The entire game entered rubbish time after Chaos Misfortune took a huge wave of the bottom lane without any pressure.
FRY Team was still trying their best to find an opportunity, but their lineup wasn't a team line up to begin with. It was impossible to change the entire battle even if they tried their best to find an opportunity in a disadvantaged situation.
While both parties' economies were almost equal, they could not fight at all even though Chaos Misfortune ate all sorts of resources. FRY Team was completely crushed with one touch.
In the end, both teams' head-to-head ratio stopped at 17 to 12. FV Team successfully won the second round!
...
Both teams left the stage.
FV team members did not have much of an expression because they knew very well that the game had basically ended the moment they succeeded in swapping lanes.
Since everything was going according to the script, there was nothing to be happy about. There would not be a huge turnaround.
On the other hand, some of the FRY team members were already beginning to break down.
It was especially true for their top player. His eyes seemed to be glistening with tears when he got up and returned to the lounge.
His competition was too difficult!
According to the original tactical arrangement, their jungler should have focused on taking care of the top laner, crazily catching Chaos Misfortune to fatten him up, directly taking over the competition in the middle.
In the end, he did not expect FV Team's change of lines to mess up FRY's tactical arrangements. He, who was supposed to take over the competition, was targeted at level one directly. He realized then that he had become a homeless orphan.
On the other hand, the other party's top lane Chaos Misfortune ate soldiers, towers, and wild monsters. The resources that FV team could give him were all given to him. There were no fancy moves to play in the team. He just threw a few skills and got a bunch of kills.
FRY Team's top-laner was definitely not convinced. Wouldn't it be the same for me if I were to play Chaos Misfortune?
There was no difference in the operations of both parties, but because of their tactics and teammates, they ended up fighting until one of them was god-like while the other became rubbish. Who would be convinced?
What was even more infuriating was that no one made any serious mistakes in the two games. However, they felt that their IQ was suppressed and they could not win no matter how they played!
The scene returned to the commentator stand. The expressions of the commentators became even more unnatural.
They might still be using their smiles to express their awkwardness and trying their best to explain the exciting parts of the team battle, everyone knew in their hearts that there was no suspense in this game from the beginning. The few kills that FRY had won were completely irrelevant!
FV Team's goal was especially clear. It did not matter how many people were killed in the early stages as long as they could buy time for Chaos Misfortune to develop. It did not matter how many heads they exchanged for in the later stages of the game. In any case, Chaos Misfortune, could just harvest them.
It looked like there would be a swap of heads every time both sides fought, but Chaos Misfortune had not died even once. In other words, FRY still did not pose any real threat to FV Team. No matter how many heads they took, they would only have died a slow death.
It was still a one-sided match but the commentators definitely could not say that. They still had to help FRY Team.
The audience would be too discouraged if they told the truth.
"I feel that FRY Team's performance in the second round has obviously improved. They made many attempts in the second round, grabbed some opportunities, and bit the economic gap very hard at once compared to the first round where they were restrained. However, hero Chaos Misfortune took too many heads in the end and could not be dealt with, so FRY was powerless to reverse the situation."
"Obviously, FV Team snatching Chaos Misfortune was a trap. Even though there was a change in playstyle in the previous competition, such a playstyle where all four of them were concentrated on the top lane and completely gave up on the bottom lane had never appeared before. Now, it looks like this is indeed a very good way to ensure Chaos Misfortune's development."
"FV team has obtained three points now. The scene is a huge advantage for them. However, we also noticed that FRY team is obviously adjusting and adapting quickly after FV team used all their trump cards. I believe that FRY team will bring us an exciting competition that is evenly matched in the third round!"
"FRY Team is a very resilient team. They have created miracles in desperate situations many times before. Can they chase three points and create another miracle this time? Let us wait and see!"
...
The atmosphere in the FRY team lounge was very depressing.
This game dealt a greater blow to their morale than the first game!
While they did not get many kills in the first round, the entire venue had been giving up their resources, FRY was still waiting for an opportunity. They had always believed that as long as they found a better opportunity in the later stages, there was a possibility of turning the tables.
On the other hand, the second round was the exact opposite. The FRY team seemed to be fighting back and forth on the battlefield. They had obtained the kills and exchanged for the defense tower. However, everyone became more and more desperate as they watched Chaos Misfortune's equipment getting better and better.
That was because they knew very well that they would not be able to win if they delayed any further. In the beginning, it would be useless even if they tried to fight back. They would not be able to find an opportunity even if they wanted to!
If one were to use a boxing match as an analogy, the first round would be to keep defending. However, the other party did not get many points, so FRY team still felt that there was a chance of turning the tables. Both sides were getting points in the second round, but no matter how much FRY struggled, the gap between the two sides was getting bigger and bigger. That was really despairing!
This was especially so for the top laner. He felt like he no longer knew how to play this game.
Both teams did not have too many shortcomings in the finals stage. Every member was a top player. FRY's top laner was usually very confident, but today's competition made him as poor as a dog from beginning to end. It was even worse than running into an actor in a ranked competition. He was doubting life.
The coach was no less agitated than the team members.
Logically speaking, there should be no problem with the players' performance. They had lost both games without any suspense. The coach had to take the blame.
However, the coach also felt very innocent. All the players and the entire coaches team were suppressed by their IQ. How could he have to take the blame alone?
Finger Games' data balance expert was here, but it was useless!
The entire FRY Team was overjoyed when Finger Games secretly sent the statistician. These two statisticians were indeed talented. They helped to analyze the data of many strong heroes and prepared a few tactics.
FRY had also successfully improved their strength. They had tried out mock competitions with other European and American teams and basically won easily.
