Although no longer reigning at the top of League of Legends in China, the clash between Royal Never Give Up and Invictus Gaming is still regarded as one of the classic matchups in the world of League of Legends, based on the great achievements and rich traditions of both teams.
In their most recent match, RNG and IG once again delivered a breathtaking confrontation at the highest level. Despite gaining an advantage in Game 1, RNG without Uzi ultimately fell to an IG boasting the “super monster” named TheShy.
The most notable point of this match was the situation where IG’s Top Lane player confidently chose Vayne for the Top Lane when Kalista was banned. The trend of using ADCs in solo lanes is becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to counter fighter champions.
However, using squishy champions is truly risky if the player is not at a high level. TheShy’s Vayne dominated LangX’s Mordekaiser, shredding RNG’s formation to restore balance for IG. And what’s even scarier is that this peak performance was executed when TheShy hadn’t practiced Vayne for a single minute in Ranked Solo.
In a post-match interview, IG players surprised everyone by sharing that TheShy’s choice of Top Lane Vayne was entirely a spontaneous decision. During the ban/pick phase of Game 2, when Kalista was banned, IG’s Top Lane player asked his teammates: “What about Vayne in the top lane, is that okay?”
In response, the other members replied that they completely trusted his decision, and if TheShy felt good about it, he should bring Vayne to the Top Lane, and the team would build a strategy around the two carries Varus and Vayne. As a result, TheShy did not disappoint his teammates, helping IG execute the 2 ADC strategy perfectly.
The gaming community further questioned whether Vayne was TheShy’s “secret weapon” kept hidden in case the Top Lane Kalista was banned too often? However, the reality is that this guy recently hasn’t even practiced on the Summoner’s Rift map but has only played ARAM.
And in this mode, leading up to the match against RNG, TheShy had only used Vayne exactly 3 times. This shows the difference in caliber of a top-tier League of Legends superstar. Previously, we had seen Doinb “test” Malphite right at the World Championship in a match against GAM Esports. And now, TheShy has also shown great confidence when using a champion he rarely chooses, right in such a crucial moment as Game 2 against RNG.
