Chapter 57: Quarterfinals (Part 4) — The Next Wave is the Decisive Fight
[Haha, the officials have been hyping up VEX like crazy, and their fans keep calling them the ‘number one dark horse’ of the Spring Split. Is this it?!]
[BLUE is still a beast. Storm is a mid-laner from the ancient era, and yet he’s still carrying after all these years. Could we really see BLUE and ZAP fighting for the championship this Spring Split?]
[Sigh, I don’t even care if VEX wins, just don’t let it be a clean sweep. Jia-you, VEX! Even if you lose, bite a point off BLUE, okay?]
[Looking at the first game, the gap between VEX and BLUE is just too big. The main thing is that VEX’s macro play was analyzed by so many commentators and bloggers recently; other teams have already learned it.]
[I choose to believe in Coach Zuo’s ability to adjust the team and in our five VEX cubs. Crying emoji]
[Did no one see VEX’s official Weibo post about the lawsuit between Wu Yang and his parents? I bet VEX knew they couldn’t beat BLUE today, so they released it early to gain sympathy and avoid getting flamed after the match. After all, the higher you hype a dark horse, the harder the backlash when they lose.]
[???]
[One thing has nothing to do with the other. If they lose, you can call them trash, but don’t use a player’s family trauma for your conspiracy theories. You’re a clown.]
Second Game.
“Everyone, keep a close eye on Wu Yang’s position this game. When the timing is right, you can trade resources to initiate and dive them.”
“No problem, Coach Zuo. Wherever Wu Yang dives, I follow.” Fugui hummed a tune in his headset for a while. “I have a feeling today is going to be a tough battle.”
“Coach Zuo, give me a tanky support with vision-checking capabilities. That way, Wu Yang and Fugui will have more room to maneuver; otherwise, they’ll have to check vision themselves.”
“OK—Beyond, it’s another game of suffering for you. Just focus on surviving.”
Beyond nodded repeatedly. “I’m fine. Everyone, go ahead and fly. I’ll look for openings to survive and sneak in some damage during team fights.”
“Land, I won’t say much about the early-game rhythm. Just trust your instincts.”
“Mm.”
“VEX—”
“Jia-you!!!”
Less than six minutes into the match, the two teams had already fought three skirmishes, resulting in 12 kills—all of which were initiated by VEX.
At this stage of the playoffs, it was rare to see a chaotic brawl with so many kills.
Not only was the bullet chat filled with question marks, but even the commentators’ voices were laced with astonishment.
“This… 12 kills in less than six minutes. They’re fighting from the top lane to the jungle to the mid-lane. Is VEX planning to use ‘chaotic fists to kill the old master’? (T/N: Beat an expert through sheer unpredictability).”
“Although these team fights look messy, VEX has actually secured a two-kill lead. Sea is really daring with his initiations! Just now, BLUE’s jungler was just trying to soak a wave in the mid-lane and was only half a step out of position, and Wu Yang went in with a Q-Flash.”
“Before becoming a pro, Sea was a streamer. His stats this Spring Split are quite interesting: his death rate is on the higher side, but his successful initiation count ranks first among all mid-laners.”
“Indeed. You could say half of Sea’s deaths are because he’s initiating or helping the team secure key objectives. He really is a walking, hot-tempered initiation machine.”
The second Small Dragon spawned. The gold gap between the two teams was negligible, and neither wanted to give up this dragon easily. Both sides held half the vision in the river and the bottom lane area.
BLUE’s dual carries were currently invisible on the map.
“Both sides are being cautious. VEX didn’t recklessly initiate this time. I wonder which team will start the dragon first to force the other out for a fight.”
“BLUE’s dual carries are hiding in the blue-side jungle brush. This position is relatively safe; they can wait for the fight to start before looking for a chance to deal damage.”
“Wall seems to want to find the position of BLUE’s carries first, but if he pushes for vision too aggressively, he’ll get poked down.”
“Wait—look! Wall changed his support item! He swapped the shield-granting item for a team-wide speed boost!”
“With the speed boost active, the entire VEX team is charging! They’re diving into the blue-side jungle—BLUE didn’t seem to react in time! Are they going to fight? Are they going to fight?! BLUE’s carries have come out of the brush! Wu Yang with the Ult-Flash! He predicted Storm’s Flash landing spot! He melted him!!!”
“VEX’s players are quickly following up with damage! BLUE is in chaos! Wu Yang is at half health but isn’t leaving; he’s staying in to stick to the marksman! A 1-for-1 trade! But VEX still has Beyond in the backline dealing damage. With BLUE’s carries down, they have no way to handle the aftermath of this team fight!!!”
“A 1-for-4 trade! There’s a minion wave in the mid-lane! BLUE’s fastest respawn is in 35 seconds—VEX can push straight to the crystal with this wave!!!”
“They took it! Congratulations to VEX! They tie the score at 1-1!!!”
[Who was saying VEX was getting clean-swept? Come out and face me!]
[Holy sh*t, I haven’t seen a pro match with this many kills in a long time! Both sides played out of their minds!]
[I really want to know how VEX knew they should charge into BLUE’s blue-side jungle for that last dragon fight. They didn’t have map hacks, did they?]
[This is an official match; the computers are provided by the organizers and there are two referees behind the players at all times. How would they hack?]
[I never noticed VEX’s mid-laner before, but after this game, the ID ‘Sea’ is burned into my brain. He’s too daring. Not only did he melt Storm, but he stuck to the marksman at half health… and he even swapped for a Thornmail at low health to burst the marksman down… I bet 99% of mid-laners in the league would have retreated to let their team take over, but he plays like his life depends on the team fight.]