That was why FRY team was extremely confident before the start of the competition. FRY Team felt that they would definitely be able to win all five rounds even if the opponents performed extremely well in the finals.
In the end, they were completely suppressed by their IQ!
The tactic that Finger Games had sent the statistician to help out was not effective at all. The opponent had completely seen through it!
Coach FRY had something to say as well. Finger Games' statisticians were not good enough. What could I do?
Everyone in the lounge was at a loss.
In the end, the coach spoke. "Chaos Misfortune... why don't we ban it?"
The team members looked at each other, tacitly agreeing.
For the first two rounds, FRY team did not Ban Chaos Misfortune mainly because they felt that they could handle it even if the opponents were to choose it.
However, after the second round of competition, they realized that they really could not deal with FV Team obtaining this hero!
FRY Team would not have a good solution as long as they insisted on this method of swapping lanes, letting Chaos Misfortune go with the jungler to farm the jungle. Even if they could use the two-person route to catch the right line, it would only delay the development of Chaos Misfortune. It would not be able to play a decisive role.
However, they would not dare to snatch Chaos Misfortune by themselves.
That was because they knew very well that this kind of change of line was definitely not a tactic that could be learned on the spot. Every strategy was very complicated, including the early lineup selection, the preparation of the opening field, the handling of unexpected situations, and so on. It was a very complete system.
On the other hand, FRY Team knew nothing about these details. There was no time for them to review the second round of the competition. How could they copy the opponent's playstyle?
What's more, since Chaos Misfortune's new playstyle was developed by FV Team, who would dare to bet that they did not have a countermeasure?
Thus, after much consideration, the safest way was to ban it.
However, there was a small problem if that was the case. They had to think carefully about which of the outstanding heroes to release from FV Team that had been defeated previously.
In the end, the coach made the decision decisively. "In that case, let's ban Chaos Misfortune and Wings of the Blade. We cannot take any more risks even though the other party might not play global games."
"We'll fight steadily in the next round. We'll choose our best heroes and compete purely on strength!"
The team members nodded in agreement.
While FV Team had never played global games before, who would dare to bet that they did not know how to play? FRY Team was not as confident about playing global games as FV Team. If they lost this game, it would be gone.
Therefore, after being defeated twice in a row, FRY Team decided to change their mindset. Since they could not win by playing with their brains, they would compete with brute force. They would defeat all the key heroes in the popular system and then compete with the opponents!
The FRY team members had been dealt a huge blow, and their mentality was not very stable. However, in this situation, they no longer had any burdens and decided to give it their all.
...
Zhao Xuming swiped his cell phone worriedly to check the discussion on the forum regarding the finals below the stage.
FV Team had obviously obtained one-sided support on the domestic forums. All sorts of posts praising FV Team have been published.
There were also many people who were thinking of ways to help FRY. However, this was not because they were on FRY's side. They simply felt that FRY had been beaten too badly. Thus, these people took the weaker side and hoped that they could adjust well and contribute to an exciting competition.
However, even a keyboard warrior could not figure out a way to win!
Chapter 851: Knocked Out!
That was because ordinary keyboard warriors had to at least catch the "war criminals" in the competition when they expressed their opinions about the competition, right? Someone had to play badly or the entire lineup was not reasonable enough to fire.
However, there were no "war criminals" among the ten people in the finals this time. There were no major problems with the performance of the FRY team members. Other than criticizing them for being "cowardly", "sleepwalking", and "zero effect of the entire game", there was no point in criticizing them.
It did not seem like the line up that FRY chose could work out in the future. However, it did not seem like they would not be able to win after choosing this lineup.
This was especially so for the second round. If FV Team had not changed their lineup, who would have guessed that the script would be like this?
They naturally could not correct it since they could not find the key problem.
Even the keyboard warriors could not think of ways to win with their imagination. This was ridiculous enough.
Zhao Xuming sighed silently and closed the page on his cell phone. However, the competition had not started yet.
The break time this time seemed to be especially long. After all, they were already at the competition point. The officials also hoped to give the FRY team more time to adjust. Whether it was to stabilize their mentality or to discuss tactics, at least it would make the competition more suspenseful.
Zhao Xuming looked at Chrétien. "Do you think... FRY Team still has a chance?"
Chrétien's expression was not very good. After a long silence, he said, "I hope they have some trump cards."
Zhao Xuming fell silent.
He could tell that Chrétien was obviously at his wit's end. Finger Games had even specially sent two statisticians to help with the strategy, but the strategy was still crushed by FV Team. What could he do?
Both of them knew very well what would happen if they lost this round at 3: 0. Thus, both of them tacitly did not mention it.
He was a key figure in the game and had control over the entire game therefore it was quite ridiculous for him to pin all his hopes on FRY Team.
...
Finally, after a break that was obviously longer than the previous round, the competition began again.
This time, FV Team took the initiative to choose the blue side, the red and blue side did not change.
FRY's coach could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Obviously, this was because after FV Team realized that FRY could not solve the hero Chaos Misfortune, they took the initiative to choose the blue side and forcefully occupied one of FRY's Ban positions.
However, it did not matter since FRY had already decided to ban the two heroes Chaos Misfortune and Wings of the Blade. What's more, if they were on the red side, they could observe the heroes that the other party snatched, analyze their lineup, and target them.
For FRY, who had already decided to play hardball, their current goal was not to choose the best lineup, but the least bad lineup. FRY could accept it as long as FV Team did not get the "IQ crushing" lineup of the first two rounds.
"Coach, how are we to ban?" The team member asked.
