Chapter 256: Strong teams compete for the mid-season tournament!
The opening match of the mid-season tournament between GT and FNC was held at FNC's doorstep. This was their home court, and it was thought that this would be a solid fortress for FNC, but the actual situation was far beyond everyone's expectations.
The moment the game ended, the audience burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
Surprisingly, most of these cheers and encouragements were for the GT team.
Even though this is FNC's home court, European audiences seem to have long been accustomed to the poor results of the European League's round of 16 and quarterfinals every year.
When facing many strong teams in the World Championship, it is normal that they tend to support the strong ones.
Even the official commentator stood on the side of the GT team at this time.
The FNC players heard the roar of screams from the crowd and looked at the audience cheering for GT, feeling devastated.
They just couldn't understand why this was clearly their home court and became the home court of the GT team?
But I soon understood... Although this is an optimistic region, we still failed to get any results. These fans might stand firmly by his side when he plays domestic games.
But when it comes to global competitions, when other strong teams qualify, there is no suspense that they will stand on the winning side.
The Hat King sighed and stood up from his seat.
Next time! They will definitely win the next round! Change everyone's opinion of them...
The news that GT team easily defeated FNC in the opening match of the mid-season tournament quickly swept the Internet like a whirlwind, instantly topping the Weibo hot search list and remained popular.
As time goes by, the number of people discussing the topic continues to rise like a tide, and the topic continues to heat up.
Netizens were discussing the topic #GT easily defeated FNC in the first game# heatedly.
[Show God is in full swing, Ryze can still play so well? 】
This comment received a lot of likes, and people responded to the post below, praising Li Yi's actions.
[This is a classic Ryze tutorial. Didn't Xiaohu say he is good at Ryze? To be honest, we really need to watch this game and learn from it. If the strength of this hero is improved, RNG may really win a championship.]
Some people took this opportunity to compare him with other contestants, sparking a new round of discussion.
[Well, even though we won the first match, we haven't played against KZ yet, so we shouldn't be too optimistic.]
Some rational netizens began to remind everyone not to be carried away by a victory.
[That makes sense... The LCK region is in a bit of a mess right now, so we'll have to wait until they collide to find out what KZ's true strength is.]
This reply received a lot of echoes, and everyone understood that the real challenge might still be ahead. Facing the strong kz team, everything is still unknown.
After all, KZ is a team from the LCK region, so they must have some skills, but I don’t know how strong they are…
The first game of the opening match ended successfully. During the short 20-minute break, the enthusiasm of the audience did not diminish at all. Everyone was reminiscing about the exciting match between GT and FNC, while looking forward to the next game.
Soon, the second game officially kicked off amid everyone's anticipation. The two teams competing were the two teams that successfully advanced from the qualifying round - EVS and Flash Wolves.
As soon as the game started, the atmosphere was ignited and the audience cheered one after another. It must be said that this game was very exciting, with both teams being evenly matched and neither team giving in.
During the game, the two sides fought back and forth, and the fierce confrontation made the audience watch with great interest.
Although it is a bit sarcastic to describe it as "a fight between two weaklings", it also indirectly reflects the stalemate and uncertainty of the game.
About twenty-five minutes into the game, the situation took a crucial turn.
In a crucial team battle, the EVS team from Vietnam had a loophole in their vision arrangement and was keenly seized by the more experienced Flash Wolves team.
The Flash Wolves attacked decisively, and with a wave of brilliant operations, they directly killed five people with two, and instantly took control of the initiative on the field.
After that, the Flash Wolves team pressed on with their victory and successfully took down the Baron, further expanding their economic advantage and snowballing.
With huge economic and numerical advantages, the Flash Wolves team steadily advanced, gradually eroding the EVS team's defensive towers and bases.
Finally, at 31 minutes into the game, Flash Wolves successfully pushed down EVS's base and won the game.
After watching this game, the domestic audience was also very excited. As a team from Taiwan, Flash Wolves was able to perform well on an international stage like the Mid-Season Invitational, which made everyone feel proud.
Many viewers left messages on social media to cheer for the Flash Wolves, hoping that they can continue to maintain their excellent form in subsequent games and advance to the next knockout round with GT.
It would be even better if they could have a clash and teach Flash Wolves a lesson, which would be even more interesting. As for the finals, they haven't thought about it yet.
This is too much to ask of Flash Wolves.
We didn’t achieve any good results when the Wolf King was around, and there’s no need to think about it now.
However, it is quite normal to be unable to retain people.
The Taiwan region hasn't achieved any results in all these years.
They are eliminated in the group stage every year. Under this circumstance, those who are really capable are unwilling to stay.
In the end, what can you do by staying in this hopeless region?
