The brightest star of the KPL Summer Split: Zhao Yun was played to Tier 0 status by professional players, with stats far exceeding those of casual players. (Part Two)

Professional players know that the disruptor is the jungler. With an economic lead, they can gank from all sides, initiate team fights, and successfully ambush, reaping unimaginable benefits—definitely more than a marksman. It's about the whole team developing and snowballing their advantage. A flash of inspiration, and then they switch targets to the jungler. You'll find the game much smoother because the biggest threat is being held hostage, unable to focus on anything, their jungle is being invaded, and they're losing gold and levels, making them even more vulnerable than the backline.

Playing jungle carry is a gamble

The logic isn't hard to understand. The jungler is the one who consumes the most resources. In other words, the advantage of five people is concentrated on one person. If this core player is crippled, will the remaining members still have room to perform? The whole team will feel frustrated, towers will fall, and they'll be huddled in their high ground, fighting for minion waves. This shows that Zhao Yun is inherently immune to damage. His semi-tank and damage reduction abilities allow him to avoid many unnecessary troubles from the start. With fewer worries, he's more fun to play, right?

Tankiness provides a margin for error, and the jungler's function still revolves around killing the backline. Similarly, this is the thinking in casual games. Returning to KPL esports, it's all about psychological tactics, mental wear and tear, and strategic maneuvering. Functionally, Zhao Yun is impeccable, with control, damage, and damage mitigation, but he can't take on five opponents at once. If surrounded, he'll still die quickly. From another perspective, tank items enhance his ability to stand and fight, putting more pressure on the backline because they know you can't kill them.

Start with tank items and focus on stable development.

Why such vastly different stats for the same hero? Is it due to skill level? Netizens checked Zhao Yun's match history and found that professional players unanimously bought the Dragon's Fury Sword and Shield, while in casual games, the Shadow Axe was a less important, albeit unspoken, choice. The goal was to stack tankiness and prevent penetration from slowing down development. The passive effect of this item was already suitable for transitioning, and after that, Frost Impact would be a sure thing! Tenacity and extra shield effects are not attributes that casual players pursue; most prefer to engage and pick off enemies.

Upon arriving here, a second question will inevitably arise in our minds: can we follow this model? The answer is yes. Starting with the Dragon's Fury Sword and Shield prioritizes survival and stable development, at the cost of insufficient damage. In the mid-game, you continue to build tanky, while your teammates are still foolishly hoping you'll dive the backline. Therefore, it's recommended to upgrade the Shadow Axe as the third item. As for Frost Impact, you can replace it with Unholy Grail.

Image source: Internet