Switching from a support role to a first-floor hero can backfire, as Zhuang Zhou's crowd control immunity strategy becomes apparent. (Part Three)

Why can't the first floor accommodate Cai Wenji? Before helping to steal her, ask yourself a few questions: First, what is her core function? Who is her standard target? To some extent, this support relies on teammates to climb the ranks, providing close-range healing. Taking her first would reveal the marksman's options, making it impossible for them to escape. They'll inevitably be paired with heroes like Hou Yi, Lu Ban No. 7, and Di Renjie, otherwise they can't keep up. It's impossible to pair her with a Marco Polo or Gongsun Li with nine dashes, dodging left and right, and how can she benefit from that?

Dealing with this Cai Wenji-like duo is quite simple: a crowd control lineup can easily handle it, killing both of them together. Su Lie and Lian Po can also be used to pound the ground, or even any Zhang Fei with a Crimson Cloak can effectively counter this healing system. Compared to Zhang Liang and Zhuang Zhou, picking Cai Wenji first is not inherently wrong, as the risk is not high and the weaknesses are not obvious. Therefore, it is acceptable in ranked matches. However, in peak matches and high-level games, this type of support simply disappears and is ignored.

Ming Shiyin: Mentality

The core issue with picking Ming Shi Yin on the first floor is no longer whether it will lower the team's overall combat power or expose strategic deployment. Because the hero himself is too weak, picking him completely affects mentality. It doesn't matter in team play, but in communication with friends, solo queue, or high-level matches, encountering him will make you want to throw your phone. Just looking at the mechanics, he is already several streets behind. The "connection" is not as good as Cai Wenji's healing or Yao's possession. His function is to connect the second line to increase attack power and the second line to connect to the enemy to reduce defense. He has no hard crowd control, and his body is inferior to hard supports. The situation is probably to hide behind the marksman to ensure that the connection is not broken and to give some inconspicuous numerical bonuses.

The ultimate skill has a healing function, which is implanted through a tether and has a delayed casting animation. By the time the health is finally transferred to the target, the nearby teammates have probably already died. The skill is used up and health is deducted, not only failing to save the others but also causing the user to lose most of their own health. The next target for the teammates to kill is this helpless support.

He plays with an early-game advantage, but in the current version, this kind of performance won't last long. If he pulls out his hero, it's basically a message to his teammates that the game is doomed and his skill level has dropped by half.

Image source: Internet