Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 23
byChapter 23
When Wei Xiao said, “I don’t know if Overlord Blade is a 1 or a 0, but I am a 1,” the venue simultaneously erupted with applause, cheers, and boos.
People who follow the professional league don’t necessarily follow the ranked ladder standings.
People who follow the ranked ladder standings don’t necessarily know that Wei Xiao is the “to be continued” who has consistently dominated the board.
If this statement had come from a highly reputed player like Fei Yu, it would have been met with approval from everyone in the audience.
But coming from an unknown player, especially in the face of a strong team like PSP, it sounded somewhat overconfident and self-important.
Therefore, only a few veteran high-level players who knew who Wei Xiao was, and some spectators who enjoyed the drama, gave him applause and cheers. The rest were booing.
Wei Xiao didn’t mind at all.
With skill and confidence, no amount of booing could shake his determination to win; it would only further ignite his fighting spirit.
On the live stream, Yue Xia, one of the official commentators, heard the statement and laughed in response: “You are a 1, you are a 1, you are a 1! Hahaha, I am so looking forward to this match! This counts as FHM’s true debut, right?”
“Yes! We are very excited!” her partner Ri Xi said. “I have to say, the group FHM was placed in is quite ‘deadly.’ PSP is the only team among their opponents ranked outside the top eight, yet they are the team closest in strength to the top eight. It’s fair to say that the outcome of today’s match will directly determine whether FHM or PSP will be the first to bid farewell to the league!”
As the two spoke, the players from both teams took their seats at their respective stations and put on their headphones.
Their coaches were seated behind them.
Before the match, Wen Shi Yu felt that glasses alone weren’t enough for disguise, so he also wore a black mask.
The camera focused on him, lingering for three seconds.
Yue Xia commented, “Hey, the FHM coach looks so young.”
There were no other comments.
When registering for the league, coach information must also be recorded, but only the event organizers have access to it. Commentators need to investigate beforehand if they want to know.
Clearly, Yue Xia had not checked who FHM’s coach was before today’s commentary.
Soon, the match began, starting with the BP phase—Bans and Picks.
From PSP’s pre-match statements, it was clear they had investigated FHM and knew the preferred heroes of each FHM player.
They seemed to think Overlord Blade was the easiest of Wei Xiao’s regulars to deal with and intentionally left it open. Therefore, they chose to ban Qin Jin Yao’s Bamboo Forest Swordsman, Zhou Miao Miao’s Blazing Feather, and Tang Li’s Soul Bell.
They also banned the Radiant Knight that Wei Xiao had showcased in the qualifiers, as well as the Blade Shadow Dancer.
“They still banned it?”
Wei Xiao, who had already decided to pick Blade Shadow Dancer, looked disappointed. “I thought they might gamble on us not picking Blade Shadow Dancer.”
Based on the dice roll result for this game, FHM got to choose sides. Wen Shi Yu chose the blue side for FHM, allowing them to pick the first hero after the 10 bans were finalized.
They had originally planned to pick Blazing Feather, but the opponent banned it, leading to the temporary decision to pick Blade Shadow Dancer.
But the opponent used their final ban slot on Blade Shadow Dancer.
What now?
It didn’t matter.
“Time Tracker, Moon Shadow Spider, Fox-Faced Phantom, Full Moon Wolf, Cursed Blade Scissors… what else is there?” Wei Xiao had too many usable heroes to list them all. “Coach, help me choose!”
“Not Phantom Assassin?” Wen Shi Yu asked curiously.
He wasn’t necessarily trying to make Wei Xiao use Phantom Assassin, but the fact that his own first-choice hero during his E-sports Player days hadn’t even made it into Wei Xiao’s hero pool gave him a subtle feeling of… melancholy.
However, just as his mood dipped, he heard Wei Xiao’s reply: “Phantom Assassin must be saved for when we play against EN! I need to make sure they don’t ban it, so I absolutely cannot show it now! What if I show it and they get scared?”
Wen Shi Yu paused.
It was the same confident, even arrogant, tone as always, but hidden within the seemingly casual words was an undeniable layer of support for him.
The other members of FHM were also stunned by this exchange. Zhou Miao Miao let out an “Eh,” seemingly feeling something was inappropriate but unsure how to articulate it.
Tang Li started to say “This,” but trailed off.
Since the FHM players chose to sign under Wen Shi Yu, they naturally knew something about him.
They knew how brilliant he was on the competitive stage, and they knew about the feud between him and EN.
So they would try to avoid mentioning EN in front of him, fearing it might affect his mood.
But Wei Xiao had said it so directly—I’m going to avenge you. I’m going to use your most proficient hero to rub EN’s face in the dirt to get revenge for you.
Wen Shi Yu lowered his eyes, grateful that he had worn a mask before the match, concealing his flushed cheeks.
“Got it,” he said calmly. “Pick whatever you want… If you don’t care what you pick, you can also wait and let Qin Jin Yao pick Moon Shadow Spider first.”
“Hmm, let’s do that!” Wei Xiao picked Moon Shadow Spider for Qin Jin Yao.
