Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 56
byChapter 56
If one word were to summarize the external impression of the WI E-sports Club, it would be “arrogant.”
No matter how strong the team or player, they paid them no mind, believing themselves to be the strongest.
If one word were to summarize the internal style of WI, it would be “stable.”
No matter what style of team they faced, they could follow their own rhythm to achieve ultimate victory. Even if they fell behind early, they could rely on individual skill or team fights in the mid-to-late game to turn the tide.
First, there was the Jungler Xing Guang collapsing the enemy carry and breaking the deadlock for a comeback. Later, there was the Marksman Sun winning the Dragon Pit team fight and achieving a Pentakill for a comeback.
Unlike teams like KPI and CHIP, which easily lose momentum once they fall behind in gold, WI truly possessed the ability to reverse games.
And such a powerful, overweening team had stated more than once in front of the cameras—
“Only FHM is qualified to fight us.” “We are really looking forward to playing against FHM.” “Who the champion is will be known after we play FHM.”
They made no secret of their attention toward FHM, which revealed their acknowledgment of FHM’s strength.
All viewers following the TPL eagerly awaited their match against FHM.
And finally, this day arrived.
Under the spotlight, the host finished introducing the two teams and asked FHM: “This is your first time playing WI. Is there anything you’d like to say to them?”
Wei Xiao swallowed the phrase “Xing Guang’s era is over” right back down.
Saying the same thing privately was one thing; saying it in public was another. Although the trash-talk segment was meant to stir things up, and he wasn’t afraid of being proven wrong, he was afraid of being torn apart by Xing Guang’s fans…
After a brief period of thought, he finally said this: “I guess you’ve already prepared to accept the winner’s post-match interview, but this time, I advise you to prepare the loser’s post-match interview in advance.”
A not-too-harsh statement that conveyed, “We will be the ones winning today.”
Responding to Wei Xiao was WI’s Marksman Sun, who was also the captain of WI. He spoke calmly: “We are here to compete, not to be interviewed. We won’t say anything unnecessary. Let’s start quickly. We have prepared a lot of surprises for you. Look forward to it.”
Neither side’s tone was particularly aggressive, but the air between them was thick with tension.
It proved that the impact of a team’s statement had nothing to do with the volume of their voice, or even the content of what they said; it depended entirely on their strength. With strength, even a simple “Good luck” carried immense pressure.
The match hadn’t started yet, but the bullet comments in the live stream were overflowing, with a higher level of discussion than any previous match.
I can feel the tension!
WI is as dismissive of their opponents as ever.
To be fair, WI is already giving FHM a lot of respect.
Indeed. I’ve never seen WI pay this much attention to a team. FHM’s strength is undeniable.
A clash of titans, full of suspense!
But WI will still win, right?
—This sentence represented the thoughts of most viewers. While they felt FHM had the potential to challenge WI, it was unlikely that FHM could actually defeat WI.
In the tense atmosphere, the opposing teams took their seats and began their pre-match preparations.
The commentators for this match were Ri Xi and Yue Xia.
Ri Xi: “It’s finally here! The highly anticipated match that could directly determine who wins the Spring Split championship!”
Yue Xia: “On one side, we have the three-time reigning champion, globally recognized as the number one powerhouse. On the other, we have the dark horse that registered this year and consecutively defeated two top-four teams. Today’s match is bound to be spectacular!”
Ri Xi: “We can now see the ban/pick phase begin. WI had good luck and rolled the higher number. They chose the blue side, which allows them to decide the last ban slot and lock in the first hero.”
Yue Xia: “The first ban slot is decided by FHM. I wonder what they will lock in first?”
“Fox God.” Wen Shi Yu said without hesitation.
Wei Xiao immediately slammed Fox God onto the ban list.
Yue Xia: “FHM bans Fox God, targeting WI’s carry. Not surprising.”
Ri Xi: “WI, on the other hand, banned Luminous Knight. That’s a bit unexpected.”
Seeing this ban, FHM was indeed surprised, as Wei Xiao didn’t often use Luminous Knight as a Jungler.
But this also indicated a problem—
Wen Shi Yu: “They may be arrogant verbally, but they have genuinely studied us in detail privately.”
Wen Shi Yu probably knew better than Wei Xiao what he excelled at. He was good at “melee marksmen” with displacement and sustained output, such as Overlord Blade. And the ceiling for this type of hero was Luminous Knight.
