Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 35

Chapter 35

On the day the FHM vs. EN match concluded, hot searches related to the two teams occupied half of the top ten spots.

#FHM Crushes EN#

#Wei Xiao Phantom Assassin#

#Wen Shi Yu Successful Revenge#

#FHM Advances to Quarterfinals#

#EN MID and Jungler Rift#

Clicking into these hot searches, the comments were overwhelmingly praising FHM and criticizing EN.

[FHM’s match was so satisfying to watch!]

[As expected of God Yu’s team! TOL’s number one Phantom Assassin returns!]

[Wei Xiao is too handsome! In every sense of the word!]

[FHM is awesome! This is what a real professional team looks like! Some teams really give me the feeling that ‘I can do better.’]

[After Wen Shi Yu retired, EN became a mess!]

However, as the popularity and discussion increased, some people, driven by contrarianism, started voicing doubts, believing themselves to be clear-headed.

[Buying five hot searches at once? Some teams are going too far!]

[Looking at these hot searches, I thought FHM beat WI, but it turns out they just beat EN?]

[EN’s strength hasn’t been enough for the quarterfinals for a while, and PSP didn’t even make the quarterfinals. Winning against just these two teams, I don’t know what the big deal is.]

These voices, contrary to the mainstream, were undoubtedly met with counterarguments.

[Clearly someone who doesn’t watch the matches.]

[You don’t think you’re very clear-headed, do you?]

[Anyone who has watched FHM play, even just one match, wouldn’t post such an idiotic comment.]

However, online arguments often push both sides to further extremes. The final result was that those supporting FHM became more resolute, and those questioning FHM became more skeptical. Both sides eagerly awaited the result of FHM’s next match to thoroughly shut the other side down.

[Whether FHM has real strength will be known when they play KCD.]

[Beat KCD? Dreaming!]

[Then let’s wait and see!]

And so, the day of the FHM vs. KCD match arrived.

Although FHM had already secured their spot in the quarterfinals, the result of this match would not affect their participation in the playoffs a few days later.

But their goal was the championship, so they did not want to lose to any team in a formal match.

Wen Shi Yu didn’t say things like “just relax and play,” but instead emphasized the key points for this match: “KCD is strong. Against them, we only really have an advantage in decision-making. When making decisions, we must be decisive and clean. Don’t hesitate when you can initiate a team fight; start the fight proactively, follow up quickly, and don’t give them a chance to counter-engage.”

“Understood,” Wei Xiao replied obediently.

Before the match started, it was the usual segment where both sides trash-talked each other.

KCD, both online and offline, maintained their humility, elegance, and… robotic nature.

“First, congratulations on advancing to the quarterfinals. Also, we are very happy to compete against you in a formal match. We hope both sides can enjoy today’s game, pour our sweat onto the TPL battlefield, and leave no regrets.”

KCD’s captain spoke in his calm, unruffled voice, while his teammates showed varying degrees of speechlessness.

“Robot captain.”

“Trash talk? Not even a little bit.”

“The host just lost his job.”

“Hahaha, we’re used to it, we’re used to it.”

Wei Xiao was glad that FHM had played scrims against KCD and knew how humble this team was, so he had prepared two versions of his speech beforehand. Otherwise, if he had prepared a bunch of aggressive trash talk only to meet a robotic opponent, he wouldn’t have known how to proceed.

Between people and between teams, courtesy demands reciprocity. Since KCD expressed love and peace, Wei Xiao naturally couldn’t respond with malice.

His response was: “Congratulations to you too on advancing to the quarterfinals. We will give our all in this match, and we hope you don’t hold back. Regardless of the outcome, we can all grab a meal together afterward, and maybe you can casually leak some intel about other teams to us.”

“Hahahaha!” The live audience burst into laughter, and the viewers in the live stream couldn’t hold back either.

[Is he allowed to say that directly?]

[I can hear the abacus beads bouncing off my face!]

[Dying of laughter, Wei Xiao is too entertaining!]

[I love the atmosphere between these two teams!]

[What is this? I’ll take a sip.]

The two sides exchanged smiles and then headed to their respective battle stations.

The commentators for today’s match were a pair of popular game streamers on the JJ streaming platform, known for their abstract humor and antics, but they definitely had skill.

The woman was named Xue Xiao, specializing in Marksmen. The man was named Wu Ya, specializing in Hard Supports.

They were not a couple but liked to pretend to be one in-game, often staging scenes where one died and the other went on a furious killing spree.

Unlike Yue Xia, who was skilled at hyping up the atmosphere, Xue Xiao’s voice was calm and elegant, giving off a sense of unhurried composure: “FHM is finally facing KCD. We are really looking forward to the result of this match.”

Wu Ya’s style was more exaggerated: “Super excited! I woke up at four in the morning thinking about commentating on FHM vs. KCD! On one side, we have a strong team whose ranking steadily improves, getting closer to the championship every year! On the other, we have the dark horse that suddenly emerged this year, shocking everyone in their first appearance! Both have a chance at the championship; we might be witnessing the birth of a brand new champion team! Super excited!”

Xue Xiao: “Not only that, but this match is crucial for FHM’s future development. Many people online feel that FHM making it to the quarterfinals was pure luck. They need to use this match to further prove themselves.”

Wu Ya: “Someone is actually questioning FHM’s strength? Are they questioning FHM? They’re questioning PSP and EN!”

Xue Xiao: “Hahaha.”