FRY's coach thought for a moment. There had to be Chaos Misfortune and Wings of the Blade in the Ban position. Then, he had to release two of the three heroes that Ban had dropped previously.
After some consideration, he decided to release two heroes that no teams were playing in the current version.
"Release the Storm Swordsman and the Specter Blacksmith. Ban the Chaos Misfortune and the Wings of the Blade."
The Storm Swordsman was an assassin-type hero with multiple slots. In IOI, it could be said to be a godly weapon to torture noobs.
However, the problem was that the initial value of this hero was not very high. He would be beaten up by the opponent whether he walked on the road or jungled. Only when experts were used to torture the noobs would they be able to farm a large amount of money and equipment until he was ahead of the opponent. Only then would this hero have a gaming experience.
On the other hand, Specter Blacksmith was a rather unpopular support. It could switch between specter and physical forms. It could passively add money and experience to a teammate. Its ultimate move was to temporarily allow a teammate to enter a specter state, immune to physical damage, reduce the time that they were controlled, and increase their movement speed.
However, the problem was that this hero was relatively cumbersome. He did not have any displacement skills nor did he consume any skills. His hands were especially short. As a support, it would be very difficult for him to go to the bottom line in the early stage since he might die.
These two heroes were quite common in the game of passerby. However, in the professional arena, because the intensity of the early stages was worrying, choosing them would mean losing all the tempo in the early stages, so basically no one played it.
FRY's coach had also known about FV Team before and knew that these two heroes were FV Team's unique skills. That was why he had always eliminated them.
Now that he thought about it, it would be too difficult to play the game if the version of the hero was taken away. He might as well play the other two.
FRY's coach estimated that the other party would not be able to take both. That was because if they took both, they would not be able to play the game anymore since the bottom lane and the early stages of the jungle would be completely destroyed. Even if they wanted to complete the job, they would have to wait until the later stages.
Even if the other party took one, FRY would at least be able to obtain an advantage along the way. As long as they had the advantage in the early stages and the lineup was not too problematic, they could only say that they were not as good as the other party. There was nothing to be depressed about.
Thus, after some consideration, he decided to release these two heroes.
As FRY had predicted, FV Team did not snatch any of the two heroes. Instead, they took the Ancient Lava Tree.
This hero had appeared before. He was very straightforward and had control skills. However, no matter how one looked at it, it was not worth snatching it. After all, it was just an accessory. It was impossible to match its lineup.
"Did you choose a jack-of-all-trades top laner first because you don't want to expose your tactical intentions?"
"Or is it because Wings of the Blade and Chaos Misfortune have been eliminated, so there are no heroes worth snatching?"
FRY's coach did not understand what it meant to snatch an Ancient Lava Tree because the priority of choosing such a hero was not high.
This meant that FRY would be able to get two of the heroes they wanted since FV snatched this hero.
FRY's coach immediately directed the opponent to lock down the mid-laner and bottom-laner heroes that they are very confident with. These two heroes were rather valuable and had decent stats. The players' proficiency was also very high. They basically had no natural enemies.
On FV Team's side, they chose the more functional shooter, as well as the living hero, Specter Blacksmith.
When the first three heroes were selected, they felt like they were three tools. They did not know who to make as the lead.
What's more, the selection of this bottom lane team made people feel that it would be very difficult whether it was the right line or the team playing. While they should respect this unique skill, to put it bluntly, the current numerical strength of Specter Blacksmith was indeed not worthy of appearing at the bottom lane.
The FRY coach frowned slightly. He was optimistic but also worried.
"Are they planning to hide the jungler until the end?"
"It doesn't matter. With our current lineup, no matter what they choose, the early stages will definitely not be a problem. As long as both sides develop steadily, our chances of winning are at least fifty-fifty."
"We'll take the jungler first and ensure that our own lineup is complete. We'll choose the Fierce Gale Martial God on the top lane and chase after the Ancient Lava Tree on the front line. We can still split them later on. It'll be very difficult for them to deal with. We'll choose a strong jungler and not be afraid of being targeted by the opponents."
"Leave the last position to the support. With the strength of the opponent's bottom lane, we can use the strong support to play against the line. We can also choose the Wanderer to cooperate with the jungler to put pressure."
"The former can directly cross the line, the latter can help the jungler establish an advantage, no matter how they choose, our lineup is better."
FRY's coach suddenly became confident.
The main reason was that FV Team had forcefully chosen the team's ultimate hero, Specter Blacksmith, causing the strength of the bottom lane to be too low. On FRY's side, they could play very comfortably whether they played against the line or wanderers.
What's more, the archer of FV Team was a tool, not the kind that could be carried in the later stages. Even if Specter Blacksmith added money and experience to it, it could not end the competition.
After this round of selection, FRY's coach was filled with confidence and felt that he had already won half of the game.
On the other hand, FV Team did not hesitate much. They directly locked onto a strong support at the bottom lane and the Storm Swordsman!
The FRY team's coach was still gloating a second ago, but in the next second, his eyes widened as he looked at the screen, thinking that he had seen wrongly.
FV Team actually chose two support heroes?
The Storm Swordsman was definitely a jungler, one of the two support heroes would definitely go to the middle lane, but no matter how one looked at it, these two support heroes going to the middle lane was very ridiculous!
One of them had control all, but it was not very tanky nor did it cause much damage. It would be useless even if he ate resources. However, it was even more ridiculous for Specter Blacksmith to take the mid-laner because it was useless even if he ate resources. The most important thing was that the passive effect of raising money was wasted.
FRY's coach paused for five seconds.
On one hand, he was at a loss. He felt like the script was suddenly out of his control. On the other hand, he was waiting for the other party to call for a pause.