There are many heroes that can Jungler, and many that can go Top Lane, but there aren’t many Assassins that can go Top Lane.
Although he didn’t know why Qin Jin Yao insisted on playing an Assassin—
Since he was now a member of FHM, he had to respect his teammates’ styles.
Anyway, as long as they didn’t throw the game.
So far, Qin Jin Yao hadn’t thrown a game. He might not always gain an advantage in the Top Lane, but whether it was split-pushing, turret pushing, or roaming for ganks, he contributed significantly to the team.
His opponents might find laning against him in the Top Lane agonizing, but they were even more reluctant to see him appear anywhere else.
After Moon Shadow Spider was locked in, it was PSP’s turn. They could pick two positions and ultimately locked in Deep Sea Whale Soul for Top Lane and Phantom Assassin for Jungler.
FHM then locked in Thorn Whip for Marksman and Spirit Puppet for Mage.
Wait a minute? Spirit Puppet?
Spirit Puppet is a control-type Mage. It’s not strange for a MID to lock her in, but… the one who locked her in was the Support.
Before Wei Xiao could comment on Tang Li selecting this hero, he heard Wen Shi Yu say, “Okay.”
As a result, he could only complain after Tang Li locked it in: “A Mage Support? Can you protect the Marksman?”
“He doesn’t need my protection,” Tang Li replied. “I’m responsible for the laning phase.”
“Right, I’m responsible for latching onto his leg,” Lu Qing Yang said. “That’s how we do things in FHM—the Support handles the laning phase, and the Marksman handles the team fights.”
“O-okay,” Wei Xiao nodded blankly.
Since he was now a member of FHM, he had to respect his teammates’ styles.
After the opponent finished selecting their Bot Lane lineup, it was FHM’s turn to pick the final two positions.
Zhou Miao Miao preemptively selected Rift Star Mark.
Wei Xiao closed his eyes.
Since he was now a member of FHM, he had to…
Argh, forget it! His teammates could pick whatever they wanted; his only job was to carry them!
Wei Xiao opened his eyes, analyzed both teams’ compositions, and finally selected Time Tracker: “I’m going to target their Top Laner.”
The opponent’s Top Laner, Deep Sea Whale Soul, sounded like a tank but was actually a Fighter. It didn’t have high health and was easier to gank than the Bot Lane.
Not to mention, PSP was a team strong in the Top and Jungle positions. Taking down their Top Laner early was definitely the right move!
Wen Shi Yu said, “Good,” and raised his hands to press his headphones.
Coaches could only communicate via mic during the BP phase.
Since the mic was about to be cut off, there was no need to keep the headphones on. For Wen Shi Yu, sound effects were not essential for playing E-sports.
However, before he could take off his headphones, Wei Xiao suddenly said, “Coach, give us some encouragement!”
Wen Shi Yu paused his movement of removing the headphones and cooperatively said, “Go get ’em.”
“Alright, we’re guaranteed to win!”
Wei Xiao’s confident and cheerful smile appeared on the screen.
Wen Shi Yu couldn’t see his expression, but he was infected by the emotion in his voice and couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, without saying anything else, he decisively removed his headphones.
The lineups for the first game were as follows:
Blue Side – FHM: Moon Shadow Spider (Top), Rift Star Mark (MID), Thorn Whip (Bot), Spirit Puppet (Support), Time Tracker (Jungle)
Red Side – PSP: Deep Sea Whale Soul (Top), Deep Sea Merman (MID), Dual-Gun Knight (Bot), Undying Hero (Support), Phantom Assassin (Jungle)
After FHM successively picked Moon Shadow Spider, Thorn Whip, and Spirit Puppet, PSP was confused but generally felt confident in their victory.
“Spider is Top Lane, right? And a Thorn Whip Marksman in the league? The MID didn’t pick Witch’s Nightmare; can he even play Spirit Puppet?”
“Spirit Puppet is good for team fights, but useless in the laning phase. How can anyone use a T3 Mage in the league?”
“As expected of a new team, they don’t know the dangers of the competitive stage yet.”
“Waiting for Overlord Blade.”
PSP was eagerly anticipating Wei Xiao picking Overlord Blade, planning to invade his jungle at the start and shut him down.
However, Wei Xiao locked in Time Tracker.
With Rift Star Mark picked, it was clear that Spirit Puppet was the Support, not the MID.
The entire PSP team fell silent for a few seconds, then urgently sought help from their coach!
“What kind of lineup is this?”
“How are we supposed to play this?”
The coach was also silent for a few seconds before saying, “Although Rift Star Mark is a Meta Pick, their MID doesn’t seem very proficient. You don’t need to be too cautious in the Mid Lane. Same for Bot Lane; attack whenever you have the chance. When laning against a Mage Support, the more you retreat, the more damage you’ll take.”
“Understood.”
“I suspect they are trying to test our strength in the first game,” the PSP coach speculated. “But we don’t need to hold back. Let’s take the first game!”
“Got it!”