Wu Ya: “But you have a point. PSP didn’t qualify for the last playoffs, and EN has had internal issues. In contrast, KCD is much more stable. They ranked fifth in the New Year Invitational and haven’t changed their Starters. If FHM can truly beat KCD, no one will question their strength again. But KCD is not that easy to beat. In short, let’s wait and see!”

The match began. The ban/pick phase was unremarkable, with both sides targeting the opponent’s core carries. FHM banned three Supports and two Marksmen. KCD banned three Assassins, one Warrior, and one Mage.

One Mage—meaning, Blazing Feather was banned, but Void Star Mark was left open.

FHM had the first pick and immediately locked in Void Star Mark without hesitation.

This was not surprising.

“Although FHM’s MID can play Assassins in the mid-lane, Void Star Mark being picked by KCD would also be tricky,” commented Xue Xiao. “KCD should have anticipated this.”

“KCD must have done targeted training against Assassin Mages! No need to even think about it!” Wu Ya agreed. “But FHM must also be prepared.”

Indeed, during the ban/pick phase, Wen Shi Yu had reminded Zhou Miao Miao: “They probably won’t ban Void Star Mark. If you think you can play it, grab it. If not, ban it.”

Zhou Miao Miao’s response was: “Grab it!”

After showing off Void Star Mark in a formal match, his confidence was soaring: “Don’t worry, my Void Star Mark is terrifyingly strong now!”

Wen Shi Yu “oh’d” and didn’t say much more, completely trusting his player’s judgment.

But he wasn’t playing. Wei Xiao, who actually had to coordinate with Zhou Miao Miao on the field, couldn’t help but hiss: “Why do I feel uneasy… If you first-pick Void Star Mark, the opponent will either pick someone who counters you in the lane or someone who is good at roaming. KCD’s MID is strong and can carry, so they will likely choose the latter. I will prioritize freeing you up, so please, for the love of god, don’t collapse.”

“Relax, leave it to me!” What hero can’t a good Void Star Mark player suppress?

The moment the words fell, the opposing team picked Bamboo Swordsman and Phantom Assassin. After Wei Xiao and Qin Jin Yao selected Full Moon Wolf and Shadow Spider, KCD locked in Cursed Blade Scissor.

“Huh?” Zhou Miao Miao was stunned.

“Three Assassins?” Wei Xiao and Qin Jin Yao said in unison.

“Interesting,” Wen Shi Yu was also surprised.

Three Assassins meant one of them had to be the MID. It was uncertain whether it was Bamboo Swordsman, Phantom Assassin, or Cursed Blade Scissor—all three are Assassins that can be played in the Jungle or Top lane. KCD clearly picked these three heroes deliberately to obscure their lane assignments.

Assassins in the mid-lane were certainly not exclusive to FHM, but before today, KCD had never attempted such a composition, which immediately caught the attention of everyone present!

“Wow, the first game is a clash of six Assassins! This is too exciting! Wait, wouldn’t KCD’s Marksman have a tough time?” Wu Ya wondered.

“Indeed, one less frontline greatly compresses the Marksman’s survival space. Such an attempt is not very wise for a team that primarily relies on the Marksman as their core output. But it’s understandable, considering their opponent is FHM, and FHM’s early game is too aggressive,” Xue Xiao said.

FHM thought KCD was humble, and the audience both live and in the stream also thought KCD was humble. However, before this match started, KCD was genuinely panicking.

During scrims, they felt that their 3:2 victory over FHM was a fluke. They could see that FHM lacked experience in 5v5, coordination between players, and their MID’s hero proficiency was low, but the individual skill of every member was exceptionally strong.

Perhaps because FHM’s Jungler Wei Xiao had long dominated the Solo Queue Rank 1 spot, or perhaps because FHM’s coach was Wen Shi Yu, when audiences discussed FHM’s strength online, they often overlooked that it was a team established only this year.

This was like comparing an infant to an adult.

But infants grow.

In just one short week, KCD witnessed this infant’s rapid, rocket-like growth. They had made noticeable progress in all aspects.

Yet, even when this infant was still an infant, they could take 2 out of 5 points from KCD. How could KCD not panic?

Facing a team whose early game was comparable to a nuclear bomb, picking a composition that scaled too late was suicide.

KCD might seem laid-back, but they also wanted to win the championship. Therefore, to beat FHM, they racked their brains and finally adopted this tactic—if you can’t beat them, join them!

Targeting and imitation went hand-in-hand. You guys are strong with Assassins? Then we will ban Assassins, pick Assassins, and play Assassins.

It seemed like a death wish, but it was their only chance for survival.

And this indeed delivered a heavy blow to FHM.

“Assassin Top-laner, tsk.” Qin Jin Yao frowned irritably. “The Spider is late-game oriented. No matter who their Top-laner is, I’ll have to play safe.”

“Ugh, I should have grabbed Bamboo Swordsman. But Void Star Mark being taken is also annoying. Both Bamboo and Void Star are annoying,” Zhou Miao Miao sighed.

“Now you know how annoying our opponents find us, right?” Wen Shi Yu said in a tone that suggested he enjoyed the drama. “It’s fine. We have one more advantage than them. Even if they copy us, they won’t beat us.”

“What advantage?” Wei Xiao asked curiously.

“Our Marksman can protect himself,” Wen Shi Yu replied seriously.

Wei Xiao: “…”

Wei Xiao: “Pfft.”

Wen Shi Yu: “So, don’t worry about the bottom lane. Prioritize handling the mid and top lanes.”