A year ago, Ming was just an aspiring pro watching the World Championship from his home. Uzi’s partner-in-crime at the time was the former Worlds MVP, Mata. Uzi and Mata were hyped as one of the best pairings of all time, but they were ultimately bogged down by their language barrier. They improved as the year wore on, but the insane twitch-reflex plays that League of Legends often requires made it difficult for them to ever truly sync. The experiment ended after just one year, which paved the way for Ming to step into the position referred to as “the dog’s wife.”

“I’m a good support, but I’m definitely not a world class support,” said Ming. He smiles frequently and talks in an animated fashion – always leaning into you to give his response. RNG is a few days away from taking on three-time World Champion SK telecom T1. He’s not nervous yet, but said he imagined it would hit him as soon as he took the stage. Taking on SKT in a Best of 5 has, thus far, been the end of the line for every other team in history.

Ming continued, “Some of my friends say, ‘Wow, you’re at Worlds right now so you must be world class,’ but I’m just a rookie, so I have a lot to improve upon.”

Ming credits Uzi with having taught him much of what he knows now, and he has continued to learn as Worlds has unfolded. That humble attitude has already earned him the adoration of many fans in China, but to fans elsewhere in the world, I imagine he isn’t seen as much more than Uzi’s support. That could change with a demonstrative performance against SKT. Especially in this “support meta.”

It’s also a meta in which the support needs to stay alive to serve as a life line or battery of sorts for their carry. But Ming still thinks the more valuable life is Uzi. “I hope people can remember me as someone who is really good at protecting Uzi,” he said. “Someone who would put my life on the line for him – if we were to get ganked, I would rather die and let Uzi live.”

It’s a level of trust you’d like to imagine every single bot lane has, but there are plenty of support players who don’t think highly of their counterpart. Or vice versa. And sacrificing himself is a distinction Ming reserves solely for Uzi. Ming said, “It’s definitely specific to Uzi because I respect him so much. He’s taught me many things, so I definitely don’t want to see him die in game. I also think Uzi can carry the game, so I want him to farm and grow to eventually carry us.”

Support is one of the most difficult positions to gauge as a spectator. Unless you pop off on a flashy champion like Bard or Thresh, a lot of what supports contribute to the team is missed. Things like ward control or properly rotating your abilities just fade to the background if you aren’t specifically watching for it. Right now, proper positioning is the most important aspect for a support player. And Ming excelled at staying alive, especially in the Group Stage.

Whether he’s able to keep up with shifts in the meta is to be seen – in the SKT vs. MSF series, a wide array of engage champions were thrown into the loop. Last year, we saw a meta-defining champion in Miss Fortune debut as a support pick in the Semifinals. So it’s hard to predict what will or won’t stick. Ming just believes he’s already learned a lot this year, and with patience he can be even better.

And though he’s a rookie, he’s still seen big stages twice thanks to RNG advancing to the Finals of the 2017 LPL Spring Split and the Summer Split this year. After they lost the Spring Final, Ming said, “When we left, I saw a lot of fans waiting outside even though it was really late. They waited because they wanted to say they supported me and to not give up. I’m really grateful to have fans like that.”

The Chinese crowd has been nothing short of thunderous for their home teams. What’s not seen on camera is exactly those things – the hordes of fans lined up just outside the security fences to catch a glimpse of their team leaving the arena and shout their support. Bright LED signs always light the way for the LPL teams.

The importance of this upcoming match against SKT isn’t lost on Ming. He’s watched SKT hoist the Summoner’s Cup enough to know just how special they are. But he hasn’t had to stand face-to-face against them just yet. And with Uzi in front of him, he may not need to at all. There are few players in the world who can stand up to Faker — Uzi may be one such player. Ming’s support may be the last push Uzi needs to finally slay the Unkillable Demon King.

It’s not so dramatic in reality, though. To Ming, being a pro isn’t anything special. “There’s no difference from before I was a pro and now,” he said. “Before I thought all pro players were just stuck in one room—always practicing. And once I became a pro player, I found out it was true.” He laughed off the high expectations that come with being a pro. Expectations are not a thing he has any control over.

And if he could go back in time to last year — to properly establish expectations for himself — nothing would change. The only advice he’d give himself is simple, and it’s the same advice he wants to give you now if you’re on the fence about who to root for on Saturday: “It was the right choice to join RNG.”