FV Team's lineup was probably wrong, right? Their hand slipped and locked onto it too quickly?
However, the other party had no intention of pausing even after waiting for five seconds.
Coach FRY was very confused. After some thought, he realized that he only had one support left. There were no more tricks to play.
He could either choose a strong support to play against them or a wanderer support to lead the tempo.
After much consideration, Coach FRY felt that FV's Ghost Blacksmith could only be a support player.
He made a prompt decision. "Choose a wanderer support. We have the advantage in the early stages of the middle, lower, and wild paths. Assist and do more work. Try to destroy them in the early stages. Archer, you have to take care of your own life. If you really can't do it, hang yourself under the tower. Anyway, the other party is a Specter Blacksmith. They can't do anything to you."
Both sides had chosen their heroes.
At that moment, the bullet screen comments in the domestic live-stream were filled with question marks because no one could understand what FV Team was trying to do.
This lineup would not be able to defeat the opponents at the same time. It would be a waste to do a team fight too. They would only be able to show their ignorance.
The domestic commentators were still forcefully explaining to FV Team.
"I think this lineup would put the support hero in the middle lane to eat resources. It would be able to move around more and play more rhythm. It has many control skills, and with the Storm Swordsman, it would be very effective as long as it was smooth sailing. On the other hand, Specter Blacksmith's mixing in the bottom lane would allow their own archer to develop better, and it would also be a good late-stage guarantee..."
Obviously, the domestic commentators did not understand how this lineup was going to be played. They could only rely on their own game to forcefully explain it.
However, the commentator was slapped in the face in the next second.
That was because FV Team had directly moved Specter Blacksmith to the mid-laner!
What's more, there was no exchange of heroes until the start of the game. FV obviously intended to use the combination of Ghost Blacksmith and Storm Swordsman!
This time, all the commentators were silenced.
That was because Specter Blacksmith had been an absolute support hero ever since he was designed. He was not meant for the mid-lane. Even if he tried to force his way, he would definitely be smashed by the opposing mid-laner.
This had nothing to do with the players' skills or operations. It was just that the mechanism of this hero would not allow it.
However, since FV had selected them and had not called for a pause, it was obvious that they felt that they could play.
The audience who had been on the FRY team's side, hoping that they would be able to turn the tables around, had unknowingly shifted to FV team's side.
That was because everyone was very curious about how Specter Blacksmith would be used in the mid-laner!
...
The competition soon began.
FV Team was very cautious when they left the house. They made contact at the river to prevent the other party from invading.
The Storm Swordsman might be a hero with multiple displacements and was not considered very strong in solo battles, but if they were both level one, they would still be very powerful. In addition, the Ancient Lava Tree had control of the tower in the early stages, so FRY team did not dare to invade rashly. Both sides were farming.
FRY team had already been tricked twice in the beginning. Naturally, they did not dare to take the risk in this round. Their only wish was to start the game steadily and play a normal game.
However, FRY's mid-laner quickly discovered the problem.
"Where's the Specter Blacksmith?"
He had originally wanted to trample on the other party's Specter Blacksmith. However, after stabilizing himself a few times, he suddenly realized that the other party was not online at all.
He waited for a while and realized that no one was coming, so he did not stand on ceremony. He directly pushed the line and pushed the little soldier under the defense tower.
However, he saw the Specter Blacksmith and the Storm Swordsman coming out of the jungle just as the soldier entered the tower. They used a set of skills to clear the wave of soldiers before turning around and entering the jungle.
FRY's mid-laner could not help but be filled with question marks.
???
What was going on?
Obviously, these two people had no intention of paying attention to him. They just used their skills to clear the line and then left.
The Storm Swordsman moved in multiple stages, shuttling through the wilderness at lightning speed. On the other hand, the Specter Blacksmith followed behind him obediently and helped him fight monsters and small soldiers. He then gave the Storm Swordsman the experience and money obediently.
FRY's mid-laner stood in the middle lane, lost.
No one was going against him, so he had nothing else to do other than to deal the last hit. However, every time he pushed the little soldier under the tower, FV Team's Storm Swordsman would come out of the jungle and eat this wave of soldiers.
FRY's mid-laner also wanted to control the line, but it was useless. The Storm Swordsman would come to the mid lane after he ate in the jungle. He would attack the small soldiers and then run after eating. He would not stay for long no matter what.
He did not even care that some of his HP had been depleted in the middle tower. It was as if he only cared about the small soldiers and monsters!
Chapter 852: Monster Harvester
FRY's team sounded confused.
"There's no mid-laner on the other side at all. This Specter Blacksmith is a support, and the Storm Swordsman eats everything in the middle lane and the jungle!"
"What should we do? The Storm Swordsman dominates two lanes, and the Specter Blacksmith can passively give him more money and experience. He can fight five by himself in a while!"
"Can the mid-laner push the tower?"
"We can't. The Storm Swordsman can rush back based on the situation. The next wave of troops under the tower will be cleared very quickly. If the mid-laner is pressed down too deeply, we might be caught!"
"My top laner has suppressed the Ancient Lava Tree well. Don't let anything happen to it!"
"Can our jungler help to push their junglers into the jungle together?"
"That won't do. Let's not talk about whether you can beat him after entering the jungle. You won't be able to catch Storm Swordsman even if he wants to run. What's more, he's farming the jungle with two people. How are you going to catch him so quickly?"
"What if the support wanders around?"
"No, the pressure at the bottom lane is too great. I can't leave."
FRY's team members discussed a few plans, but after some research, they realized that they did not have a good solution for the current situation!
