Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 29
byChapter 29
Against EN, we absolutely have to go all out!
Although Wen Shi Yu’s ultimate goal wasn’t EN, since they met, taking revenge was just a matter of convenience.
So, before the dice were even rolled, he lifted the seal on his players: “Miao Miao, you are allowed to take an Assassin mid this game.”
“Yay!” Zhou Miao Zhou almost bounced out of his E-sports chair.
Heaven knows how long he had waited for this day!
Why did he switch from Jungler to MID?
Oh, because his Jungling rhythm was terrible… but after switching to MID, he fell in love with the feeling of using Assassins to stylishly bully Mages!
He persisted in playing MID for this exact feeling, even though his Mage hero pool was so shallow it couldn’t even sustain a fish!
With the seal lifted, his hero pool instantly exploded, but since he was still a mid-laner, he knew the rules: “Wei Team and Ah Yao pick first. I’ll choose from the Assassins you guys leave behind!”
“What kind of priority do you need?” Wei Xiao asked curiously.
“Any Assassin that can also Jungle works!” Zhou Miao Miao replied confidently. “Warriors like Luminous Knight are fine too, depending on whether you or Ah Yao take them.”
“That depends on whether the opponent lets them through,” Wei Xiao responded, genuinely looking forward to Zhou Miao Miao’s performance.
So far, he had only witnessed his mid-laner play Blazing Feather, Void Star Mark, and Witch Nightmare.
Zhou Miao Miao’s Blazing Feather was impeccable, worthy of being on his friends list.
Void Star Mark was initially played poorly, but now, without mistakes, he could even exert a stronger oppressive presence than Blazing Feather—rapid improvement.
Witch Nightmare was played adequately, but Witch Nightmare wasn’t an Assassin, and Zhou Miao Miao had only practiced a few rounds last minute before the match started. His proficiency was less than half that of Void Star Mark.
What kind of plays would an E-sports Player like this make with an Assassin? Wei Xiao was super curious!
The match began with both sides rolling the dice.
Based on the roll, EN won the side selection and chose the Red side.
Wei Xiao was not surprised.
Teams that prioritize lane matchups prefer to pick second, as this allows them to choose heroes that perfectly counter the opponent, ensuring lane advantage.
Wei Xiao originally wanted the Blue side to secure Phantom Assassin, so he was satisfied with the result.
Both sides began the ban/pick phase.
EN first banned Blazing Feather and Void Star Mark, the two Mage Assassins, and then immediately banned Blade Shadow Dancer, Luminous Knight, and—Moon Shadow Spider!
They did not ban Phantom Assassin!
Wei Xiao instantly locked it in!
Wen Shi Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but praise him: “That Moon Shadow Spider play of yours was brilliant.”
If it hadn’t been for the match against PSP, where Wei Xiao’s Moon Shadow Spider single-handedly achieved a Penta Kill on stage, shocking everyone, EN would never have left Phantom Assassin unbanned after learning that he was FHM’s coach.
Being praised, Wei Xiao curved his lips and said modestly, “PSP was too weak.”
“Wei Team is only humble when Wen Ge praises him,” Zhou Miao Miao observed and pointed out.
Wei Xiao coughed and very stiffly changed the subject: “Have you decided on your hero?”
“Ah Yao is definitely taking Bamboo Swordsman. Should I take Cursed Blade Scissors then?” Zhou Miao Miao asked.
“Wait a moment, see what the opposing mid-laner picks,” Wen Shi Yu replied.
The opponent first picked their Top and Jungler: Skeleton Queen for Top, and Full Moon Wolf for Jungle.
One was a tanky, high-defense, crowd-control Top laner, and the other was a sustained damage Assassin Jungler that relied on attack speed.
The MID was not revealed yet, so FHM picked their bottom lane composition—Thorn Whip, the initiating Marksman, and Soul-Summoning Bell, the laning Support.
The opponents looked at their composition and picked Twin-Gun Knight and Deep Sea Merman.
Against Thorn Whip, who has short range but high output, picking Void Hunter, who has the longest range, would be better, but that Marksman was on FHM’s ban list, so EN had to settle for the next best thing.