There are invitations from other top teams, but you still don’t choose to leave. Is it possible that you are in love with the team?
So it is very normal for Karsa to leave the LMS region.
However, fans of Flash Wolves were quite mocking of Karsa.
The reason is simple. Flash Wolves made it to the group stage in the mid-season tournament and are now showing their strength on the world stage.
We won the first game easily.
At this pace, there will be no problem advancing to the knockout stage.
Karsa went to RNG. It is undeniable that RNG is definitely stronger in overall strength, but... he didn't even go to the mid-season tournament, so was this decision the right one?
If it is for the World Finals, Flash Wolves can also play in the World Finals. According to the current situation, as long as they cannot win the World Finals championship, even if you are the runner-up or the semi-finals... it seems that there is not much difference.
Because of this, the fan base of Flash Wolves is so sarcastic. The most important thing is that Karsa used to be the wolf king, which gave people the feeling that the Flash Wolves team relied on him.
Now it has been proven that his presence or absence has no impact on Flash Wolves' performance in the World Championship and in domestic competitions.
With the successful conclusion of the first two games, the enthusiasm on the scene remained high and the audience's emotions were completely ignited.
The third game, which is about to begin, has become the focus of domestic audiences - the two teams facing each other are the new champion of the LCK region, the kz team, and the TL team, which many people regard as the relatively weak team in the group stage.
The TL team's lineup is not to be underestimated. Top laner Da Mu, who was once the first generation top laner of SKT and holds the World Championship trophy, has rich experience and solid technical foundation on the field.
Doublelift, the big brother in the bottom lane, is famous in the e-sports circle for his saying "Everyone here is garbage." His laning ability and team battle output have always been a strong guarantee for the TL team.
Although they were ridiculed as the weakest team in the group stage, judging from their lineup configuration, they still have overall strength.
This game is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for everyone to analyze the overall strength of the KZ team.
At the same time, the GT team members who were resting in the backstage were also paying close attention to the game. For them, the biggest competitor in this mid-season tournament was undoubtedly the KZ team.
The players sat together, their eyes glued to the screen, not missing any details of the game. They knew that the KZ team had been making great strides in the LCK region and was very strong. It was crucial to understand the opponent's tactical style and player characteristics in advance for the next possible match.
Coach Li Jiongjun stood by, communicating his views with the players from time to time, analyzing every operation of the KZ team and the TL team, and making full preparations for the subsequent games.
The lights at the competition venue were bright, and all members of the kz team sat firmly in their seats, exuding an aura that no one else could do it better than them.
As the live camera scanned them one by one, their confidence almost overflowed the screen.
Brother Hanzi sat in his seat, with a sharp light in his eyes, as if announcing to the entire stadium that he was determined to win this game.
At the moment when the camera froze on him, he turned his head slightly, as if he was stretching his muscles that were tense from long-term preparation. Every movement was smooth and natural, as if suggesting to everyone that he couldn't wait to show his skills in this game.
His eyes inadvertently swept towards Da Mu from the opposite TL team, and he thought secretly in his heart.
As the first-generation top laner of SKT and the holder of the World Championship trophy, Damu is a well-known figure in the e-sports circle.
Brother Hanzi knew that today's confrontation with Damu would definitely be a tough battle, but he was not afraid at all. Instead, he was slightly excited.
In his opinion, being able to compete with such capable seniors is a rare opportunity and a great stage to prove himself.
In this game, he must go all out and show his strength without reservation, so that everyone will remember his name and remember the strength of the KZ team.
The battle drums of the game were officially sounded. As the first match of the KZ team in this world championship, they were relatively conservative in their lineup selection. In order to help Hanzige gain an advantage in the top lane, the team selected the hero Troll for him to fight against Ornn controlled by Damu. In everyone's expectation, this top lane matchup would most likely be a stable development situation. After all, the characteristics of the heroes and the strength of the players on both sides are there, and it is not easy to kill alone.
However, Hanzige broke everyone's prediction with his actual actions. He showed an extremely keen sense of smell online, his ability to seize opportunities was first-class, and his calculation of damage was at the top level. In a fierce laning battle, he saw Ornn's positioning error and attacked decisively. From the midline position of the line, Hanzige controlled the troll to chase all the way, forcing Ornn to the defense tower with great momentum.
Just when everyone thought that Oak's Ornn would escape with the protection of the defensive tower, Hanzi Ge showed amazing skills.
He paused at the perfect moment and pretended to retreat, tricking Ornn into letting down his guard.
Just the second after Ornn relaxed a little, Hanzige instantly pressed the flash button, followed by an extremely precise Q skill.
