"Congratulations to Tianhuan for taking the second game! The critical turning point of this match was undoubtedly that Triple Kill by Xiao Xing when he rotated to support. He fought off the opponent's pursuit and pushed down the outer Mid tower with maximum speed."
"Yes, the MVP of this game is undoubtedly Tianhuan Fan Xing!"
"From being the Marksman with the worst stats in the regular season to becoming an MVP Marksman capable of timely rotations and turning the tide of battle—this rookie's growth is truly delightful to see."
"Tianhuan has won two games in a row, taking the match point first. We will now have a 15-minute break. Audience members, feel free to grab a glass of water or use the restroom. We'll be right back!"
The playoffs followed a BO5 (Best of 5) format, so the break after two games was relatively long, allowing players to go backstage. The five members of Tianhuan arrived at the lounge. Coach Lin looked at Cheng Xing with gratification and said, "A shotcaller can't attend to every aspect. It's excellent that you can judge the situation yourself. Xiao Xing has truly grown up."
Cheng Xing scratched his head with a simple, honest smile. "I saw the direction Master and Brother Yang were retreating in and thought I could make it in time, so I went to support. Hehe, I didn't expect to get a Triple Kill either."
Ye Shaoyang smiled and patted Cheng Xing's left shoulder. "Xiao Xing was very handsome out there."
Cheng Xing turned to look at his Master. His Master was usually stern and rarely praised him; Cheng Xing was used to it. Unexpectedly, Chi Shu also gave a rare nod to Cheng Xing today. "That last game was indeed played well."
Cheng Xing's cheeks flushed, and his eyes lit up.
He had been Chi Shu's fan since he was young, following Tianhuan since Season 6. He joined Tianhuan because of Chi Shu. Now, receiving recognition from his idol and master made him happier than winning the lottery.
Chi Shu patted his apprentice's shoulder. "I told you long ago, from the moment you stood on the competition stage, you weren't just my apprentice, but also my teammate."
Cheng Xing nodded vigorously, his nose tingling with emotion.
Brother Yang's hand was on his left shoulder, and his Master gently patted his right. Both looked at him gently, their eyes full of appreciation and encouragement.
To meet these two people… wasn't he just too lucky?
Cheng Xing sniffled and choked out, "Thank you, Master and Brother Yang, for always teaching me so patiently. Without you, I couldn't have improved so fast."
Chi Shu said, "No need for formalities. It's a master's duty to guide his apprentice."
Ye Shaoyang smiled. "Don't be so humble. You improving this fast is also a result of your own talent and willingness to work hard."
A warm current flowed through the bottom of Cheng Xing's heart. He must be the luckiest rookie in the entire league. With the Sun and Moon duo constantly drilling and guiding him—from "Cheng Xing's 100 Ways to Die" before his debut, to Brother Qu now being able to compile "Cheng Xing's 100 Kills"—what other rookie received such treatment?
No matter what, Master and Brother Yang were eternal gods.
The Sun-Moon combination was invincible in the world!
Cheng Xing had long since become the number one die-hard fan of the Sun-Moon CP. Watching the heartwarming scene of the five of them standing together, Coach Lin also felt quite emotional.
Tianhuan's biggest shortcoming used to be Cheng Xing. Now that Cheng Xing had grown into an excellent professional player—one who no longer needed teammates to exhaust themselves protecting him, but could instead keep up with their rhythm and assist in kills—Tianhuan's overall strength would receive a massive boost.
The current Tianhuan had completely transformed.
In the past, every time they entered the playoffs, they had to worry about being eliminated in the first round.
Now, Coach Lin was full of confidence.
He quickly calmed down and said, "Everyone, don't get careless. Although we reached match point first, Jingzhe won't hand over victory so easily. In the third game, I estimate they will bring out their killer move."
Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang exchanged a glance. The latter said seriously, "Jingzhe definitely made ample preparations for the playoffs as well. We can't guess everything; we can only adapt to the situation."
Chi Shu nodded. "Mn. We have to be even more cautious in the third game. Still playing Mid-Jungle synergy?"
Coach Lin thought for a moment. "Mid-Jungle synergy is the most stable. Xiao Xing, pick a scaling Marksman that can withstand pressure. We'll rely on the Mid and Jungle to carry the early rhythm and see if we can break through a lane."
The 15-minute break passed quickly, and the third game officially began.
