked in the pool captured on camera… Sigh, the struggle…
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 9)
+ Show Spoiler +
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603842113509932075
If you missed Day 8 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35ps7r
Day 9: Play
Early in the morning, while enjoying the fresh LA air, we set off for the days activities. Like a group of elementary students off on a field trip, we wore our new clothes and happily hopped on the car. I’m not sure if they coordinated beforehand, but everyone chose to dress simple. A plain white T-shirt, dark pants, and white shoes. Clean and simple yet elegant, giving off a refreshing vibe. They looked like a group of good-natured youngsters.
Our destination is LA’s Universal Studios. It’s also the place that everybody’s looking forward to the most. Deft was perhaps the most pleased and excited. On the car, he wouldn’t stop talking about Transformers, The Mummy Returns, etc. It’s a place that he’s been dreaming of visiting for a long time. After we arrived, we first took everyone for a Seafood feast.
The guys on the side are fans who came for photos. After the meal we went straight to the park. Here’s a picture of the sunglasses trio with our rising talent.
Oh lets not forget the prankster.
Even after entering the theme park, there were quite a few fans who recognised us and asked us for photos.
We all agreed that this theme park is super fun!
At the Jurassic Park gift shop, Mr. Kim Hyuk-kyu (Deft) picked up the dinosaur toy and wouldn’t stop biting people with it.
“Pawn, I’m going to bite your head off!” In one afternoon, we managed to try all the rides there. Since I’ve taken them to Shanghai’s Happy Valley (T/N It’s a theme park) before, I’m aware of Koro, Clearlove, etc’s ability to handle these kind of rides. That’s why I asked Meiko: “Are you alright? That scene when King Kong was fighting a T-rex, were you scared?” He replied: “I’m not scared. Pawn… he’s scared… Pawn’s a wuss. He’s scared…” [T/N ...b-bAKA!!!] I didn’t believe him, since I know he’d definitely be afraid, especially of the Mummy… He was definitely scared. I was about to disprove him when someone beat me to it. “Stop acting tough, there’s no way you’re not scared… you think you can fool me? I’ve acted more times than you’ve eaten meals!” Yup, the guy talking is the same person who almost drowned in the pool yesterday (Fireloli).
Indeed, time goes by fast when you’re having fun. In a blink of an eye, it’s already the afternoon. After gathering everyone, we started heading back for the poolside BBQ awaiting us back at the villa. On the way back I asked everyone if they had fun. “Yes we did!”
Back at our base, everyone was incredibly exhausted and went back to their rooms for a nap. After a long time, one of them followed the smell of food and came out: “Wow!!!!”
A feast of lobsters, steak, clams, as well different mushrooms and chicken wings. After the first puppy followed the smell over, all the puppies woke up. It was chaotic, with people fighting over plates, bowls, and chicken wings, people yelling: “The lobster’s mine!”, the whole lot. Amidst the chaos, I secretly hid the seasoning. At last, I managed to trade it for a whole lobster, fresh out the grill, all for myself. Since people just woke up, everyone was a mess, add on the fact that nobody looks elegant while they eat… I won’t be uploading any of those photos (T/N Didn’t stop you yesterday lol). I’ll leave it for you guys to imagine.
Tomorrow we have a unique arrangement that should have special commemorative value. Exactly what is it? You’ll have to find out tomorrow!
PS: With regard to the medals we got at MSI, there isn’t actually an EDG logo on there. The logo is a badge that we made ourselves.
If you missed Day 8 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35ps7r
Day 9: Play
Early in the morning, while enjoying the fresh LA air, we set off for the days activities. Like a group of elementary students off on a field trip, we wore our new clothes and happily hopped on the car. I’m not sure if they coordinated beforehand, but everyone chose to dress simple. A plain white T-shirt, dark pants, and white shoes. Clean and simple yet elegant, giving off a refreshing vibe. They looked like a group of good-natured youngsters.
Our destination is LA’s Universal Studios. It’s also the place that everybody’s looking forward to the most. Deft was perhaps the most pleased and excited. On the car, he wouldn’t stop talking about Transformers, The Mummy Returns, etc. It’s a place that he’s been dreaming of visiting for a long time. After we arrived, we first took everyone for a Seafood feast.
The guys on the side are fans who came for photos. After the meal we went straight to the park. Here’s a picture of the sunglasses trio with our rising talent.
Oh lets not forget the prankster.
Even after entering the theme park, there were quite a few fans who recognised us and asked us for photos.
We all agreed that this theme park is super fun!
At the Jurassic Park gift shop, Mr. Kim Hyuk-kyu (Deft) picked up the dinosaur toy and wouldn’t stop biting people with it.
