Chapter 297: A 8/10 Player
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the E-sports club of Fudan University, Lin Siyong lit his cigarette and stared at the computer screen blankly.
“Captain, I don’t even know how we lost that badly,” said Huang Lin bitterly.
Nineteen minutes and fifty-three seconds!
That wasn’t how long it took Fudan University to lose the Baron to Team Skycrown, nor was it the duration in which Team Skycrown took down the high ground turret. Nineteen minutes and fifty-three seconds was exactly how long it took for Fudan’s Nexus to be demolished.
The fact that the ga had ended seven seconds before the surrender option beca available was scary. The players from Fudan University were at a loss for words after the ga ended so quickly. They couldn’t believe that they had just been so utterly defeated.
‘Is this really the Team Skycrown that we know and have played with before?’
Though Fudan University still recorded more losses than victories in the last few gas they played against Team Skycrown, those gas at least lasted about thirty to forty minutes.
‘What happened to them in just a few days?’
Lin Siyong broke the silence. “Any comnts?”
“We are unable to cope with their pace. Their push was insanely quick.”
“I agree. Right after my first gank at the top, I could tell that our Jungle was constantly surrounded with wards. From that point onwards, they always knew what I was up to.”
“F*ck! Why do I feel that their strategy was fiercer than ours?”
“Ours? We didn’t even last long enough to execute our tactics.”
Once all the afternoon gas were over, the Fudan University team mbers remained in shock after experiencing a string of one-sided defeats.
Just a few days ago, they could still fight Team Skycrown on an equal playing field. But today, Fudan University felt completely helpless throughout all the matches. At one point, they felt like they wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of winning, no matter how hard they tried.
None of them could explain what just happened.
“Maybe they were holding back during previous gas. I heard from Xiao Jia that Team Skycrown trained non-stop even during the New Year. That must be why their strength and strategy have improved so drastically.”
“Hmm... that’s highly possible.”
Twenty minutes was an important benchmark. If they couldn’t make it past twenty minutes, then it ant that Fudan University was no longer a match for Team Skycrown.
***
At Shanghai University, Jian Feng, Li iqi, and Qin Ting were dazzled by Team Skycrown’s performance. It was hard to imagine that the almighty Fudan University could one day be defeated in such a brutal manner.
‘That was inexplicably pleasing to watch.’
“The strategy is basically in place. The rest depends on how you guys implent it in a real match,” said Yu Luocheng.
Da Luo removed the headset and laughed. “My baiting was not too bad, right?”
“That’ll work for now.”
Lin Dong stood up and said, “I still haven’t checked the tournant schedule.”
“Let do it.” Jian Feng offered to help.
“By the way, here’s the info I gathered on the top eight teams of LPL. Co and check it out.” Yu Luocheng switched on one of the computers and waved them closer.
The eight strongest teams from all around China were in the LPL. Referring to the previous LPL rankings, it was pretty much obvious who the top four teams were.
The first was Asmodai’s Team Daemon and the second was Team Sky led by Blood Eagle Zhao Tinghua.
Their supremacy within the country was indisputable. They would alternate being crowned champions at almost every major and minor dostic competition. No other team was a threat to them during the previous season. Judging by this trend, these two teams were in a league of their own far ahead of the rest of the LPL.
Third place belonged to Team 71, which had the analyst Zhang Aijin and the national No.1 Solo Top player Xiao Wang. And finally, fourth place went to Team Revelation, captained by the king of ADC, Bai Feng.
These four teams had dominated the local LPL scene for a very long ti. Other teams have never even co close to overthrowing them throughout the years.
The other four teams participating in this year’s LPL were Stardust, teor, Dusk, and first ti participant Skycrown, who had defeated the initial favorite Fudan University to qualify for the LPL.
Lin Dong purposely picked the na Skycrown as it represented the past glory (crown) of Team Wing (sky) in DOTA. He sincerely hoped that this team signified the rebirth of Team Wing in LPL and that the team would be able to dominate the MOBA arena once again!
***
“I believe you guys have been briefed about the tournant rules and format during the introductory eting. But let reiterate so of the key ssages,” said Yu Luocheng solemnly.
“This ti, we’re participating in the Spring Tournant LPL which uses the points system. Simply put, each team will play all the other teams once and the winner receives one point while the loser gets none. The two teams with the lowest points will be eliminated at the end of the robin round while the top six will enter the Sumr Tournant.”
“Four teams with the highest combined points from the two tournants will then qualify to compete for the two China seats in the International S Tournant. In other words, only the two strongest teams in this country can go after the international trophy and the prize of 1 million.”
More gas ant more exposure, which is how a team would be able to garner enough fa and interest from potential sponsors.
The LPL has a well-established tournant system. Main events and mini-competitions in between spanned almost the entire year. If Team Skycrown could consistently secure a spot in the top tier, they would no longer need to worry about their lack of funding.
In the Spring Tournant, the two weakest teams would be eliminated. Yu Luocheng did not want such a tragic fate to befall Team Skycrown. If they were to be ousted that early in the Spring Tournant, then perhaps their ti in E-sports had really co to an end.
Sky Club had used all available resources on hand to jeopardize their resurgence. If Team Skycrown couldn’t even survive the first tournant, then no one would rember them. As cruel as it may sound, this was their last chance to have a shot in this rciless world. If they didn’t pull off a morable run in this tournant, then they could forget about getting endorsents and consequently, forget about their professional career.
