debut
A week before the season opener, the official website released a promotional video.
The camera rapidly shifts between scenes: from VLG's championship victory last year, including Chen Yuchuan's 1v2 play in the jungle and the moment he raised the trophy high; to the official photos of ASG's new roster flashing by, finally focusing on Shen He. Black team uniform, cool and aloof expression, with only one caption:
[Genius ADC · Styx]
In just twenty seconds, the topic had already filled the trending searches.
The comment section quickly split:
"This is River's season, but VLG will still be the champion."
"VLG vs. ASG, it's a massacre as soon as the gates open."
"Cold, precise, and sharp—it sounds nice, but the ladder and the arena are completely different things."
Some people also held expectations:
"Finally, we're going to see Styx's professional debut."
"Their temperaments are completely different, one sharp and the other aloof. Putting them together on stage creates a perfect sense of rivalry."
"We've already won in terms of looks; we'll see about the rest later."
The video bloggers were even faster, piecing together the two people's official photos and posting them online:
One in black, one in red—two completely different vibes, yet the caption is just two words: [Nemesis]
Comments flooded the screen instantly:
"I'm actually starting to feel a bit hooked."
"They already have chemistry before the match. If they spark on the field, wouldn't I be crazy to ship them?"
The trending topics never faded, and the discussion remained high. Even on the day of the match, when ASG's match bus slowly pulled into the stadium plaza, fans and media from both teams had been waiting for a long time. The promotional video was still playing on the big screen. Chen Yuchuan's face looked somewhat unfamiliar in the lighting. Shen He didn't look at him much, only following the team into the locker room to adjust their mindset.
Fifteen minutes before the start of the game, the host took the stage. Shen He sat idly in the locker room waiting to go on stage. After listening to nearly eight minutes of opening remarks and a review of last season, he finally heard the staff's order to assemble; it was time to go on stage.
【ASG vs VLG】
The subtitles slowly unfolded on the big screen, then the lights gradually dimmed, and the theme of the match appeared.
"The show is about to begin."
The stadium lights slowly dimmed, and spotlights focused on the center of the stage. The audience was silent for a moment, then erupted into a wave of cheers.
The ASG players entered one by one, their black jerseys casting cold lines in the light and shadow. Shen He was the fourth, his headphones hanging around his neck, his palms slightly sweaty. His ID, [ASG.Styx], was displayed on the screen in real time; this was the first time he had stood before a crowd as a professional player.
A girl in the front row couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "It really looks like that..."
A friend chimed in, "He doesn't look like an esports player, he looks more like a model."
The sound was quickly drowned out by screams, but it still reached our ears clearly. Shen He remained calm, only raising his hand to adjust his collar.
SAG assembled, and VLG's entrance music began.
This is the team that lifted the championship trophy last year, dressed in red with a simple, sharp logo. The cheers from the audience rose again.
Leading the procession was River, Chen Yuchuan, the unprecedented three-time champion of the Rift.
He stood tall and straight, with sharp features and a cold, almost aggressive expression under the lights. He usually stared straight ahead with a disdainful look, but this time he casually glanced over the opposing seats. In that instant, eyes met in mid-air at both ends of the stage.
Shen He's fingers lightly tapped the edge of his earphones. In a brief moment of memory, he seemed to see the boy by the iron fence of the playground again, his eyes sharp and his smile slightly defiant. But the past and the present were too far apart, and he quickly looked away.
The large screen then displayed the couple's official photos.
One black, one red; one cold, one fierce.
The chat was instantly flooded with "Styx vs River". The commentator then said, "Jungle control vs. lane dominance, this is the most noteworthy clash tonight."
The audience's reaction was more direct.
Chen Yuchuan is the most well-known star jungler on the field: he has a tough playstyle, dazzling statistics, and outstanding appearance. Eighty percent of the audience came for him, and the screams included both female fans cheering and male fans shouting.
But boos and whispers also coexisted – “Too much of a toxic jungler,” “Too self-centered,” “Relying entirely on teammates to cover for him.”
Support and dislike were intertwined, yet no one could ignore him.
The contestants took their seats one by one, adjusted their equipment, and the camera panned across the ten contestants on the stage.
Chenhe plugged in the included keyboard and checked the game settings one by one. His movements were smooth and crisp, without any unnecessary pauses.
On the other side, Chen Yuchuan leaned back in his chair, turning the mouse with one hand, looking calm and provocative.
Three minutes left in the countdown.
The commentator's voice resounded throughout the stadium: "The regular season has been completely upgraded this season. This season will adopt a BO3 format, best of three games. The outcome of each game will directly affect the ranking points."
Another commentator added, "Tonight is the opening match, with ASG hosting the defending champions VLG. The prodigy ADC Styx versus the champion jungler River—the sparks are already flying."
The camera on the big screen switched back to the bottom lane and jungle, then cut to the faces of the two players.
The coldness and intensity are magnified infinitely in the image.
The first draft phase begins.
VLG decisively banned [Wind String Hunter] first. The audience was in an uproar, and the commentator said with a smile: "As expected, VLG will not give Styx a chance with his signature hero."
Then they added [Star Chaser] and [Sky Piercer], both of whom are marksmen with strong lane dominance in the current version. The bottom lane pool was narrowed even further.
ASG's response was equally direct.
They banned Chen Yuchuan's most representative heroes, Shadowfang and Blood Hunter, and added the strong invader jungler Ironhorn Beast, in an attempt to curb his most aggressive playstyle.
Both sides' trump cards were gradually wiped out in the countdown.
The screen was flooded with comments:
"Is this the kind of head-to-head confrontation they're having in their very first encounter?"