The troll's huge fist, packed with powerful force, smashed heavily at Ornn, directly taking away the last bit of his health.
"First Blood!" The system's kill notification sound rang out in the arena. The audience was shocked by this sudden single kill. After a brief silence, deafening cheers broke out.
The man who completed this wonderful operation raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile, which seemed to announce to the world that he was the master of this road.
After Hanzi completed that wonderful solo kill in the top lane, the rhythm of the KZ team was completely ignited.
Jungler Peanut keenly captured this advantage and began to put pressure on the top lane frequently.
He kept moving between the jungle and the top lane, using his jungle clearing speed and ganking awareness to appear in the top lane bush again and again, causing trouble for Damu's Ornn.
With the cooperation of Xiaohuasheng, Hanzige's Troll played more and more handily and was soon freed from the fierce laning confrontation.
At this time, the kz team showed the world their amazing teamwork ability.
They have clear goals and know how to win the game most effectively, beating the Troll's four-one split push tactics.
In the process of executing tactics, the tacit understanding of the kz team was fully revealed.
On the front battlefield, the remaining four players huddled together tightly, not giving TL team any chance to start a team fight.
Whether it's Doublelift trying to find an opportunity to take the initiative, or TL's support trying their best to use control skills to start a team fight, KZ team can successfully resolve it with precise positioning and excellent skill connection.
On the other side of the split push, Hanzige's troll was unstoppable.
Relying on the characteristics of his own hero and the advantages accumulated in the early stage, he frantically pushed forward the TL team's top lane defense tower.
Every attack seemed to be the death knell for the TL team, and the health of the defense tower dropped rapidly under the attack of the troll.
TL team seemed a little overwhelmed when facing KZ team's tactics.
They tried to organize manpower to stop the trolls' advance, but once the front battlefield was divided, the remaining four members of the KZ team would seize the opportunity to attack and catch them off guard.
In this way, the KZ team dragged the front battlefield all the way, allowing the trolls to advance madly all the way.
The game was only going on for 27 minutes when the KZ team crushed the TL team with perfect tactical execution and outstanding teamwork.
The battle between KZ and TL ended with KZ's absolute victory. This hearty victory was like a heavy hammer, making the domestic audience clearly realize that KZ is indeed a very strong team.
The precise operation, tacit cooperation and perfect execution of tactics all demonstrate their strength.
This also made everyone worry about the GT team. After all, such a strong opponent will undoubtedly bring huge pressure to GT.
At this moment, the GT team members in the backstage lounge were also in a solemn mood.
They watched the wonderful performance of the KZ team on the screen, knowing clearly that this Mid-Season Championship was far from as simple as they had imagined.
However, the GT team was not overwhelmed by the pressure. The stronger the opponent, the more excited they were.
Soon, the GT team appeared again. This time, their opponent was a team from Vietnam.
Facing the big brother from Vietnam, Li Yi decisively took out the enchantress.
At the beginning of the game, Li Yi showed strong dominance.
Relying on the flexible posture and super high burst of Ahri, he suppressed his opponents to the point of suffocation during the laning phase.
The other members of the GT team also cooperated well and constantly looked for opportunities to expand their advantage.
In just twenty-one minutes, the GT team defeated their opponents like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves and won the game.
This victory allowed the GT team to achieve a perfect record of two consecutive wins on the first day of the competition.
However, the climax of the day's competition was not over yet. The last match of the first day of competition was between KZ and Flash Wolves.
Perhaps stimulated by GT team's quick victory, kz team also selected a violent lineup in this round, as if wanting to compete with GT team.
During the game, the kz team showed a strong desire to attack and suppressive power.
Although they did not end the game before twenty-one minutes, they still managed to defeat the Flash Wolves in twenty-four minutes with their outstanding performance.
The first day of competition came to an end, but the popularity of this e-sports feast continued to soar around the world, triggering overwhelming discussion.
From major e-sports forums to social media platforms, everywhere is filled with heated discussions about the competition.
Unsurprisingly, everyone's attention is focused on the LPL and LCK regions. After all, the teams in these two regions are still the favorites to win the championship.
Looking back at the first day's schedule, each game was exciting. Whether it was the GT team's easy victory over FNC in the opening game, showing strong dominance, or the evenly matched fierce confrontation between EVS and Flash Wolves, and the amazing tactical execution and strength crushing of the kz team against the TL team, they all feasted the eyes of the audience.
However, although the first day's competition was exciting enough, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the real climax was yet to come.
Everyone is looking forward to the second day's schedule, because on that day, the most anticipated matchup of this mid-season tournament will take place - the first match between GT and KZ.
This powerful dialogue is undoubtedly full of sparks... (End of this chapter)