First match of the championship, CH against VIT.

It was unexpected for everyone that VIT would lose this match.

This is the top three battle. Currently, the highest-ranked teams in the playoffs, VIT, RS, and CH, compete in a round-robin format with double elimination. Losing one match puts a team in the loser’s bracket, where they compete against other teams from the loser’s bracket. Once the top team is determined in the loser’s bracket, they face the top team from the winner’s bracket in the final championship match.

The matches are scheduled closely together, with at most a week between them. VIT faces CH in the first round.

CH’s strategic intent for this match is difficult to grasp. During the draft phase, they chose their usual and stable operational system, neither taking an aggressive approach nor giving up any ground.

In this season, CH is known for prolonging games, often playing matches that last over forty minutes. They have numerous records of turning the tide in their favor during steady operations in adverse conditions.

On the other hand, VIT is the team with the most “fastest game endings” this season, often deciding the victory or defeat within fifteen minutes.

If VIT is considered a high-risk, high-reward team, then CH is a team that operates with the lowest possible risk.

The characteristics and pace of the two teams actually counterbalance each other; it all depends on who controls the tempo.

On the day of the match, the atmosphere is heated.

VIT’s momentum is high, like an unstoppable flame. Both fans and spectators are particularly eager to see the outcome. Will VIT become the team that wins all the way into the winner’s bracket and ultimately takes the championship this year?

The champion selection at the beginning is safe for both sides.

Yin was banned in the early stage, and Rong Yi took Lili as a substitute pick. Ci She picked Empress.

The mechanism of Empress determines that she heavily relies on her blood-sharing mode. The blood-sharing state can be activated for ten seconds, but after all the stacks are consumed, the skill’s cooldown lasts for twenty seconds.

A professional player who knows how to play Empress would usually consciously conserve the skill.

At the beginning, Lu Feng glanced at Ci She’s equipment and said, “Empress’s three stacks of blood-sharing. No rush, let’s drag it out slowly.”

Soon, VIT noticed CH’s special tactics.

In the bottom lane, CH maintained continuous harassment. The jungle, mid, and support players occasionally came over, intentionally or unintentionally occupying the entire vision of the bottom jungle.

Occupying this position sacrifices other resources, but the heroes selected by CH are excellent at clearing waves quickly. Since there was no clear advantage or disadvantage in the early game, it was difficult to establish a rhythm quickly.

CH is too familiar with defense and operations.

Ten minutes into the game, Ci She was ganked five times, but none of the encounters led to fights.

The highest number of opponents was four when they cleared the wave and then surrounded him. Rong Yi and Xiao Yin directly invaded the bottom jungle and CH, not interested in fighting, retreated immediately.

Two or even three players clearing waves, rotating lanes, maintaining global vision, and defending the bottom jungle together.

Ten minutes into the game, neither team had secured a single kill. In VIT’s judgment, it meant that there was no opportune moment worth taking risks yet.

Watertight.

Ci She’s feeling was the worst.

The opponents were constantly camping him. They didn’t create false vision; they just stayed near the bottom jungle, ready to appear at any moment.

Ci She remained calm.

“Leave me, leave the bottom lane, and go push.”

“It won’t work this game.” Rong Yi looked at the lineup and the disappearing vision of the bottom jungle. “They are controlling the vision resources in the bottom jungle, and their mid and top players are clearing waves and rotating. If you can’t farm properly, and they drag out the tempo, we will lose.”

“When the opponents play defensively, we must not force an attack.”

“Forcing an attack and having high attack power are two different concepts.”

“Forcing an attack means hitting a rock with an egg and being worn down. High attack power is a matter of time and tempo.”

“I and Brother Yin will help you, but you must farm properly. We can farm well in the early game, but if you can’t farm, and they prolong the tempo, we will lose.”

“We will lose.” These three words came out of Rong Yi’s mouth calmly and lightly.

However, for the young players on the team, it was the first time they heard these three words, and even the potato chips being eaten by someone in the training room couldn’t help but shudder.

Ci She said, “Okay.”

Rong Yi’s judgment was very accurate.