"The jungle and bot lane have been shut down; the key is who can adapt to the new version first."
"The rivalry is palpable, the first game is sure to be explosive."
Entering the Pick phase.
ASG, having the first pick, entrusted the strongest tempo mage of the current patch, [Star Apostle], to mid-laner Li Anze, clearly indicating a preference for a mid-jungle synergy. Their second pick was [Steel Warrior] for top lane, aiming to stabilize the frontline.
VLG's coaching staff made a more aggressive choice.
Instead of letting Chen Yuchuan pick the strong jungler of the current meta first, they had the bottom lane pick the remaining strong combination on the table, [Black Mist Hound] and [Soul Chains Songstress], which gave them maximum lane dominance.
When it was time to sink the river, almost all the strong heroes in the bottom lane were taken.
Without hesitation, he chose [Ember Gunner]. This is a late-game carry with extremely long range and stable damage output. It's not his sharpest weapon, but it's the most suitable piece of the puzzle right now. The advantage of a deep hero pool is that he can seamlessly switch styles, even with more conservative lineups.
Chen Yuchuan did the same, calmly locking in [Shadow Stalker] as the last pick. With high mobility and strong burst damage, he excels at early-game invasions and ganking around the bottom lane. Although his stats were nerfed in the last version, leading to a lower pick rate in the league, he still performs strongly in ranked games, with an astonishing 1v1 ability.
Commentator's comment: "The lineups are clear at a glance. VLG aims to accelerate their jungler's invasions by aggressively pushing the bot lane, while ASG hopes to give their ADC enough time to develop through mid-jungle synergy, focusing on late-game team fights. Styx, making his debut, will be facing the most aggressive bot lane duo in the entire region."
On the big screen, the lineups for both sides were displayed.
The clamor from the audience reached its peak as the loading screen for the first game slowly lit up.
At the start, the bottom lane minions converged, and [Black Mist Hound] and [Soul Chains] pushed forward. Shenhe didn't rush to trade damage, but instead steadily controlled the wave. Although his health was significantly depleted, he didn't lose a single last hit. The commentator remarked, "He's using the most stable approach, keeping the minion wave in a safe position."
Four minutes later, Chen Yuchuan finished clearing the top half of the jungle and should have taken the opportunity to invade Zhou Yifan's jungle. However, when he reached the river entrance, his mouse cursor veered off course, heading straight for the bottom lane.
The commentator was taken aback: "Shouldn't they have gone down in that wave?"
Screams erupted from the audience.
Chen Yuchuan flashed through the wall and entered, the songstress's shackles accurately hitting ASG's support. Almost simultaneously, the gunner made a perfect maneuver to create distance, firing his cannon, which struck the hound with sparks. Gao Mingyuan flashed to provide a shield, managing to protect Shenhe. Trading low health for low health, Shenhe calmly raised his hand and fired another shot, turning the tables and killing the enemy ADC.
First Blood!
The entire audience erupted in cheers.
The commentator exclaimed, "River's rhythm is off! This was supposed to be an invasion of the jungle, but he forced a dive down the bot lane instead, and Styx got the first blood!"
The camera cuts to the players' seats.
Shen He remained calm, as if everything was under his control.
Chen Yuchuan frowned, but his face showed no panic; instead, it held an indescribable focus.
The situation became delicate in the next few minutes.
Chen Yuchuan passed by the bottom lane again and again, even taking his own mid laner with him. This frequent harassment might not result in a kill, but it could always interrupt Shenhe's recall, or pull the minion wave to make it difficult for Shenhe to last hit, and even force him to use his summoner spells that had just cooled down. As a result, the support also fell far behind in level and equipment. Shenhe remained calm on the surface, but in his heart he was getting impatient and cursed: "Crazy."
"This is putting pressure on the enemy ADC," the commentator analyzed. "But the problem is, he almost gave up the jungle invasion rhythm he should have been in."
The partner added: "On the surface, they have an economic lead, but in reality, ASG is making resource trades. With gaps opened in the top lane and jungle, River's repeated attempts to gank the bottom lane have actually led them into a time trap."
"After all, it is common knowledge that in the mid to late game, an assassin jungler with three items is far less effective than a warrior jungler with two items."
The barrage of comments was incessant:
"What the hell is this 'fly and mosquito' jungle strategy? It's just disgusting. ADC players feel like they're about to die just watching it."
"You've been wasting too much time during the offseason, look like your brain's been emptied out."
"Is Chen Yuchuan playing a game or marking someone?"
"The operation is fine, but the thinking is completely distorted."
"It should have been an unstoppable rhythm in the jungle, but instead it kept circling around Styx. What's up, River, are you also a fan of Styx? Did you come to the bot lane for a meet-and-greet?"
The outcome is obvious.
In the mid-game, ASG's mid and jungle players were playing increasingly well, frequently roaming to the bottom lane to support Shenhe's development. By the 25-minute mark, Shenhe had acquired his key items, while the opponent's severely underdeveloped top lane could no longer withstand the high damage, and the late-game carry began to take over team fights. VLG's strong bottom lane gradually lost its edge, and a mistake led to the destruction of their crystal.
Commentator's summary: "River failed to capitalize on the invasion advantage of [Shattered Shadow], and their pace was slowed down. ASG dragged the game into the late game and completed the comeback. In the first game, Styx's composure was superior to River's hot streak."
The screams and discussions in the audience were a clear indication of a tactical mistake that even an average player could understand.
As he took off his headphones, the still-running discussions from the audience filled his ears. Shen He got up and followed the team back to the lounge, his expression unchanged and his breathing steady.
He didn't turn around, but he could feel a gaze fixed on him from behind, sharper than any indication of victory or defeat.
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