Chapter 75

Championship Match: First Game, CH vs VIT.

It was an unexpected outcome for everyone: VIT losing a game.

This was part of the three-team championship match, where the top-ranked teams in the playoffs—VIT, RS, and CH—were engaged in a round-robin competition. The tournament followed a double-elimination format: losing one match would send a team to the Loser’s Bracket, where they would compete against other teams in the Loser’s Bracket. The top team from the Loser’s Bracket would then face the winner of the Winner’s Bracket in the final championship match.

The intervals between these games were short, at most a week. In the first round, VIT faced CH.

CH’s strategic intentions this time were hard to decipher. During the BP phase, they chose their usual stable operations system, neither taking the initiative nor conceding any ground.

Throughout this season, CH had become known for their delay tactics, often executing matches that lasted over forty minutes, with numerous comebacks from seemingly lost positions through steady operations.

On the other hand, VIT was the top team this season in terms of “quickest match conclusions,” frequently deciding games within just a few minutes with aggressive plays.

If VIT was a high-risk, high-reward team, CH operated on a core strategy of minimizing risks.

The characteristics and rhythms of these two teams were inherently counteractive, making it a matter of who could control the pace.

On the day of the match, the atmosphere was electric.

VIT’s momentum was unstoppable, like an unquenchable flame. Fans and spectators were particularly eager to see the outcome—would VIT continue their winning streak into the Winner’s Bracket and ultimately claim the championship this year?

Both teams opted for a cautious lineup at the start.

During the opening bans, Yin was banned. Rong Yi picked Li as a complement to their lineup, while Hydralisk secured Empress.

The mechanics of Empress dictated that this champion heavily relied on her Bloodlust mode, which lasted for ten seconds, but the cooldown for her skills extended to twenty seconds after the Bloodlust stacks were used up.

A skilled Empress pro player would usually be conscious of conserving their skills.

At the beginning, Lu Feng glanced at Hydralisk’s equipment: “Empress has three stacks of Bloodlust. No rush, let’s drag this out.”

Quickly, VIT noticed CH’s special tactics.

Down at the ADC lane, CH maintained consistent harassment. The Jungler, Mid Lane, and Support would occasionally make appearances, intentionally or unintentionally taking control of the entire bot-side vision.

Controlling the vision in this area meant sacrificing other resources, but CH had chosen champions with extremely fast wave clear. With no clear advantage or disadvantage for either side in the early game, it was difficult to set a decisive pace.

CH was exceedingly familiar with defense and operations.

Ten minutes into the game, Hydralisk’s team had attempted five ganks, but none of them resulted in a fight.

The most significant attempt involved four players from the opposing team moving in after clearing their waves. Rong Yi and Xiao Yin charged into the bot-side jungle, but CH, uninterested in fighting, retreated immediately.

Dual, even triple wave clears, lane rotations, and maintaining vision control everything was focused on defending the bot-side jungle.

Ten minutes into the game, there were no kills on either side, indicating that VIT hadn’t identified a worthwhile opportunity to take risks.

CH’s strategy was flawless.

Hydralisk was feeling the pressure the most.

The opponents were constantly camping him. Without creating false vision, they were simply lurking near the bot-side jungle, ready to appear at any moment.

Hydralisk remained calm.

“Abandon me, abandon bot lane; you push.”

“Not this game,” Rong Yi said, observing the lineup and the disappearing vision in the bot-side jungle. “They’ve got the vision control in the bot-side jungle. Their Mid Lane and Top Lane are rotating with dual wave clear. If you don’t farm, our aggressive plays will yield low rewards.”

“We must not force engagements when they are playing defensively.”

“There’s a difference between forcing engagements and having high attack power.”

“Forcing engagements is like smashing eggs against a rock and getting chipped away. High attack power is a matter of timing and rhythm.”

“Xiao Yin and I will support you, but you must farm. We can develop well in the early game, but if you don’t farm and they drag out the game, we will lose.”

The words “we will lose” came out of Rong Yi’s mouth softly and calmly. Yet, for the first time, the young team members, including Potato Chip who was eavesdropping in the Training Room, felt a chill run down their spines.

“Understood,” Hydralisk responded.

Rong Yi’s judgment was spot on.