They picked an attack-speed-reliant Marksman, and the Support not being Undying Hero surprised Wen Shi Yu, but he understood: “Wei Xiao, they are guarding against you.”
“I can tell. They are picking whatever Assassin is hard to catch,” Wei Xiao responded. “But our Tang Ge and Qing Yang aren’t just decorations!”
“Deep Sea Merman has high health and defense and can shield the Marksman, but its poke ability is poor. Watch me poke them to death,” Tang Li said.
“I’m counting on you!” Lu Qing Yang hugged his Support’s thigh.
It was FHM’s turn to pick again, the last two slots. Qin Jin Yao unhesitatingly locked in Bamboo Swordsman, completely ignoring the opposing hero.
An Assassin Top laner—after getting his ultimate, who stays in the top lane to duel? He’ll be roaming the entire map.
Zhou Miao Miao, still unaware of the opposing mid-laner, firmly locked in Cursed Blade Scissors.
An Assassin Mid laner—after getting his ultimate, who stays in the mid lane to duel? He’ll be roaming the entire map.
After getting Wen Shi Yu’s approval, the two locked in their picks sequentially, shocking the commentators for this match.
“Three Assassins?” Yue Xia exclaimed in surprise. “Although FHM’s compositions have always been… unconventional, three Assassins is too exaggerated, especially when the opponent has both Skeleton Queen and Deep Sea Merman.”
“Yes, EN’s composition is quite difficult to gank,” Ri Xi said. “Is Cursed Blade Scissors the mid-laner? Although the ultimate deals magic damage, it can only attack one target. Hiss—this is the first time I’ve seen someone take Cursed Blade Scissors mid in a league match, and he picked it first. Isn’t that too risky?”
As they spoke, EN’s mid-laner surfaced: Soul Suppressor.
“That’s also a hero that’s difficult to catch,” Yue Xia said, sweating for FHM. “EN’s composition completely wins this round. FHM will have a tough time both in the early laning phase and in late-game team fights.”
“Based on the compositions, that’s true, but how it plays out depends on in-game execution,” Ri Xi said. “After all, if you could win just by composition, you could just play chess.”
That was true, but the higher the skill level, the clearer the role of composition in a match. Even the audience members who supported FHM couldn’t help but voice their doubts in the live stream chat.
How are they supposed to play this?
Why did the mid-laner pick Cursed Blade Scissors?
How could the Top laner pick Bamboo Swordsman when they had the advantage of picking second?
Save me, I can’t watch.
In contrast, FHM’s players and coach were completely calm.
Before taking off his headset, Wen Shi Yu spoke first, without waiting for Wei Xiao to open his mouth: “Good luck.”
Wei Xiao smiled upon hearing this: “Relax, just watch my plays, and everything will be fine.”
The match was about to start, and Wen Shi Yu shouldn’t have pressured him, but seeing his arrogance, he couldn’t help but say, “You’re using my first priority pick. If you dare to embarrass me, you’re finished.”
Wei Xiao didn’t panic at all and blurted out, “Absolutely! If I don’t manage to show off, you can punish me however you like.”
Wen Shi Yu really wanted to ask how he intended to be punished, but considering there were others on the voice chat, he ultimately just hummed in acknowledgment.
Wei Xiao waited until he took off his headset before saying, “Whoever messes up this game is finished.”
His tone suddenly turned serious, like a husky suddenly reverting to its ancestry, possessing the ferocity of a wolf.
Qin Jin Yao had never been afraid of anyone in his life, but his scalp tightened because of this sentence, and he instinctively responded with two words: “Understood.”
“Mhm, we can’t lose to anyone, especially EN,” Tang Li said in a very serious tone.
Zhou Miao Miao hadn’t been nervous; he was even a little excited because he got an Assassin, but he was infected by the seriousness in Tang Li’s tone and became serious too: “Once I get my ultimate, I guarantee the opposing mid-laner won’t leave the tower. Leave the tower and die, don’t leave and die.”
“I’ll… I’ll… you guys do your best. Call me when you need initiation,” Lu Qing Yang swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Hiss—why did he suddenly smell a hint of killing intent? EN, you guys are done for!