Tianhuan returned to the Blue Side, getting the first ban and pick. Coach Lin took out a notebook that recorded the heroes banned and picked by both sides in the previous two games to avoid any oversights.
regarding Marksmen, Xie Yuan had already used [Sharpshooter] and [Poison Warlock]. If they banned [Wind Elf] and [Meteor Arrow] in the next game and grabbed [Holy Archer] for themselves, they could compress Xie Yuan's hero pool to the maximum extent.
The match began. In the first phase, Lin Feng banned two Marksmen consecutively and first-picked [Holy Archer] for Cheng Xing. Jingzhe consecutively banned Supports, sending the speed-boost support [Time Traveler] and the cleanse support [Light of Blessing] to the little black room.
Yao Mu said, "It seems Tianhuan is targeting the Marksman position. [Wind Elf] hasn't been let through for three consecutive games. The new hero [Meteor Arrow] was used by Xiao Xing in the last game with good results, so Tianhuan banned it to prevent Jingzhe from taking it."
Brother Dong said, "In that case, the Marksmen available to A-Yuan are very limited. He used [Sharpshooter] in Game 1 and [Poison Warlock] in Game 2. Now, with two T0 Marksmen banned and [Holy Archer] snatched by Xiao Xing, what will A-Yuan pick? [Machine Gun Hunter] to push towers? Or [Blood Kin Princess] to withstand pressure?"
Yao Mu added, "Marksmen like Cannoneer and Archer Master are better used in specific lineups. A-Yuan's choices are indeed few."
Jingzhe quickly selected their heroes in the 1st and 2nd slots.
1st Pick: Mid laner [Frost Goddess].
2nd Pick: Marksman [Snow Maiden].
Seeing this, Lin Feng spoke into the headset: "Is Jingzhe going for a control-heavy route? No wonder they banned the cleanse support [Light of Blessing]. Xiao Xing, bring Cleanse this game."
Ye Shaoyang said, "Shall I take [Goddess of Destiny] to counter [Frost Goddess]?"
Chi Shu nodded. "Sure. I'll take [King of Fighters]. Mid-Jungle synergy to kill Fang Zhengqing."
Tianhuan's first three picks were confirmed: The classic Mid-Jungle combo [King of Fighters] + [Goddess of Destiny], and the late-game scaling Marksman [Holy Archer]. Jingzhe had [Frost Goddess] Mid, [Snow Maiden] Marksman, and [Ice Dragon] Support.
Yao Mu said in surprise, "Is Jingzhe running a Triple Ice lineup?"
Brother Dong said, "[Frost Goddess]'s W skill can freeze enemies in an area, but it has a delay of about 1 second. The Marksman [Snow Maiden] fires ice arrows that slow enemies, and three consecutive hits freeze the opponent. The support [Ice Dragon] can engage and roar, freezing a surrounding area."
Yao Mu continued, "Theoretically, after [Snow Maiden] builds the Chain Lightning item, her ice arrows can cause AoE slows, making [Frost Goddess]'s freeze skill easier to land. Add in [Ice Dragon]'s taunt and freeze—if the skills are chained well, they can unleash a powerful crowd-control chain."
She paused, then changed the subject. "However, this lineup has very low damage in the early game. Both the Mid [Frost Goddess] and Marksman [Snow Maiden] need to farm. It's useless if they control the opponent but can't kill them."
Brother Dong said, "It depends on how they pick in the second phase."
In the second phase, Jingzhe picked Top laner [Blade's Will] and Jungler [Ninja].
Yao Mu realized, "Jingzhe is doing the opposite of convention this game. Mid, Marksman, and Support are joining forces for control, while the damage output relies on the Top and Jungle! [Blade's Will] has strong dual-form damage capabilities and can dive the backline; [Ninja] also has decent burst potential."
Brother Dong said, "That's right! Jingzhe's Top laner isn't weak. Although their Jungler plays a utility role most of the time, the player Blade can certainly shoulder the burden of damage dealing when necessary."
A qualified professional player couldn't just know one style of play.
Although Jingzhe focused on their Mid and Marksman dual carries as the core, with the Jungler acting as a tool-man most of the time, Blade was a player personally brought up by Fang Zhengqing and Xie Yuan. His performance had always been stable. When he needed to step up and deal damage, he wouldn't drop the ball.
Even a utility Jungler had a heart that yearned to carry.
The game began.
In this game, Tianhuan used the [King of Fighters] + [Goddess of Destiny] synergy. Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang had won many matches with this pair in the regular season. [Goddess of Destiny] didn't need mana, so she could yield the Blue Buff to Chi Shu the entire game, increasing his clearing speed. Therefore, Jingzhe targeted the Blue Buff crazily right from the start.