“In the Spring Tournant, opponents are assigned randomly. This ans there is a chance we might face Team Daemons or Team Sky very soon,” continued Yu Luocheng.
His tone was somber but his eyes shone with determination.
I hope that all of you can at least stay within the top six throughout this tournant. As long as we remain in the ga, we will definitely have the opportunity to turn our fortunes around. I also want you guys to defeat Team Sky for at least one ga!” said Yu Luocheng animatedly.
Li iqi nodded in agreent and said, “Sky Club has been oppressing us in all facets since the beginning of the tournant. They are the reason why we still have no inco and recognition. If we manage to pull out a stunner, even only once, it will give us an opening to break through their off-stage impedints. We can then build on this and announce our existence to the world.”
He paused, looking around at his teammates who were all as determined as him. They all desperately wanted to show Sky Club that they were not to be taken lightly.
“Sotis it may not be a bad thing to have an overpowering rival. Because the longer we resist them, the greater the chance for us to exploit them as our PR dium. Once we have enough popularity, they will not be able to shut us out completely,” continued Li iqi.
Defeating them in an official ga was now the only way Team Skycrown could overco the current predicant that Sky Club had forced them into.
Yu Luocheng was confident that Team Skycrown could definitely take Team Sky by surprise with the strategy he designed for them.
They were not being unrealistic by dreaming of nabbing one of the top two positions. Yu Luocheng was aware of Team Skycrown’s immaturity. They would not attain a very high win-rate in the LPL at their current state.
Nevertheless, with the elent of surprise, they might be able to take down any opponent, even one as powerful as Team Sky. It didn’t matter if such a patchy tactic only worked for a while and was quickly discovered. They just needed it to work long enough to give them an advantage.
“We understand everything you’re trying to tell us and we will definitely give it our best. But tell us this, will you take the player’s seat when necessary?” Da Luo asked Yu Luocheng.
Lin Dong, Zhou Yan, Xiao Bei, and Wu Sen were looking at Yu Luocheng too. They knew that he was the only one in the team capable of countering Zhao Tinghua.
No matter how unorthodox the strategy, Zhao Tinghua was the type of aggressive player that could singlehandedly destroy any ga plan. If a match against Sky Club did arrive earlier than expected, they hoped that Yu Luocheng would fight alongside them.
They were using his strategy after all. He was the perfect candidate to lead them in-ga, instead of remaining in his position as coach. With all five of them looking at him wistfully, Yu Luocheng didn’t know what to say.
Was Team Skycrown a five-man team?
No, of course it wasn’t.
Everyone in the team acknowledged Yu Luocheng’s contribution. They knew the effort he put into this team was no less than any other team mber.
They also knew that the MOBA spirit in Yu Luocheng’s heart was yet to be extinguished.
Yu Luocheng answered firmly after a long silence. “I will if it’s necessary.”
The five of them nodded simultaneously.
It was actually uncommon for a MOBA team to alter their lineup at the last minute. Da Luo, Zhou Yan, Lin Dong, Wu Shen, and Xiao Bei all understood that adding Yu Luocheng to the roster ant that one of them would need to back out.
They had been playing together for six months now. They were like a well-oiled machine, and the impromptu inclusion of Yu Luocheng at this point would perhaps do more harm than good to their teamwork.
All they needed was Yu Luocheng’s promise. With his words, they could now march forward into the LPL brimming with confidence.
Yu Luocheng had promised that he would be there if and when they needed him. That’s all they needed to hear. They understood how much his family ant to him now, so they wouldn’t actually force him to do anything against his will.
Team Wing’s captain was always going to be their captain. Even after he had retired, he could still give his teammates the greatest moral support!
***
“Our first opponent is Team Stardust. The ga will be decided by best of five. Each win is equal to one point. In other words, we can get three points if we win and zero to two points if we lose. Wu Sen, you know Team Stardust better than I do. Maybe you can give them an evaluation based on my collected data,” said Yu Luocheng.
Wu Sen was forrly a SP of Team Stardust. Their current mbers were mostly his ex-teammates. Team Skycrown’s advantage lay in Wu Sen’s in-depth understanding of the team.
“In Stardust, we often acknowledged each other as Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, and Lightning depending on the position that we played. The strongest mber among the five is their mid-laner, Earth. He is the kind that will carry the whole team on his shoulders. As for how strong he is, I believe Lin Dong knows best,” said Wu Sen, expressing his opinion.
Lin Dong nodded heavily. “If I was the non-professional of half a year ago, he would beat the crap out of .”
“Personal skill-wise, from one to ten, where does he rank?” asked Yu Luocheng.
“Not lower than eight I suppose,” answered Wu Sen with a low voice.
Both Li iqi and Qin Ting’s jaws dropped in astonishnt.
“8? Isn’t that equivalent to Bai Feng and Xiao Wang?”
***
Author’s Note: The Spring Tournant of the LPL in real life does indeed follow the point format. The only difference here is that the actual tournant goes by BO1 (best of 1) instead of BO5. The author hopes that readers will understand the need for such an alteration, as he aid to provide more twists to the story. Other than this discrepancy, the LPL narrated in this novel is exactly the sa as how the real tournant is carried out, including the Spring and Sumr seasons. The author will reveal more information and rules regarding the competition in subsequent chapters and hopes that the readers will have a better picture of this annual gaming event in China as the story progresses.
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