Subsequently, a skirmish occurred in the top lane. Xiao Yin and Wu Dao Gu teamed up to dive under the tower, attempting to force a kill. However, it was still the early game, and their damage wasn’t enough. With the opponents’ support arriving, Xiao Yin and Wu Dao Gu retreated temporarily, each losing one layer of their states.

This is the frightening aspect of defensive operation flow.

All-around avoidance of fights, maximizing benefits, a high defensive lineup, never taking risks – stable as a rock in the early game, controlling lanes and pushing towers in the later stages.

If VIT wants to catch someone, they need to send out at least two carries to counter. But even then, they might not gain any advantage. And once VIT initiates an attack, attempting tower dives or split pushing, CH will seize the opportunity to steal resources or collapse on them.

The premise for VIT to take action is high returns.

They need two players who can wipe out the opposing team.

Allowing Ci She to farm is the best choice.

If in training matches, CH was like a wall, then now CH has transformed into a true wall, and VIT is the blade trying to break through the city wall.

Whether CH’s wall is thick enough or VIT’s blade is sharp enough, the result will be determined in this game.

Sweat gradually forms on Ci She’s fingertips.

CH’s approach to him is very different.

They no longer create false vision, but they also don’t leave. The vision in the bottom jungle is under their control, and the opponents rarely reveal their movement. Several times they engage, but CH shows no interest in fighting, only forcing Ci She and Hui Mao to recall for replenishment.

Recalling once is equivalent to wasting all the previous vision information.

Rong Yi and Xiao Yin are constantly trying to expand their advantage, collaborating with Wu Dao Gu to find opportunities. However, with the high defensive play from the opponents, the tempo has been significantly slowed down.

Twenty minutes have passed, and the mid tower and top lane tier-one tower have only been worn down by half.

CH also picked a Cybernetic Mech top laner, a hero that can heal the tower, which is very frustrating.

Ci She looks at the gold panel, trying to determine the opponents’ position.

This has been his recent training content, but he hasn’t fully mastered it yet. His nature is to react to any movement, finding a way to survive in intense laning and ganks.

But when the enemy deliberately conceals any movement, he becomes like a blind hunting dog.

Rong Yi taught him a method, but he hasn’t fully adapted to it. It’s difficult for someone who used to rely on eyesight and reactions to suddenly rely on calculations and theories to assess the situation.

What’s even more challenging is bringing Ci She back to his previous state. Training has only been halfway, and many of his habits have already changed.

Hui Mao remains silent. He knows his own habits, staying in the lane with low health to be Ci She’s eyes.

But because it’s difficult to replenish health, Hui Mao was ambushed and killed in the thirteenth minute, giving away first blood.

“You go help mid, Xiao Mao.”

Ci She’s voice turns slightly heavy, “I can’t handle bot lane anymore.”

“I can’t go,” Hui Mao’s voice is very clear, “The captain said that we can only win this game if we both step up. Believe in me, and believe in yourself.”

Ci She’s expression becomes somewhat gloomy, with visible anxiety and unease between his eyebrows.

Rong Yi doesn’t say anything. He, along with Xiao Yin and Wu Dao Gu, is also exhausted. After taking down the top lane tier-one tower together, the opponents show no reaction and continue focusing on the bot lane.

Ci She still hasn’t caught up economically.

By the twentieth minute, the opponents have completed their items and started pressing forward step by step. They didn’t choose to dive the tower for kills but inflicted as much damage as they could, repeatedly grinding down

Ci She’s health.

Ci She has been targeted the entire game, and now a clear mistake appears—Empress draining blood is 0.5 seconds away from being ready. He wanted to use high damage to force Wind into the tower, but without the blood-draining mode activated, his damage was one level lower. Wind didn’t die, and Ci She once again lost Hui Mao, who had low health.

Hui Mao dies, and Ci She hesitates between recalling and facing the enemy. This hesitation allows the support and marksman lurking behind him in the brush to see through his intentions. The three of them dive the tower, kill Ci She, and calmly retreat.

This mistake leads to a double kill that could have been avoided, and the bot lane tier-one tower is pushed.

