Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 54
byChapter 54
After a period of time, the lineups for both sides were confirmed.
FHM: TOP – Moon Shadow Demon Spider, MID – Blazing Feather, ADC – Thorn Whip, SUP – Deep Sea Merman, JNG – Void Star Trace
CHIP: TOP – Glorious Knight, MID – Soul Suppressor, ADC – Frost Love, SUP – Soul Summoning Bell, JNG – Phantom Assassin
Commentator Wu Ya: “It really is Void Star Trace Jungler!”
Commentator Xue Xiao: “Actually, I think Blazing Feather is better for Jungler, but both are magic Assassins, so either one can take MID or JNG.”
Wei Xiao genuinely didn’t care which one he took. He had even used Divine Fox God as a Jungler before, so how could he not have tried Blazing Feather and Void Star Trace, both of which were legitimate Jungler options?
However, he felt that Zhou Miao Miao played Blazing Feather better than he did—more decisive and cleaner—while Zhou Miao Miao’s Void Star Trace wasn’t as stable as his. Therefore, it was natural to let Zhou Miao Miao take the hero he was more skilled and stable with.
As the match began, Wei Xiao knew that CHIP’s Jungler would definitely be watching the mid-lane, so he chose to start his jungle route from the top side, hoping to secure vision in the upper river to reduce the pressure on Zhou Miao Miao’s lane.
He was prepared for a 2v2 before he even went there.
Bad news: Our MID Blazing Feather is very weak before level 3.
Good news: The enemy MID Soul Suppressor is also very weak before level 3.
Another piece of bad news: The enemy Jungler Phantom Assassin hits very hard at level 2.
Another piece of good news: Void Star Trace also hits very hard at level 2.
So, if the upper river really turned into a 2v2, it would likely be a situation where two bullies brought along two disabled companions.
Wei Xiao reached level 2 after taking the second jungle monster and unlocked his displacement skill. While rushing toward the upper river, he pulled his vision to check the mid-lane and found that both MIDs were mostly at full health, with lane priority being 50/50.
He tentatively spoke up: “Miao Miao, move closer to my side, near the brush.”
“Okay.” Zhou Miao Miao approached the brush without hesitation.
Then, just when he was two steps away from diving into the brush, the enemy Jungler Phantom Assassin used a displacement skill to rush out of the brush and land right in his face!
Zhou Miao Miao yelped “Wow” in surprise, instinctively displaced toward Wei Xiao’s direction, and then used a Q skill, hitting the Phantom Assassin.
At the same time, Wei Xiao used “Star Gate” to teleport himself next to him, and also used a Q skill!
“Blazing Feather” and “Meteor Shower” hit the Phantom Assassin one after the other. The damage from these two skills was very high, instantly taking away two-thirds of the Phantom Assassin’s health.
Wei Xiao followed up with a basic attack, but failed to secure the kill. Zhou Miao Miao decisively used “Scorching.”
System Notification: Blazing Feather, secured First Blood!
System Notification: Enemy Phantom Assassin has been slain!
The enemy MID Soul Suppressor had already used his first skill, but he used it on Wei Xiao. The damage on the CHIP side was spread out by FHM, leaving no kills to secure, so the Soul Suppressor chose to retreat under the tower.
Wei Xiao had no skills available now, so he didn’t pursue, turning instead to secure the vision in the upper river.
Zhou Miao Miao waited for him to secure the vision before clicking to recall, complaining while recalling: “You should have told me before you baited me!”
“My bad, my bad.” Wei Xiao admitted his mistake while trying to suppress a laugh. “I was just about to say something, and he rushed out. I was startled too.”
This wave was indeed Wei Xiao’s mistake, but fortunately, they managed it without major incident.
However, in the commentators’ eyes, this scene was entirely within FHM’s plan.
Commentator Wu Ya: “FHM’s MID and JNG cooperation is excellent! Phantom Assassin was ambushed from two sides, nowhere to run!”
Commentator Xue Xiao: “Indeed. FHM focused their attack on the Jungler, and CHIP’s MID didn’t follow up. By the time he displaced, FHM’s MID and JNG had already swapped positions.”