The Level 1 team fight was fierce. In the end, Xie Yuan relied on the constant slows from [Snow Maiden] to beat back Tianhuan. Chi Shu lost the first Blue, and Jingzhe secured 3 buffs.
Fang Zhengqing gave up the first Blue to let his own Jungler reach Level 6 first.
During the contest for the Small Dragon, Jingzhe's Mid, Marksman, and Support linked up. Xie Yuan's ice arrows caused mass slows, and Fang Zhengqing predicted movement paths, freezing the slowed Cheng Xing and Qu Jiang!
Although Cheng Xing popped Cleanse instantly, he was still beaten to critical health and forced to recall.
Ye Shaoyang frowned upon seeing this.
The hero [Frost Goddess] could turn the tide of a team fight if played well. Her freeze control lasted up to 2 seconds, but because of the delay in casting, opponents could dodge it by positioning most of the time.
However, when the opponents were slowed…
Then it became very difficult to dodge!
Xie Yuan's [Snow Maiden] could slow opponents with basic attacks. Fang Zhengqing followed up with a freeze, and Li Yunmo followed with subsequent CC. The chain control from the three of them was truly annoying.
Tianhuan lost the Small Dragon, starting with a slight disadvantage.
However, a disadvantaged opening was too common for Tianhuan, so no one was anxious. Ye Shaoyang said calmly, "Xiao Xing, farm carefully under the tower in Bot. Wait for Chi Shu and me to support."
Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang had to support the Bot lane as soon as possible, otherwise, it would collapse.
The two found an opportunity in the mid-game, ambushing and killing Fang Zhengqing in the river. But Jingzhe adjusted quickly, grouping up as five to push Mid.
Ye Shaoyang said, "Defend Mid."
In the first 5v5 team fight in the Mid lane, Ye Shaoyang flashed forward and used a talisman to control Xie Yuan. Chi Shu followed up closely with damage, and the two almost instantly deleted the opposing Marksman.
But Li Yunmo suddenly flashed in to engage. Fang Zhengqing followed up with control, directly freezing two members of Tianhuan.
Cheng Xing didn't have Cleanse and was quickly deleted by Jingzhe's Jungler who flanked from behind. Old Qin ate Fang Zhengqing's ultimate; already low on health, he was finished off by the enemy Top laner flashing in.
Qu Jiang was also beaten back to base while trying to protect Xiao Xing.
A 1-for-2 trade. Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang had no skills left and had to retreat. Jingzhe broke through the Mid lane and took down the outer tower.
After Xie Yuan revived, Jingzhe began their Mid-Marksman-Support Iron Triangle rotation again. The three cleared the jungle together to farm rapidly, while the Jungler [Ninja] acted as a support, scouting and providing vision.
Yao Mu said, "Jingzhe's dual carries have farmed up. After [Frost Goddess] builds her three-item set, her damage is explosive. As long as her team fight ultimate lands well, it's possible to wipe out the opponent!"
The match reached 20 minutes. Jingzhe actively started the Big Dragon to force a fight. Both sides met at the dragon pit.
Fang Zhengqing, Xie Yuan, and Li Yunmo combined their freezing controls. Xie Yuan utilized rapid basic attacks to slow, Li Yunmo flashed to engage, and Fang Zhengqing placed his freezing control perfectly, instantly freezing three members of Tianhuan!
Overwhelming blizzards descended. One team fight resulted in a Triple Kill.
As a former Mid laner, Qu Jiang also played [Frost Goddess] very well. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh, "Old Fang's control mages are still very strong. Paired with [Snow Maiden], the effect is unexpectedly good."
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said helplessly, "The three of them really do have great chemistry."
Having lost the Big Dragon, Jingzhe grouped up and pushed rapidly, ending the game at 22 minutes.
The score on the big screen changed to 2:1. Jingzhe's fans breathed a sigh of relief, but the players inside the soundproof booths on both sides still dared not relax. Ye Shaoyang said, "Don't panic, everyone. Let's go again."
After all, Square, Circle, and Cloud were an Iron Triangle combination that had cooperated for many years. When they picked a lineup with seamless chain CC, Li Yunmo would jump in to draw fire, Xie Yuan would rapidly tap-fire to slow, and Fang Zhengqing would follow with an AoE freeze and ultimate. They could control opponents for up to 3 seconds.
3 seconds was enough for professional players to change the outcome of a battle.
Jingzhe's Top and Jungle were not weak either. They seized the timing to cut the backline perfectly. The cooperation of the five was seamless.