The next skirmish happened in the Top Lane. Xiao Yin and Wu Daogu teamed up for a turret dive, hoping to force a kill. However, it was still early in the game, and their damage wasn’t sufficient. With the enemy’s reinforcements arriving, Xiao Yin and Wu Daogu had to retreat, each losing a layer of their status.

This highlighted the terrifying aspect of a defensive operations style.

A comprehensive avoidance of fights, maximizing benefits, and a high-defense lineup that never ventures alone. Rock-solid in the early game, controlling waves and pushing turrets in the late game.

For VIT to catch someone, they would need to send at least two core players to counter, with no guarantee of a favorable outcome. If VIT initiated an attack, tried a turret dive, or split-pushed, CH would immediately seize the opportunity for resource grabs or encirclement.

VIT’s prerequisite for making a move was high rewards.

It had to be the kind of high reward where two players could wipe out two others.

The best choice was to let Hydralisk farm.

In scrims, if CH played against VIT like hitting a wall, now CH had restructured into a true fortress, and VIT was the blade attempting to pry it open.

Whether CH’s walls were thick enough or VIT’s blade sharp enough would be determined in this very match.

Sweat gradually formed on Hydralisk’s fingertips.

CH’s strategy against him was very different.

They stopped creating false vision but didn’t leave. The vision in the bot-side jungle was controlled, and the opponents rarely revealed their movements. Several times, they encircled but showed no intent to fight, merely forcing Hydralisk and Grey Cat to recall and replenish their status.

Recalling once meant all previously gathered vision information was essentially wasted.

Rong Yi and Xiao Yin were also constantly trying to expand their advantage. Together with Wu Daogu, they kept looking for opportunities, but against the opponent’s high defense, the pace slowed considerably. Twenty minutes in, the enemy’s Mid turret and Top outer turret were only half-chipped.

For this match, CH also picked a Mecha-Cyborg as their Top Laner, a champion capable of healing turrets, making it extremely frustrating for VIT.

Hydralisk looked at the gold scoreboard, trying to deduce the enemy’s positions.

This was the focus of his recent special training, but he hadn’t fully mastered it yet. His natural instinct was to react to subtle cues, fighting his way out of intense laning and ganks.

But when the enemy deliberately concealed even the slightest movements, he felt like a blind hunting dog.

Rong Yi’s methods were challenging for him to adapt to. It was difficult to adjust to this mode, leaving him struggling.

It was like asking someone who relied on their eyes and reflexes to suddenly cover their eyes and depend on calculations and theories to understand the game. It was incredibly difficult.

Moreover, reverting Hydralisk back to his previous state was also challenging. The training was halfway through, and many of his in-game habits had already changed.

Grey Cat didn’t say a word. He knew Hydralisk’s habits and stayed in lane with low health, acting as his eyes.

However, due to being unable to replenish his health, Grey Cat got surrounded and killed in the thirteenth minute, giving away first blood.

“Go help Mid Lane, Kitten,” Hydralisk said, his voice slightly heavy. “We can’t do anything in the ADC lane.”

“I can’t go,” Grey Cat replied, his voice clear. “Captain also said, we can only win this game if we rise up. Trust me, and trust yourself.”

Hydralisk’s expression darkened, a visible tension and unease between his brows.

Rong Yi remained silent. He, Xiao Yin, and Wu Daogu were also exhausted, having teamed up to take down the Top Lane outer turret. Yet the enemy remained resolute, still fixated on the ADC lane.

By the twentieth minute, the enemy’s equipment was complete, and they began to press their advantage. They didn’t opt for turret dives for kills but instead focused on dealing as much damage as possible, repeatedly chipping away at Hydralisk’s health.

Hydralisk had been the target all game, and now he made a clear mistake the Empress’s Bloodlust charge was 0.5 seconds away from being ready. He tried to use high damage to force Lu Feng back under the turret, but without Bloodlust mode, his damage fell short. Lu Feng survived and killed the already low-health Grey Cat again.

With Grey Cat dead, Hydralisk hesitated between recalling and engaging. This moment of indecision allowed the Support and ADC hiding in the bush behind him to see through his intentions, leading to a turret dive that killed Hydralisk and a clean retreat.