Initially, he thought that the Specter Blacksmith was going to take the bottom lane, so FRY chose a wanderer as support. FV team moved the Specter Blacksmith to the middle lane unexpectedly and changed the bottom lane to a strong support.
This way, the pressure on the bottom lane would suddenly increase. If FRY forcefully allowed the support to wander, the pressure on the bottom lane would not be able to withstand it. It might even fall directly.
The top laner did not want to leave either. The Fierce Gale Martial God chased after the Ancient Lava Tree and developed very comfortably online. If the Fierce Gale Martial God went to support his teammates, it would be equivalent to letting the Ancient Lava Tree, the team battle hero, develop without any pressure. If the support failed, wouldn't he be playing himself useless?
The Fierce Gale Martial God was a rather unique hero to begin with. He had to eat his own resources to carry them. It was impossible for him to leave.
FRY's jungler was more powerful but he did not dare to rashly invade FV's jungle in the early stages. After all, it was easy for something big to happen if their level was low. If their level was high, they could consider invading, but they realized that the level and economy of the Storm Swordsman had already risen. They might not necessarily win even if it was two against two.
Storm Swordsman might be weak in the early stages, but as long as he was in the lead in terms of economic and experience, he was a godly weapon to torture noobs. What's more, he was a very mobile hero. Multiple segments of displacement allowed him to fight very agilely. It was very difficult for FRY to deal with him with the Specter Blacksmith as a nanny.
What's more, Storm Swordsman was a hero FV used well. It was impossible to count on mistakes in the operations.
Thus, FRY fell into a situation where they could not do their best.
The mid-laner and jungler were still playing the game, eating wild monsters, their development was completely unaffected.
However, the problem was that the development of Storm Swordsman in FV was better!
It had eaten the middle lane and the jungle by itself. It also had additional economic and experience. How could it not develop well?
FRY's members also felt that the current situation was not good. They had not seen it in competitions but it was still very common for the Storm Swordsman to fight one against five in more novice competitions.
FRY's other heroes might not be enough for them to kill if they were really defeated by the Storm Swordsman, especially with Spirit Blacksmith's ultimate move. They could forget about playing the game as long as they were defeated by the Storm Swordsman.
FRY team's voices became anxious.
"No, we have to speed up. We can't continue developing so steadily. Otherwise, when the Storm Swordsman comes out, it will be difficult for us to fight. Let's go to the bottom lane!"
"Alright, I'll go after pushing the line."
FRY took a look and could only take the bottom lane.
The top laner Ancient Lava Tree was meaty and had control. It was easy to fail in a 3v3 under the tower. There was no one in the middle lane at all. The Storm Swordsman would run after clearing the minions. It would definitely not fight with them and was basically impossible to catch anyone in the jungle.
Thus, they could only make a killing in the bottom lane after some serious thoughts.
FV's bottom lane might be considered a strong combination, but they can still make a killing if they were to carry out a four protect two formation.
What's more, FRY team had played a petty trick. They moved downwards immediately after deliberately storing some troops in the middle lane and advancing into FV's middle lane.
Storm Swordsman from FV might be able to move faster, but he would definitely arrive late if he took the mid-laner. If he did not, he would be at a loss.
The Specter Blacksmith and the Storm Swordsman were conjoined twins. It was impossible for them to go to the bottom lane on their own to provide support. Thus, both of them were tied to the middle lane at once. They would not be able to cross in a short time.
They should be able to kill two people at the bottom lane and retreat safely as long as the four from FRY team could handle it well.
Indeed, everything was going according to FRY's plan.
The Storm Swordsman could not bear to part with the experience and money of this large group of soldiers as expected. He returned to the middle lane to eat. Meanwhile, FRY's mid-laner took the opportunity while the Storm Swordsman was eating the soldiers to reach the bottom lane and directly decided to cross the tower at FV's bottom lane.
The two people at the bottom lane of FV Team were obviously mentally prepared as well. They had been working hard to take on the troops before they were bagged. The fully-controlled support had been delayed for a period of time under the tower. Even though both of them had died in the end, most of the soldiers had been taken in by the tower. The opponent's bottom lane was also average. The damage suffered by the defense tower was limited, and they did not lose too many soldiers.
The FRY team heaved a sigh of relief. No one died on their side. The tower crossing was still completed without any mishaps.
However, someone shouted, "Hurry back to the middle lane!"
Previously, the fight at the bottom lane had been so intense that the four of them had not had time to pay attention to the situation in the middle lane. The Storm Swordsman did not intend to support the bottom lane at all now that they looked at it from the perspective. Instead, he was attacking the defense tower crazily!
The Storm Swordsman waved his hands wildly, and his huge sword slashed at the defense tower. Every slash cut off a large portion of its health bar.
The reason why the Storm Swordsman was so popular in the low-end game was not only because it had multiple displacements, could reap, and could show off, but also because it could steal towers.
What's more, this hero cleared his troops very quickly. If no one took care of it, there would be a continuous stream of soldiers. The central tower would probably be cut down very soon.
FRY's mid-laner quickly returned to the city and prepared to defend the mid lane.
The strategic location of the defense tower in the middle lane was too important. Their vision would be restricted and the jungle would fall if it fell so early. The situation would be very passive later on.
Storm Swordsman saw FRY's mid-laner return to the city and calculated the time he would arrive at the base of the tower. Then, he and the Specter Blacksmith entered the upper half of FRY's wilderness and began to trample on the newly spawned monsters on FRY's side.
FRY battleteam's jungler went from the top to the bottom, the top lane monsters were just refreshed when they went to the bottom lane to gank.
After eating so many resources, the Storm Swordsman was almost one big item ahead of the opposing jungler. The jungler monsters were simply like a lawn mower, not a single blade of grass grew wherever they went.