Commentator Wu Ya: “He probably didn’t want to push too hard and alert Blazing Feather, but he didn’t expect it to be a trap. FHM’s baiting this wave was superb! Sure enough, the most sophisticated hunter often appears in the form of prey!”
After Wei Xiao secured vision and reached level 3, he fearlessly secured the vision in the lower river and ganked the bottom lane.
CHIP’s bottom lane played cautiously and was difficult to gank, but Tang Li tanked tower damage, allowing his ADC and Jungler to aggressively push under the tower. He ultimately sacrificed himself to secure a 1-for-2 trade, with Wei Xiao and Lu Qing Yang each getting a kill.
Commentator Wu Ya: “Wei Xiao has once again taken control of the match tempo!”
Commentator Xue Xiao: “Now we just have to see if CHIP’s MID can break free from the mid-lane and gank somewhere.”
CHIP’s MID wanted to break free, but his opponent was far more troublesome than he imagined.
He knew Zhou Miao Miao’s Blazing Feather was strong, but during scrims, he had only laned against Zhou Miao Miao’s Void Star Trace. Zhou Miao Miao’s Void Star Trace was no match for him; even if he occasionally managed to suppress him for a while, his overall performance was disappointing. So, he judged that it wouldn’t matter if the opponent got Blazing Feather; he could use the stronger early-game Void Star Trace to seize lane priority.
He never expected the opponent to use Void Star Trace as a Jungler!
Magic Assassins can jungle—they gank the same way physical Assassins do, and there are jungle items that increase magic damage.
However, neither Blazing Feather nor Void Star Trace has the basic attack damage of a physical Assassin in the early game, so their jungle clearing speed is much slower than an Assassin’s. This is why Wei Xiao arrived in the mid-lane a step later than CHIP’s Jungler.
CHIP’s side thought, with so many Junglers left open, they banned Blade Shadow Dancer, Bamboo Forest Swordsman, and Time Tracker, but didn’t ban Moon Shadow Demon Spider, Full Moon Fierce Wolf, Overlord Blade, or Glorious Knight. There was no way the opponent would prioritize Void Star Trace, right?
But why did they prioritize it?
The moment FHM locked in Void Star Trace, CHIP’s MID admitted his mentality took a slight hit.
But this was absolutely not the reason why he was currently being suppressed by Zhou Miao Miao’s Blazing Feather.
He just wanted to bait slightly, but the opponent seized the opportunity and instantly dropped his health to critical levels. If he hadn’t used Flash decisively, he would have died!
CHIP’s MID retreated unwillingly, reminding his teammates: “I couldn’t hold Blazing Feather in MID. Both top and bottom lanes, be careful.”
His teammates responded immediately. The top lane quickly cleared a wave of minions and immediately retreated. The bottom lane was already positioned far back and, upon hearing the warning, retreated directly under the tower.
However, the defensive tower provides damage, not a shield. A few seconds later, FHM’s two magic Assassins simultaneously appeared in the bottom lane. They displaced into the tower one after the other, and with two ultimate skills unleashed, CHIP’s bottom lane instantly melted like soap dropped into water.
System Notification: Blazing Feather, Single Kill!
System Notification: Enemy Frost Love has been slain!
System Notification: Blazing Feather, Double Kill!
System Notification: Enemy Soul Summoning Bell has been slain!
After securing the double kill, Wei Xiao took the lead in moving out of the tower range. Zhou Miao Miao followed closely, displacing out of the tower. Their footwork was smooth and their coordination was seamless, not even giving Tang Li a chance to use his shield for protection.
However…
Wei Xiao: “Why did you get both kills?”
Zhou Miao Miao: “Because your hand speed was faster than mine, and you used your skill too early.”
Wei Xiao: “Hahahahaha!”
Tang Li: “I’m dying of laughter. The art of speaking.”
Qin Jin Yao: “This guy is secretly delighted.”
Lu Qing Yang: “So, Miao Miao is carrying this game?”
Wei Xiao: “Since he took Blazing Feather, of course he’s carrying!”
When Wei Xiao locked in Void Star Trace, he decided to nurture Zhou Miao Miao to carry, depending on the situation.
In the current situation, letting Zhou Miao Miao C-carry was perfectly viable, or they could C-carry together, and the physical damage could be supplemented by Lu Qing Yang and Qin Jin Yao.