“No other choice,” Rong Yi looks at the scoreboard and commands again, “We defend and play safe.”

Ci She remains silent, but his gaze becomes sharper and heavier, and he clenches his teeth.

VIT regroups to defend.

Everyone is buying time for Ci She to farm, but he is clearly struggling to deal with CH’s playstyle. As they retreat step by step, for the first time, he becomes the breakthrough point for the entire team.

CH is extremely patient, grinding away bit by bit. They retreat at any sign of risk. Under Wind’s command, the whole team doesn’t make a single mistake. Although VIT’s other lanes have performed well, it’s not enough in the end.

VIT loses the game. Score: 0-1.

The number of kills in the game is also surprising: 5:1. From start to finish, only Ci She and Hui Mao died, while VIT managed to secure only one kill.

After the game, no one speaks in the training room.

Rong Yi maintains a calm expression and discusses with Xiao Yin, “CH was impressive this time. Their playoff level has directly ascended to another dimension.”

Xiao Yin nods, “It’s Lu Feng’s style. Very steady.”

Ci She has remained silent, keeping his head down.

In the second game, as expected, the opponents once again choose a high-defense and operation-focused lineup while also banning two heroes that can break through defenses.

VIT maintains their lineup as usual.

Rong Yi and Xiao Yin act as if the previous defeat didn’t happen, configuring almost the same lineup as before.

“Captain, think of a way.”

After five minutes into the game, when Ci She is once again surrounded, he speaks up.

“I can’t fight now. Let me go and try a different tactic.”

“There’s no other tactic.”

Rong Yi calmly operates while speaking.

“High returns come with high risks. We can only compete against their steady operations and see who can open up the situation faster.”

“If you can perform well, we can push towers faster, giving us an advantage.”

“But if you can’t hold steady, they will defend their towers faster than we can push, and we’ll still lose.”

“Their system is actually easy to deal with,” Rong Yi says. “You feel uncomfortable because they won’t allow our ADC to develop and won’t engage us in direct team fights.”

“Our team’s style is like an assassin. If we can’t kill the enemy with one strike, the opportunity will be forever lost.”

“It’s difficult for assassins to deal with warriors.”

Ci She remains silent, and everyone can see that he is still biting his lips, trying hard to focus and resist the ambushes and assassinations from the opponents, but he is still facing the same situation as in the previous game.

The opponents keep appearing, harassing, retreating, and lurking, grinding down his state repeatedly, forcing him to recall again and again, waiting for his vulnerability.

The situation from the previous game repeats itself, and Ci She becomes the breakthrough point once again. But this time, it’s not due to his mistake. The opponents use a continuous damage item, which he didn’t calculate correctly, and after an escape attempt, he is killed by the buff damage.

The situation is once again opened up from the bot lane. Rong Yi and Xiao Yin equip themselves with high damage items and try to surround and attack together, but the outcome of the aggressive assault is not optimistic. They manage to secure one kill through their coordination, but they can’t break through further.

The second game quickly comes to an end.

0:2.

VIT loses to CH, 0-2.

When this result is announced, not only the on-site audience but even the referee team pauses for a moment.

Since entering the domestic league, VIT has not lost a single game in the past half a year. They have won all the way through.

Today’s game is the first time VIT has lost.

Ci She still doesn’t say anything.

After the game, everyone else stands up, leaving him alone sitting in the esports chair.

Xiao Yin takes off his headphones and casually says, “Xiao Mao and I will go for the post-match interview. Everyone else, take a rest.”

Rong Yi nods and goes to the vending machine to get a bottle of drink, handing it to Ci She and Wu Dao Gu. “You’ve worked hard. You played well today.”

Wu Dao Gu takes it and says, “Thank you, Captain.”

He glances at Ci She, whose face is almost falling to the ground, emanating a sense of darkness.

Wu Dao Gu silently mouths, “Captain, what should we do?”

Rong Yi walks over, pulls a chair, and sits beside Ci She.

He hands the drink to Ci She.

“Xiao She, can we talk?” Rong Yi asks.