Jingzhe's lineup in this game was actually quite common—it was a classic control-flow system. The key to winning lay in cooperation, and they must have practiced this privately for a long time.
Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang linked up to kill Xie Yuan twice, delaying Jingzhe's tempo, and Xiao Xing worked hard to farm for the late game. However, losing that key team fight at the Big Dragon was unavoidable.
Lin Feng walked briskly into the soundproof booth, took a deep breath, and comforted everyone: "It's okay, we still have 2 match points. Let's grasp them and not let them drag it into the decider game."
Currently, the score was 2:1. The match point was still in Tianhuan's hands.
Once Jingzhe clawed back another game to make it 2:2, entering the deciding game (Game 5) would be troublesome.
Under the Global BP format of the playoffs, heroes used in the first four games could not be selected again. In the fifth deciding game, the hero pool would be fully unlocked. Both sides would play Blind Pick (no bans), choosing their strongest lineups to clash.
The outcome of a deciding game was very hard to predict.
Ye Shaoyang thought for a moment and looked at the coach. "Let's try to end the match in the fourth game. Don't drag it to the decider. I estimate Fang Zhengqing will likely pick a long-range artillery mage like [World Ending Mage] or [Kraken]. One-shot kills—he can instantly delete Xiao Xing in team fights."
To deal with an artillery mage, Ye Shaoyang could either pick an artillery mage to blast him from a distance or pick a mage assassin to assassinate him. But both strategies were a 50-50 toss-up. Ye Shaoyang and Fang Zhengqing were evenly matched in individual skill; it wasn't certain who would kill whom.
In the regular season, Ye Shaoyang and Fang Zhengqing's 1v1 ended with them trading flashes at the start, with neither able to kill the other.
Ye Shaoyang said, "Coach, if Fang Zhengqing picks an artillery mage, I'll take a Marksman to fight him."
Lin Feng looked at him. "Are you sure? Using a Marksman in the Mid lane this game?"
Ye Shaoyang nodded. "Mn, let's try it!"
The fourth game began. Jingzhe was on the Blue Side and had the first pick.
Jingzhe's Coach Chen decisively banned [World Ending Mage] and [Illusionist], then first-picked [Kraken]. The logic behind this BP was very clear—[World Ending Mage] and [Kraken] went 50-50 in lane, and [Illusionist] was the mage assassin with the highest burst. Banning these two heroes allowed Fang Zhengqing's [Kraken] to walk unhindered.
Although this banning method might allow Ye Shaoyang to pick [Abyssal Lord], [Abyssal Lord]'s early game damage was lower than [Kraken]'s, and his three shadows might not necessarily be able to burst Fang Zhengqing down.
Coach Chen had obviously put in some effort. For the Game 4 BP, banning [Kraken]'s two counters made Fang Zhengqing's Mid lane phase relatively easy, without any natural predators.
As long as Fang Zhengqing could delete Tianhuan's Marksman or Mid-laner with one ultimate in a team fight, Jingzhe could win.
It was Tianhuan's turn to choose.
In Tianhuan's 1st and 2nd slots, they decisively grabbed [Abyssal Lord] and [Sharpshooter].
Coach Chen thought to himself, Lie Yang took a mage assassin as expected. Everything is within expectations! He looked at his players and said, "We'll take the Bot lane combo [Holy Archer] plus [White Bear] to protect A-Yuan's growth."
Tianhuan's 3rd pick was the Top laner [Kung Fu Master]. Old Qin was good at tanks, but he could play warriors too. His [Kung Fu Master] had appeared in the regular season and performed reasonably well.
Coach Chen felt a surge of joy. "They didn't pick a Jungler! I'll ban both of Chi Shu's Wild Cores."
In the second phase, Jingzhe consecutively banned [Stealth Rogue] and [Bloodstained Assassin], two carry junglers, to prevent Chi Shu from using stealth to cut the backline and delete the dual carries. Tianhuan, meanwhile, banned two Top laners to relieve pressure on Old Qin.
Tianhuan's 4th pick was the support [Vampire Duke]. Jingzhe's 4th and 5th picks took the utility Jungler [Swordsman] and the offensive Top laner [Berserker]. Tianhuan still had the final Counter pick left.
Yao Mu analyzed, "In Tianhuan's current lineup, [Abyssal Lord] is Mid, [Sharpshooter] is ADC, the support [Vampire Duke] can provide Lifesteal shields to teammates, and the Top laner [Kung Fu Master] can dive the backline from a distance. They're just missing a Jungler."