“Pawn, I’m going to bite your head off!” In one afternoon, we managed to try all the rides there. Since I’ve taken them to Shanghai’s Happy Valley (T/N It’s a theme park) before, I’m aware of Koro, Clearlove, etc’s ability to handle these kind of rides. That’s why I asked Meiko: “Are you alright? That scene when King Kong was fighting a T-rex, were you scared?” He replied: “I’m not scared. Pawn… he’s scared… Pawn’s a wuss. He’s scared…” [T/N ...b-bAKA!!!] I didn’t believe him, since I know he’d definitely be afraid, especially of the Mummy… He was definitely scared. I was about to disprove him when someone beat me to it. “Stop acting tough, there’s no way you’re not scared… you think you can fool me? I’ve acted more times than you’ve eaten meals!” Yup, the guy talking is the same person who almost drowned in the pool yesterday (Fireloli).
Indeed, time goes by fast when you’re having fun. In a blink of an eye, it’s already the afternoon. After gathering everyone, we started heading back for the poolside BBQ awaiting us back at the villa. On the way back I asked everyone if they had fun. “Yes we did!”
Back at our base, everyone was incredibly exhausted and went back to their rooms for a nap. After a long time, one of them followed the smell of food and came out: “Wow!!!!”
A feast of lobsters, steak, clams, as well different mushrooms and chicken wings. After the first puppy followed the smell over, all the puppies woke up. It was chaotic, with people fighting over plates, bowls, and chicken wings, people yelling: “The lobster’s mine!”, the whole lot. Amidst the chaos, I secretly hid the seasoning. At last, I managed to trade it for a whole lobster, fresh out the grill, all for myself. Since people just woke up, everyone was a mess, add on the fact that nobody looks elegant while they eat… I won’t be uploading any of those photos (T/N Didn’t stop you yesterday lol). I’ll leave it for you guys to imagine.
Tomorrow we have a unique arrangement that should have special commemorative value. Exactly what is it? You’ll have to find out tomorrow!
PS: With regard to the medals we got at MSI, there isn’t actually an EDG logo on there. The logo is a badge that we made ourselves.
EDG: MSI Blog (Day 10) *END*
Original Post: http://weibo.com/p/1001603843112073100543
If you missed Day 9 you can find it here: http://redd.it/35u3zz
Day 10: Vacation
Today is our last day in LA and our schedule is packed. We were invited by Riot to visit their headquarters in the morning. After a long walk, we finally arrived at our destination. We were greeted by the executives of Riot China. Although we often saw each other during tournaments, It was strange seeing them in a casual setting.
The entire working environment here is fantastic. We were given a tour of the publicly accessible areas and managed to take many photos. Here I noticed a very different organisational culture that was relaxed and flexible. Besides seeing the beautiful offices and staff recreational rooms, I also witnessed the effort and dedication of the employees. To paraphrase MJ: Although we don’t have fixed working hours, everyone completes their jobs. Attached are some beautiful pictures for everyone to take a look at. They are the entrance hall, the Bilgewater Brew, and the cafeteria respectively.
At the employee resting areas, there is a small internet cafe and other entertainment facilities. Riot carefully selected 5 diamond employees, who were already there waiting for us, to play a friendly game against the team.
Somehow, the result of this game was Clearlove destroying everyone at ping-pong… This I never expected.
Finally, we took a group photo at the iconic Annie and Tibbers statue.
If Universal Studios was considered fun, then LA’s Santa Monica beach cannot be described with words. The sunshine, the ocean, the beach, and the bikini babes. Everyone had a blast! Even before we set foot on the beach, everyone was already burning with excitement.
[T/N Rock paper scissors again?!]
Since I was afraid of an accident, I prohibited the players from swimming in the ocean. “Ok ok! We’ll just take a walk along the beach, maybe touch the water at most.” What a bunch of lies! As I went to go buy some water, I turned around to see the group following Deft’s lead and pretending not to understanding my Chinese orders. The players began rushing into the ocean, completely ignoring the fact that their clothes were soaked. Although I wanted to go tell them to stop, it was too late. The result of this is everyone going wild playing in the water. Their usually calm and serious selves were finally able to relax.
After I returned to the beach, the situation was already out of control. “Come help! Let’s bury the two Koreans!”
As everyone gathered together, “First bury the Buddha!” Thus, Pawn was buried in the sand. Seeing everyones smiles in the photos, these are their true unique personalities. After a long time, everyone was exhausted. The players changed into their colourful new clothes and decided to go try the ferris wheel and pirate ship rides. Hold on, how come I still have this photo here?
I remember, this kid said he wanted to take a picture with his sand castle. But where is his castle?….
The ferris wheel was something we decided on in the last minute. Just showing the beautiful pictures should be enough.
Like this, our entire MSI trip is complete. As I upload this last entry, we have already completed the 14 hour flight home to Shanghai. Without much time for rest and adaptation, we have to immediately begin our preparations for the LPL Summer Split. The significance of winning MSI, perhaps is more than merely proving that EDG’s philosophy and direction has been correct all along, it also brings confidence to Chinese League of Legends. As a Chinese club, we were able to compete with top teams around the world for the championship, no longer forever destined to finish second. Many people ask me: What is EDG? In my opinion, EDG is a place where dreams can become reality. It’s a team that can show young people that anything is possible through hard work. Even though people doubt you, even though the path is filled with thorns, dreams can become reality as long as you put your heart into it.
Season 5 Worlds? We are one step closer.