It was understandable why the PSP coach thought this way. FHM’s lineup was significantly more abstract compared to their qualifiers.
In the qualifiers, Zhou Miao Miao had played Blazing Feather, but not Rift Star Mark. If Blazing Feather was banned, he would pick Witch’s Nightmare, ensuring stable damage and presence throughout the game—neither spectacular nor disastrous.
Lu Qing Yang had also never played Thorn Whip, sticking to conventional Marksmen like Void Hunter and Dual-Gun Knight.
Tang Li usually played Soul Bell or Undying Hero. Although they were Mage Supports, they were proper Supports.
Yet, in the league, the MID picked up Rift Star Mark, a hero he had struggled with multiple times, the Marksman played a short-range hero, and the Support picked a Mage.
This lineup could be described as “suicidal.”
But PSP didn’t know, and Wei Xiao wasn’t entirely sure—this was the true, sharp-edged FHM.
In the qualifiers, it was a BO1, one game decides the winner. Stability was the priority, aiming to win every game, ensuring they could still turn the tide in the late game even if they didn’t gain an early advantage.
But in the group stage BO3, three games, two wins, if they weren’t going to be aggressive in the first game, when would they be?
They could afford to be less stable, but they had to be fierce! They needed to establish their momentum and crush the opponent’s morale to lay the foundation for the second game’s victory.
Wei Xiao couldn’t imagine how badly this lineup would collapse if things went wrong, but he also couldn’t imagine how ferocious they would be if they got rolling.
Regardless, his job remained the same—while securing his own economy, he needed to provide timely support to all three lanes and guide the situation in the direction he wanted.
A good Jungler never gives teammates the chance to endure pressure beyond the lane; they only bring pressure beyond the lane to the opponents!
Wei Xiao started on the Top side this game. After clearing one camp and reaching Level 2, he leveled up Time Tracker’s first skill, “Temporal Mark,” and immediately operated his canine hero, sprinting on all fours towards the Top Lane.
The Top Lane was long. He didn’t even need to hide. He pulled his camera to check the positions of the allied and enemy Top Laners, then circled behind and pounced: “Go!”
The second wave of minions hadn’t reached the lane yet. All three lanes were in a standoff, and almost everyone was at full health.
But when Qin Jin Yao heard that “Go!”, he instinctively used his displacement skill and leaped onto the enemy Top Laner, Deep Sea Whale Soul!
Moon Shadow Spider used “Bite,” combined with “Pounce,” instantly taking out a third of Deep Sea Whale Soul’s health.
Having been engaged first, PSP’s Top Laner didn’t panic and immediately used a tidal wave to push Moon Shadow Spider away. But before he could take the next action, Wei Xiao’s Time Tracker scratched him on the back, applying a “Temporal Mark.”
PSP’s Top Laner used a displacement skill to chase Moon Shadow Spider. Simultaneously, Wei Xiao’s fingers quickly and lightly tapped the W key. “Tracking Claw” swung out, chasing the mark, grabbing Deep Sea Whale Soul from a distance, and emptying his health bar before he could attack Moon Shadow Spider!
[System Notification] Time Tracker has secured First Blood!
[System Notification] Enemy Deep Sea Whale Soul has been slain!
“Nice!” Qin Jin Yao had followed the call to engage, breaking out in a cold sweat as he did so.
He had just been betrayed by a Jungler during training yesterday and hated himself for being so obedient.
But the imagined betrayal didn’t happen. Wei Xiao’s gank was clean and decisive, giving the feeling that everything was under control, as if even his own reaction was anticipated.
With the security of being trusted and the safety of being protected—Qin Jin Yao couldn’t think of any reason not to trust and admire Wei Xiao.
“As expected of the Captain!” he praised while clearing the lane. “Even Dove isn’t as smooth as you!”
“Strange, where is the enemy Jungler?” After killing Deep Sea Whale Soul, Wei Xiao pretended to leave the Top Lane but didn’t actually go far, because he knew the enemy Jungler must have also started Top side and was definitely aiming to gank his own Top Laner.
But after waiting for a while, no one appeared. He could only remind Qin Jin Yao to be careful while returning to the upper jungle to clear camps.
What he didn’t know was that when he appeared in the Top Lane, PSP’s Jungler had indeed immediately abandoned the half-cleared camp and rushed to the Top Lane. But before he even left the jungle, his teammate was slain.
When the system notification appeared, PSP’s Jungler clearly paused in place, looking stunned. In reality, he was checking the vision to assess the situation. After judging that Moon Shadow Spider was hard to gank, he decisively returned to the jungle to continue farming.
He wasn’t truly stunned, but the live audience certainly was.
Before the match started, they had booed Wei Xiao, thinking he was overconfident. Yet, less than three minutes into the game, Wei Xiao secured the first kill.
Huh? Who is this Jungler? What is going on with this team?
Still marveling at Wei Xiao’s clean gank, two more system notifications appeared on the screen.
[System Notification] Rift Star Mark, First Kill!
[System Notification] Enemy Deep Sea Merman has been slain!