FV's strategic intentions were very obvious. If you want to capture people from the other lanes, just do it. The Ancient Lava Tree on the top lane and the archers on the bottom lane were functional heroes anyway. They would still be of use even if they died a few times.
The Storm Swordsman would tear down the tower and eat the wild monsters if you went to catch them. Let's see who would lose more.
FRY Team might have successfully killed the bottom lane of FV, but the finances of both teams were still on par. There was no gap at all. Instead, the economic difference between the jungler positions was getting more and more ridiculous!
FRY did not have any good ideas to deal with Storm Swordsman even as they saw it enter their own jungle and eat until it was full.
"Forget it, let him eat in the upper half of the jungle. It's too late to rush over now. I'll eat the lower half of his jungle in exchange." FRY's jungler might as well continue to farm in the lower half of the jungle on FV's side.
"Alright, I'll go to the bottom lane after pushing this wave. We'll catch them again." FRY's mid-laner agreed.
They would probably be showcased if they went to catch this Storm Swordsman now. Thus, the best choice was to continue the battle at the bottom lane and push down the defense tower at the bottom lane as soon as possible. Then, they would switch the two-person team to the middle lane and catch the Storm Swordsman together.
FRY's top-laner was stunned. "What about me?"
The jungler was silent for a moment. "Take care of yourself."
FRY's top-laner was speechless. What happened to me carrying this game?
He chose the Fierce Gale Martial God to fight the Ancient Lava Tree. It was originally quite comfortable but he did not know why the team went to fight the second half of the area as he played on. He was abandoned again!
A fattening Storm Swordsman and Specter Blacksmith were wreaking havoc in his upper half of the jungle. Coupled with a controlled Ancient Lava Tree, FRY's top-laner knew very well that if he was not careful, he would be controlled and killed directly.
Chapter 853: The Fear of Being Dominated by a Noob Hero
He had no choice but to return in between the first and second towers to hide.
That was because it was not safe for him to stand under the tower. It would be very easy for the three of them to kill him.
Thus, the four members of FRY began to team up and dismantle the first tower of the road while the three members of FV Team began to team up and dismantle the first tower of the road.
FV Team's bottom lane obviously understood as well. They decided not to go to the bottom lane and went straight to the middle lane.
Now that the laning phase was done and the Storm Swordsman had developed. It did not matter if it was released from the tower. It could take over the competition as long as it continued to create space for the Storm Swordsman to develop.
There might be only three people dismantling FV, the Storm Swordsman dismantled the tower too quickly. It was almost as fast as four people dismantling the tower.
There was a defense tower on both sides that had been demolished. The match period was over. FRY's side was in the lead, but their finances were basically equal because the Storm Swordsman was farming too much money.
After this operation, FRY's top laner was shocked to find that he had become the most miserable person in the entire venue again. He could only eat leftovers in front of his own top laner's second tower!
The opponent's bottom lane was being targeted as well, but they were tools. They did not need to eat too many resources to be useful.
However, Martial God Fierce Gale had to carry alone. He would be useless without money. What's more, he had such a fat Storm Swordsman. How would he dare to carry him alone? If he was caught, he would be chased and hacked to death.
On the other hand, the Swordsman of the Storm continued to play the good tradition of eating four lanes per person. Everything that could be seen on the map was eaten clean like a mad dog.
There were two assistants and two tools in the team after all. In reality, four of them were protecting one.
Finally, after eating all of his monsters, the Storm Swordsman returned to the city and took out another huge piece of equipment.
The entire team's finances were almost all concentrated on it, directly facing the opposite jungler with one and a half pieces of equipment!
On the other hand, FRY's finances were distributed to people in the middle and bottom lanes. They were all in the range of a few hundred to a thousand yuan. They could only produce a small piece and not enough for a qualitative change.
This time, FV did not avoid the battle anymore. They directly formed a team and entered the opponent's jungle with great fanfare. They ate whatever monsters they saw and did not miss any map resources.
That was because they had determined that the key equipment for the Storm Swordsman was out. They were in the lead and could try to take out the team!
FRY's jungler shouted anxiously, "The opponent has entered my jungle, come and help me!"
FRY's mid-laner was furious when he saw FV acting like that. "Our finances are about the same, why are they acting like that! Fight them!"
The support was a little hesitant. "Can we fight? The Storm Swordsman's equipment is too good."
The top-laner decisively said, "We have to fight! I don't want to lose like the first game! The other party's finances are all on the Storm Swordsman. We can win as long as we restrict him!"
The entire FRY team was furious.
That was because they had lost the competition because they had been too focused on stability and had let go of the entire jungle in the first round. They had felt too cowardly.
However, speaking of which, they might not be able to win the first round because FV's team strength was higher than theirs and their vision was better.
However, both parties' economies were obviously equal in the current situation. FV's vision was not advantageous either. What right did they have to invade so openly? Did they not treat us as humans?
The more FRY team thought about it, the angrier they became. If they continued to release more resources, they would lose all his confidence and would not be able to struggle in the latter half of the game.
It would be even more impossible to fight when the economic gap between the two parties became bigger if they had to give up their resources. In the end, they would still have to replicate the state of the first round. They would probably be scolded badly.
This time, FRY team finally became tough. They decided that they could not give up the jungle resources no matter what.
However, it was not easy to say no. The Storm Swordsman was in the lead in terms of level and equipment. It was as easy as chopping vegetables under the protection of four teammates. FRY hesitated for a moment and their own monsters would be completely eaten.
"They're too pretentious. Kill them!"