Zhou Miao Miao did not disappoint him.
After Wei Xiao secured the resources in the lower river, he went to the mid-lane again, coordinating seamlessly with Zhou Miao Miao to secure the enemy MID and JNG kills. After pushing down the mid-lane Tier 1 tower, the second half of the match proceeded smoothly.
Wherever Wei Xiao went, Zhou Miao Miao followed. Once they arrived, they enveloped the enemy from front and back, unleashing two ultimate skills, resulting in mass casualties.
After freeing up the top laner, the MID-JNG synergy turned into TOP-MID-JNG synergy. The three ruffians ran rampant and unrestrained in CHIP’s jungle, while CHIP’s Jungler could only anxiously pace outside the jungle, waiting for his teammates.
But by the time his teammates arrived, their jungle had long been swept clean by FHM’s three hungry wolves, who were already pushing the mid-lane again.
Commentator Xue Xiao was still hoping that CHIP’s MID could rise up and carry, but CHIP’s MID was struggling to take care of himself.
The Soul Suppressor only has two segments of displacement—displace in and displace back—while Blazing Feather and Void Star Trace have many more displacement tricks.
Blazing Feather, in full state, can achieve four segments of back-and-forth flight. Void Star Trace’s second skill can teleport damage, the third skill can teleport himself, and the ultimate can teleport teammates and enemies.
During a team fight, Void Star Trace displaced close to the enemy and used his ultimate to initiate. Blazing Feather followed up with a flurry of chaotic displacements, instantly killing the enemy dual-C and chipping away most of the health of the others. Moon Shadow Demon Spider and Thorn Whip went up to supplement the damage and secure kills, while Deep Sea Merman provided full escort, ensuring no one’s health dropped below half.
A team wipe was effortless!
Following a series of system notifications, Commentator Wu Ya let out an exaggerated gasp: “Too brutal! The damage this wave is explosive! It’s like CHIP didn’t even buy magic defense!”
Commentator Xue Xiao’s voice was also excited: “It’s a one-wave push! They can end it!”
Wei Xiao was indeed shouting “End it!”: “Quick, quick, quick! Take the Dragon immediately! End it right now!”
The FHM members rushed into the Dragon pit, vying to output damage onto the Demon Dragon before it could even get up and unleash its power!
Qin Jin Yao’s Moon Shadow Demon Spider was also powered up. With one bite, the Demon Dragon’s health bar visibly dropped, and his own health rapidly recovered.
The five players finished the Dragon as fast as possible, and then began a fierce push.
CHIP’s Jungler was slightly stronger than MID’s Jungler, but compared to KPI’s Fei Yu, his reaction speed wasn’t as fast, and he lacked flexibility in kiting. CHIP’s MID couldn’t deal damage after his economy was suppressed. Although he managed to instantly kill Lu Qing Yang’s Thorn Whip once, he ultimately couldn’t turn the tide of the battle.
In the end, FHM won the first game against CHIP in an extremely brutal fashion, led by the two burst magic Assassins.
Fans supporting the FHM team cheered enthusiastically:
“A textbook example of MID-JNG synergy!”
“Zhou Miao Miao’s Blazing Feather is awesome! Xiao Ge’s Void Star Trace is so stable, he didn’t mess up the whole time. A strong alliance, I loved watching that!”
“FHM is so cool! All five players are cool! Wen Shi Yu has such good taste, worthy of being Yu Shen!”
Fans supporting the CHIP team were disappointed, but because FHM’s performance was so stunning, they didn’t feel let down, only regretful that CHIP might not make it to the finals.
“FHM is too strong… Are they going to make it to the finals in their first year of competition?”
“Wuwuwu, is the CP I ship not going to make it to the finals?”
“The match isn’t over yet, anything is possible, but I just feel like CHIP can’t win…”
“Yeah, CHIP’s strength lies in their MID-JNG synergy, but FHM’s MID-JNG synergy isn’t bad either.”
Backstage, the TPL staff were whispering to each other.
“It feels like FHM is going to win again.”
“They are truly strong. I can’t imagine them losing right now.”
“Let’s think of some novel and interesting questions to ask this time.”
“Right, CHIP has been marketing their MID-JNG CP all along. Let’s ask FHM what CPs they have?”