[This is bad. Are they really going to let VEX into the Top 4… Look at VEX’s roster—only Wall has past results, and he sat on the sub bench for a year. The other four plus the coach were nobodies before the Spring Split. How can they make the Top 4?]
[Since when is esports about seniority? Having the same few teams fight for the title every season is boring. I’d rather see new blood lighting a prairie fire.]
At 11:30 PM, the Nancheng Esports Center was still brilliantly lit. The cheers from the audience hadn’t weakened since the start; instead, they grew even more fervent.
On the big screen, the 2-2 scoreline beside the team logos was particularly eye-catching.
The mid-match break had just ended, and the players were walking from the backstage to the arena once more.
Most of the audience’s voices were already hoarse, and the players’ conditions weren’t much better.
Four games averaging thirty minutes each required high-intensity focus and mechanical precision.
Even with the breaks, the camera shots showed the visible fatigue on the faces of both teams’ players.
The cubs were talking less because their voices were raspy.
“We’re running the roaming-style strategy this game. We’ll play a 1-3-1. We’ve practiced this a lot lately. As long as you play at your usual level… I believe in you.”
The cubs saved the strength in their voices and simply nodded.
“Also, even though it’s the deciding match, there’s no need to be nervous. While you were resting, President Zhang called me. He said that regardless of whether we win or lose today, we aren’t changing the roster for the Summer Split… We’ll still have the chance to chase higher glory together in the summer, so don’t carry any psychological burden. Just let loose.”
“I’ll be watching you from the coaching bench.”
When the BP draft was revealed, the entire crowd erupted.
[I knew Coach Zuo would have something new. Three heroes with global teleportation skills—are they playing for early-game support?]
[I’ve honestly never seen this composition in the league. If they win… Coach Zuo deserves at least half the MVP.]
[Don’t start praising them yet. This comp is very weak in late-game team fights. Three heroes have teleportation ultimates, which means they lack a lot of damage and crowd control. Plus, in this comp, only the mid-laner has CC to lock people down.]
[Let’s see how they play. As long as BLUE groups up early, VEX’s roaming comp will have a hard time getting kill leads. Just because a comp is weird doesn’t mean it’s a stroke of genius; it could also be a total disaster.]
Roaming comps are weak in late-game team fights?
From the moment this composition was drafted, it was never intended for team fighting.
During the laning phase, BLUE was wary of VEX’s three teleportation threats and didn’t dare play too aggressively, staying under their towers to clear waves.
The entire river area basically became VEX’s backyard. They wandered wherever they pleased, and BLUE’s jungle timers were tracked perfectly.
When BLUE’s Blue Buff spawned for the third time, Land and Beyond entered the enemy jungle. The enemy jungler hovered in his own jungle for a while, unwilling to retreat but also afraid to contest—
If he retreated, he’d be handing over the Blue Buff too easily.
If he contested—even though VEX’s other members were in their lanes, the moment a fight started, the top, mid, and support would instantly teleport in. It would become a 5v1 beatdown.
While he was hesitating, Land had already secured the Blue Buff and left with Beyond.
When the jungle refreshed again, BLUE had learned their lesson and brought all five members to guard it.
Land took one look and left without hesitation. While BLUE was occupied, VEX’s other members pushed towers and cut off minion waves, costing BLUE two side-lane towers for nothing.
As the game reached the mid-to-late stage, BLUE’s five members grouped up in the mid-lane, ready for a fight.
VEX only assigned the marksman, jungler, and support to clear waves in the mid-lane.
The mid-laner and solo-laner were split-pushing the two side lanes.
BLUE couldn’t push mid. If they stalled there, their side lanes would be pushed to the high ground. If they tried to force a dive, they risked being countered by the teleporting teammates.
If they sent people to clear the side lanes, they would be outnumbered in the mid-lane. Once VEX’s mid and solo teleported in, it would instantly become a 3v5 disadvantage for BLUE.
If they grouped as five to clear side lanes, their efficiency was even lower, and their wave priority would always be at a deficit.
Commentator A: “VEX’s roaming strategy is an open scheme! Even though VEX was constantly initiating and fighting in the first two games, they haven’t secured a single kill this round. Through macro play alone, they’ve almost taken all of BLUE’s towers! They have a 2,000 gold lead!”
“A 1-3-1 formation with two rapid-response heroes split-pushing while the rest hold mid. BLUE is having a hard time even handling the side-lane waves now.”
Commentator B: “BLUE has to make a choice. They either force a team fight or keep stalling, but if they keep getting out-macroed like this, VEX’s economic lead is only going to grow.”
“Coach Zuo, at this rate… it looks like we can win?” Manager Li stared unblinkingly at the screen, his tone brimming with excitement.
“BLUE is waiting for their carries to finish their items. At the next Small Dragon, they’ll definitely give up the side-lane waves to force a dragon fight with us.” Zuo Chi’s expression didn’t relax despite the growing gold lead. “That fight will be the deciding one… Whether we can win depends on the timing of Wu Yang’s teleport and whether he can CC BLUE’s key carries.”
Translator’s Note: “Chaotic fists killing the old master” is such a great way to describe VEX’s aggressive style! Wall’s speed boost was a game-changer. It’s nerve-wracking to see BLUE grouping up, but Zuo Chi’s 1-3-1 strategy is pure brilliance.
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