This mistake resulted in what could have been two safe escapes turning into a double kill for the enemy, and the ADC lane outer turret was taken down.

“No other way,” Rong Yi said, glancing at the scoreboard before issuing commands again. “We fall back and defend. Play it safe.”

Hydralisk remained silent, but his gaze grew sharper and heavier, his teeth clenched.

VIT’s entire team fell back to defend.

Everyone was buying time for Hydralisk to develop, but he was clearly struggling against CH’s tactics, retreating step by step. For the first time, he became the breaking point of the entire team.

CH was extremely patient, chipping away bit by bit, retreating at any hint of risk. Under Lu Feng’s shotcalling, the entire team executed flawlessly. Even though VIT did well in the other lanes, it was ultimately futile.

VIT lost the first game. The score was 0:1.

The kill count was astonishing: 5:1. Throughout the game, only Hydralisk and Grey Cat died, while VIT managed to secure just one kill.

When the game ended, silence filled the Training Room.

Rong Yi’s expression remained unchanged as he discussed with Xiao Yin, “CH is impressive this time. Their playoff level has directly stepped up a notch.”

Xiao Yin nodded, “Lu Feng’s style. Very steady.”

Hydralisk kept his head down, not speaking.

In the second game, unsurprisingly, the opponents once again chose a high-defense and operations lineup, banning the only two champions capable of breaking through their defense.

VIT’s lineup remained the same.

Rong Yi and Xiao Yin acted as if the previous defeat hadn’t happened, setting up almost identical to the last game.

“Captain, think of something,” Hydralisk spoke up five minutes into the game when he got surrounded again.

“I can’t do anything right now. Just let me go and change the tactic.”

“There is no other tactic,” Rong Yi said calmly as he continued to operate.

“High-risk, high-reward against low-risk, steady operations it’s a matter of who opens up the game faster.”

“If you can play well, we can push turrets faster, and our advantage will grow.”

“If you can’t hold up, we won’t be able to push turrets faster than they can defend, and we’ll still lose.”

“Their system is actually easy to counter,” Rong Yi said. “It’s normal for you to feel uncomfortable because their system aims to prevent our ADC from developing and to avoid direct team fights with us.”

“Our team’s style is like an assassin. If we can’t kill the enemy in one strike, the opportunity will be missed forever.”

“When an assassin faces a warrior, it’s always tough.”

Hydralisk remained silent. Everyone could see that he was still biting his lip, trying hard to focus and resist the opponent’s ambushes and interceptions. Yet, he faced the same situation as the previous game.

The opponents kept appearing, harassing, retreating, camping, repeatedly wearing down his state, forcing him to recall time and again, waiting for him to make a mistake.

The previous game’s scenario replayed. Hydralisk once again became the breaking point. This time, however, it wasn’t his mistake but an oversight in accounting for the continuous damage equipment the opponents used. After a narrow escape, he was taken down by the buff damage.

The situation broke open again from the ADC lane. Rong Yi and Xiao Yin had both built high-damage equipment, and together they launched an assault on the ADC lane. But the result of such aggression wasn’t optimistic; while their coordination allowed them to take down one opponent, they couldn’t break through further.

The second game quickly came to an end.

0:2.

VIT versus CH, zero to two.

When this result came out, not only were the on-site spectators stunned, but even the referee team was momentarily taken aback when they announced it.

Since VIT entered the domestic league, they had never lost a match in the past six months, winning all the way.

Today’s match was VIT’s first loss.

Hydralisk still didn’t speak.

After the game ended, everyone else stood up, but he remained sunk in his gaming chair.

Xiao Yin took off his headset and casually said, “Kitten and I are going to the post-match interview. Everyone else, take a break.”

Rong Yi nodded. He went to the vending machine and got a drink, handing it to Hydralisk and Wu Daogu. “Good job today, both of you.”

Wu Daogu accepted it and said, “Thank you, Captain.”

He glanced over at Hydralisk. The young man’s face looked like it was about to collapse, his whole demeanor shrouded in a dark aura.

Wu Daogu silently mouthed, “Captain, what do we do?”

Rong Yi walked over and pulled out a gaming chair to sit down.

He handed the drink to Hydralisk.

“Little snake, shall we talk?” Rong Yi asked.