Other teams looked at frequently used bans, but WI immediately banned a hero that Wei Xiao was good at but didn’t often pick, preventing him from having any chance of getting that hero. This showed how well they understood Wei Xiao’s style and play, and how long they must have analyzed FHM’s match videos.
“What should we ban?” Wei Xiao asked.
Wen Shi Yu thought for a moment and said: “Abyssal Gaze.”
With a snap, another Marksman was banned.
Commentator Yue Xia: “FHM’s second ban still targets WI’s Marksman. They will likely focus on the hero Sun picks in the game.”
Commentator Ri Xi: “And WI banned Chrono Tracker, preventing him from playing a targeted style.”
Commentator Yue Xia: “FHM’s third ban goes to Blazing Feather, limiting their MID.”
Commentator Ri Xi: “WI is still banning Junglers, Bamboo Forest Swordsman. This should be targeting the Top Laner.”
Commentator Yue Xia: “FHM banned Void Star Mark. Do they think WI will rush the MID in the first pick?”
Commentator Ri Xi: “Hard to say. WI continues to ban Junglers, banning Full Moon Wolf.”
Commentator Yue Xia: “FHM’s last slot goes to a Jungler, Blade Shadow Dancer. A Meta Pick still needs to be banned.”
Commentator Ri Xi: “WI’s last slot goes to Thorn Whip. This is a bit surprising.”
Thorn Whip, as an Off-meta Pick among Off-meta Picks, picking her was equivalent to giving up lane priority to the opponent. Furthermore, Lu Qing Yang hadn’t really managed to create an advantage in the bottom lane on his own, relying mostly on the Support and Jungler. So, some teams banned her during the regular season, but she hadn’t been banned in the playoffs. It was unexpected that WI banned her in the first game.
“You have no frontline now,” Wen Shi Yu said flatly.
A chorus of wails erupted in FHM’s voice channel!
Wei Xiao: “We’re doomed! No one to charge in and draw fire!”
Zhou Miao Miao: “We’re doomed! No heads scattered everywhere for me to pick up!”
Tang Li: “FHM faces its greatest crisis in history!”
Qin Jin Yao: “It’s over, my teammates have gone crazy.”
Lu Qing Yang: “Ah, well… what should I pick then? If I can’t get Thorn Whip, everything else is the same to me.”
“Then pick Frost,” Wen Shi Yu decided for him. “You focus on slowing and poking. Leave the rest to your teammates. Tang Li, pick a frontline, Underworld Crow.”
Tang Li: “Okay.”
After WI banned Thorn Whip, their first pick was Soul Lantern Guide.
Seeing this hero, Wei Xiao couldn’t help but gasp.
He remembered discussing with Wen Shi Yu why neither of them played Soul Lantern Guide. This hero had complex skills and a low tolerance for error, giving it a low floor but a high ceiling; it was actually very strong. The answer was, it was ugly. Not only was it not humanoid, it wasn’t even beast-shaped—it was just a broken lantern, and it didn’t have many skins.
Wei Xiao: “I can tell WI really wants to win.” They truly weren’t picky about appearance.
However, this was a Mage Assassin, and there was a possibility of it going MID, so FHM first locked in their Top Laner and Jungler—Moon Shadow Spider and Fox Mask Phantom.
WI immediately selected their bottom lane duo, Needle Rain Thousand Leaves and Soul Summoning Bell, which was quite standard.
FHM then selected their bottom lane duo, Frost Love and Underworld Crow.
WI’s last two slots were Top Laner Bloodthirsty Baron and MID Spirit Puppet.
FHM saved the MID for last, locking in Soul Suppressor.
Soul Suppressor didn’t have an advantage against Spirit Puppet in the lane, but if there was an opportunity to roam, it could put pressure on WI’s top and bottom lanes.
Thus, the lineups for both sides were confirmed:
FHM: Top – Moon Shadow Spider, MID – Soul Suppressor, BOT – Frost Love, SUP – Underworld Crow, JGL – Fox Mask Phantom
WI: Top – Bloodthirsty Baron, MID – Spirit Puppet, BOT – Needle Rain Thousand Leaves, SUP – Soul Summoning Bell, JGL – Soul Lantern Guide
Seeing this lineup, Commentator Yue Xia’s first reaction was: “FHM has so many slows…”
Commentator Ri Xi: “They really do. Moon Shadow Spider’s web can slow, Frost Love slows with every attack, and Underworld Crow’s first skill also slows. That’s why we see WI’s Marksman taking Cleanse.”
Commentator Yue Xia: “I’m getting more and more excited!”