FRY team members were obviously confused. All they wanted to ask was, why?
Why were you swaggering here, eating my monsters even though our finances were about the same? Did you really not treat us as humans?
The lesson of the first round was still vivid in their minds. This time, FRY had gotten their more confident heroes. They decided that they could not take it anymore and started the team attack!
However, FV Team was obviously prepared. If you want to take it, then take it!
The Ancient Lava Tree and the two assistants pushed forward directly. They were very frank and controlled.
The Specter Blacksmith was a very weak support, and its development was relatively weak, it followed the Storm Swordsman the entire time in this round. While it did not eat resources, just the monsters and the minions in the middle lane which raised its level. Therefore, it was not completely useless to play team battles which could do something in the front.
On the other hand, Fierce Gale Martial God on the top laner had not developed well, therefore the front row was lacking. The damage output might be high but they could not stand firm either.
The Fierce Gale Martial God did not dare to go around the back at all because Storm Swordsman's equipment was too good. Going around the back would be equivalent to giving up their lives. They could only drag the fight from the front.
The Storm Swordsman found an opportunity to charge forward just as the two sides were locked in a fierce battle! The Specter Blacksmith unleashed an ult on him, and the Ghost Swordsman, who had entered the spectral form, moved into the field multiple times and slashed wildly at the back of the FRY team!
FRY wanted to restrict them, but the Ghost Form greatly shortened the time the Storm Swordsman could be controlled. Coupled with the fact that they were ahead in terms of equipment and level, and the timing of their entry was very ingenious, they could not stop them at all!
FRY sensed that something was amiss and retreated while fighting. However, the pursuing and reaping abilities of the Storm Swordsman were too strong. Those at the back could not escape.
Finally, the collision ended with a "triple kill".
The final outcome of the team battle between the two teams was three kills in exchange for four. Three on FV's side died, but they were exchanged for three kills by the Storm Swordsman. Only one person from FRY escaped!
Storm Swordsman finished eating all the monsters in the jungle on FRY's side before returning to continue farming his own jungle.
FRY team fell into a short silence after this team battle.
That was because they had obviously suffered a huge loss!
There might be only a difference of one head, but the other party's Storm Swordsman was even fatter. Not only did they get the head, but they also snatched the wild monsters. It would be even harder to fight in the future.
Obviously, FV Team's strategy was very simple. If you wanted a team battle, then a team battle it was. If you wanted to exchange for heads, then exchange for heads. In any case, the other four teammates could die as they pleased as long as the Storm Swordsman became fat.
FRY wanted to kill this Storm Swordsman once, but FV was not stupid. Storm Swordsman was their trump card to begin with. It had a very good grasp of the timing. The other four tools were all surrounding it to fight. There were also multiple displacements. It was easier said than done to kill it.
For some reason, the FRY team members suddenly recalled the time when they had just started playing this game.
At that time, they did not really know how to play this game. In the matchups, the opposing Storm Swordsman would kill his own teammates like cutting melons and vegetables. It made people very confused as to whether there was a bug in this hero.
After that, everyone's scores went up, they obtained high rankings, entered the professional team, and slowly became the strongest professional players in the world. Naturally, their fear of the Storm Swordsman disappeared.
That was because everyone knew that he was just a hero used to torture noobs. It would be a free point in the professional competition. There were many ways to make him die 0-10.
However, FRY members recalled the fear of being dominated by the Storm Swordsman today!
At that moment, it felt like they had traveled through time.
The key was that in the face of the current situation, FRY's players racked their brains but could not think of a solution!
The previous team could fight three to four, but that did not mean that every team could fight like that in the future. The gap between the two teams would only grow larger as the Storm Swordsman's equipment became more luxurious.
This Storm Swordsman would be able to cross the tower and kill five people in a few more minutes!
The FRY members were in despair, but this was a life and death situation. They did not want to lose.
Everyone began to work hard with their visuals and pulling the hatred. Their minds were highly tense. Everyone displayed all their potential, staring at the position of the Storm Swordsman at all times, thinking of all ways to restrict it.
However, it was useless!
Chapter 854: Waves Of People Showing Off
It was finally time for the interview after the trophy, medals and photos had been taken.
The foreign audiences were extremely curious about FV's team.
The five members of FV Team were the first batch of celebrities to play IOI in the eyes of the Chinese but their fame was limited to China.
That was because the game was developed by Finger Games after all. The most exposed players had always been the celebrities of European and American clubs. Thus, foreign audiences basically knew nothing about these five players.
During the group stages, the domestic teams did not perform well, causing foreign audiences to treat FV Team as a weak team, and they were even less interested in understanding them.
After the top eight and top four competitions were over, the official platform had arranged for interviews. However, the interviews at that time were mainly focused on some details in the competition and did not have much substance.
Take the interview with Pan Ying after the semifinals for example. Interviewing Pan Ying was a black hole. He would answer questions in a few words, not more than a sentence. He gave people the feeling that he was posturing but lacking in substance. There was really nothing to discuss.
FV team members' answers were very ordinary compared to their official Weibo account.
Thus, FV was still a very mysterious team to most viewers.
How could they be so strong? They had won all competitions with 3: 0 from the top eight. Moreover, from the results of the competition, there was basically no suspense. The other party had no chance at all.
This suffocating pressure made everyone admit that FV Team was currently the most domineering IOI team in the world. Not only was it the only existence, but there was also a huge gap between it and the runner-up, FRY Team.
The official host of Finger Games also had many questions to ask.
FV team members and coach Zhou Pengyuan stood in a row, each wearing a championship medal, holding their heads high, waiting to be interviewed.
The host began to interview the players one by one, from the top laner to the jungler, then to the mid-laner, and finally to the coach.
The host came to the top laner first. He asked the question he had prepared beforehand after letting him greet the audience. "In the second round, the team snatched the hero Chaos Misfortune for you. May I ask what tactical considerations did you have? What is your understanding of this hero?"
The top laner player thought for a while and answered, "According to the analysis of our coach team, this hero is basically invincible in the mid to late stages. If he can ensure development in the early stages, he will definitely win. That's why we snatched him."
"My understanding of this hero… as long as he has hands, he can win as long as he smoothens his face and rolls on the keyboard."
After hearing the translation, the host could not help but laugh. "As long as you have hands? You're very confident. Can you evaluate the contestant who was against you today?"
The top laner player thought for a while. "I think he controls his characters quite well. However, whether we win or lose has nothing to do with him. My team is slightly better than his team."
The audience cheered and whistled after hearing the translation.
Before this, Pan Ying had been acting cool when he was interviewed during the semifinals. For example, "99% of the situation was planned", "3: 0 is not surprising", "Coincidentally, the other party's performance was all within our team's expectations and did not need to be improvised", and so on.
Only now did he realize that Captain Pan Ying was not the only one with such a character. The entire team was similar!
The top laner's 'as long as they had hands', 'they could even win by rolling their faces on the keyboard', and 'their opponents were quite formidable' also highlighted a faint posturing.
The host came to the jungler for another interview.
"We all know that Storm Swordsman is your signature hero. You did indeed obtain the final victory through this hero, and successfully obtained the Five Kill after the other party released it. May I know how it feels to obtain the Five Kill? Most people think that this is a noob hero, but you still took it out on the highest stage of the professional arena and achieved very good results. Can you tell us where your confidence comes from?"
The jungler did not think too much about it. After listening to the translation, he immediately said, "I am a little happy about the five kills. My teammates killed too quickly in the previous rounds after all. It's not easy to snatch someone's head."
"However, this Five Kill was indeed well-preserved by my teammates. I didn't do much either. I just had to wait for the right time to attack."
"My confidence actually has nothing to do with my proficiency. In the analysis of our coaches, this hero is indeed a hero who can only torture noobs. He's useless with normal development, so I usually don't dare to use it in competitions."
"However, the coaches developed a combination of Storm Swordsman and Specter Blacksmith, so that I can use this hero to earn money from both sides. That's why I dared to play it."
The audience cheered again after listening to the translation.
The junglers had the same character as expected. "My teammates killed too quickly", "I didn't do much", "I don't dare to take it normally", these words sounded very interesting, but after careful consideration, he felt that there was nothing wrong with it. This was the most ridiculous.
The host came to the mid-laner again.
"In the first round, you decisively chose the Explosive Artisan to deal with the Wings of the Blade and the global style. This is a relatively weak and unpopular hero in the understanding of most teams. May I ask why you chose such a hero? If the other party did not choose the Wings of the Blade, would you have still chosen this hero? Or would you have other choices of confidence?
The mid-laner player was a relatively calm and cautious person. After listening to the translation, he pondered for a while before saying, "This hero might be unpopular, but in the analysis of our coaches, we think that its ability to dismantle towers is actually superb in the new version. Therefore, it is a good choice to use it to fight the global style. Of course, it also needs teamwork. We cannot give the other party the chance to catch heroes in the global style."
"If the other party did not choose the Wings of the Blade, I would definitely have taken it. This version's global style is still a relatively strong lineup."
The so-called supermodel was beyond the template. In other words, although the explosive craftsmen seemed to have many flaws on the surface, they were too powerful in dismantling towers and had developed a certain group battle ability. That was why they were the core choices to deal with global style.
The mid-laner's answer had obviously answered many of the audience's questions. FV had obviously prepared two ways to release the Wings of the Blade. If the opponent chose something that could be targeted, they would take the opposing character.
The host continued asking, "In other words, you're also proficient in the Wings of the Blade, right?"
The mid-laner hero was silent for a moment. "This hero should be the most basic hero in the mid-laner. It's quite ridiculous if professional players don't know how to play it."
The host came to the bottom lane player.
"You don't seem to have a particularly high tactical position in the team today. The tactics for the three rounds are set up around the middle lane, the top lane, and the jungler. The bottom lane often has to choose team-type archers to cooperate with the team. However, under such circumstances, you still managed to produce very high output and a very good KDA. May I ask how you did it?"
The player on the bottom lane smiled. "That's because according to the analysis of our coaches, the bottom lane in this version is not fit to be the core. It can only be used as a tool. If the top lane is smooth, the bottom lane is smooth. If the middle lane is not smooth, the bottom lane is also free."
"I don't have any requirements for tactical arrangements, as long as I can win. As for DPS and KDA… we are all hanging out without teammates. It doesn't matter who comes."
Laughter and cheers came from below the stage once again. This player on the bottom lane had the same style of speaking as the previous players. "It's good as long as you can win", "hanging out with your teammates", "it doesn't matter who comes." He said all sorts of nonsense.
The host finally came to the support player Pan Ying.
Pan Ying could be considered an old acquaintance of the audience. After all, he was the one who had been interviewed during the semifinals. This "interview black hole" with narrowed eyes was the captain and commander of the team, leaving a deep impression on many viewers.
"Today, FV Team's team coordination is as beautiful as before. It's the same as the quarterfinals and the semifinals, easily defeating the opponent with 3: 0. You guys are playing very well from the perspective of the bystanders. Everyone seems to be very clear about the next movements of their teammates, as if you are a collective intelligence. May I ask how you guys managed to achieve such perfect team coordination?"