Brother Dong said, "Shuoyue's stealth junglers [Stealth Rogue] and [Bloodstained Assassin] were both banned. Since Jingzhe's dual carries have very long range, he must pick an assassin with high mobility to cut the backline."
Yao Mu said, "There aren't many assassins left for Tianhuan to choose. If worse comes to worst, picking [Sword Immortal] or [Ninja] to rush the backline could work? But these two heroes are too squishy early on and are easily targeted."
Brother Dong looked at the big screen with anticipation. "Let's see what Jungler Tianhuan will pick!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tianhuan's last pick actually locked in [Blood Kin Princess].
The two commentators were instantly dumbfounded, and the viewers watching the livestream were also stunned.
[What's the situation? Another Marksman?]
[Tianhuan isn't going for a Double Marksman lineup, right? If they dare to do that, I'll eat my keyboard!]
Yao Mu smiled and said, "Tianhuan has already chosen a Marksman, so they surely won't pick another one. There are still 20 seconds left. The coach can consider slowly and switch it back at the end…"
Just as she said this, Tianhuan's 5th slot pressed "Confirm."
The smile on Yao Mu's face froze instantly. "Ah this… Locked?"
The smile on Jingzhe's Coach Chen's face also gradually solidified. "What's going on?"
In the livestream room, question marks plastered the bullet screen area.
[????]
[Did Tianhuan's coach get water in his brain? Double Marksman lineup?!]
[Holy crap, don't tell me it's a Marksman Jungle! Is Tianhuan trying to drift out of the atmosphere with this play?]
[Sharpshooter is a Marksman, Blood Kin Princess is also a Marksman. Are they trying to mess with our heads?]
[Tianhuan's coach made a BP error, right? Forgot they already picked a Marksman?]
[In Diamond rank online games, Double Marksman and Double Mage lineups appear often. But choosing Double Marksman in the professional league? Are you kidding me?]
[Did the payment go through? Starting to throw the game? Must they force a Game 5 for ratings?]
It was no wonder netizens were skeptical.
In ranked games below Diamond, many players didn't know how to coordinate lineups, so Double Marksman or Double Mage situations were understandable. After all, randoms didn't know each other, and sometimes out of spite, they were too lazy to give up positions.
But choosing 2 Marksmen in the professional league?
With both needing to farm, how would you allocate the economy?
The reason formal matches had 5 different positions was precisely because the economic distribution was more rational.
Jingzhe's Coach Chen asked in confusion, "Double Marksman? What is Old Lin thinking?"
Fang Zhengqing narrowed his eyes and looked at Tianhuan's lineup. He said, "Is it possible that Chi Shu is taking [Blood Kin Princess] in the Jungle? This hero can lifesteal with her ultimate. Although the clear speed is slow, her sustain is okay. She also has decent output in late-game team fights?"
Hearing this, Xie Yuan couldn't help but say, "Given your tacit understanding with Chi Shu, apply the reverse elimination method. Then it's definitely not [Blood Kin Princess] Jungle. Could it be…"
He paused, looked at Fang Zhengqing, and whispered, "[Abyssal Lord] Mage Jungle?"
Fang Zhengqing frowned. "[Abyssal Lord] is Lie Yang's signature hero. I've never seen Chi Shu play it. Would he use it to Jungle?"
Xie Yuan laughed. "With their chemistry, duo-queueing every day, sleeping early and rising early, eating and living in sync—would Chi Shu not know how to play a hero Lie Yang plays? They practically share a brain, okay?"
Fang Zhengqing rubbed his forehead. "…You guessed right."
He had to agree with Xie Yuan's guess because Tianhuan's five players quickly swapped heroes. [Abyssal Lord] was indeed swapped to the 2nd slot for Chi Shu to use in the Jungle.
Chi Shu even changed [Abyssal Lord]'s summoner spell to [Smite].
[Sharpshooter] was swapped to the 3rd slot for Ye Shaoyang to use.
[Blood Kin Princess] was swapped to the 4th slot for Cheng Xing to use.
The two commentators looked at each other in blank dismay.
The audience in the livestream room was even more shocked.
[WTF? Sharpshooter Mid?!]
[Yangyang is ascending to the heavens! He's taking a Marksman to play Mid?]
[Shuoyue is taking Abyssal Lord Jungle! First time seeing Abyssal Lord with Smite.]
[Tianhuan's Mid-Jungle are really cheeky.]
Yao Mu couldn't quite believe it. "Abyssal Lord Jungle? Sharpshooter going Mid?"
Brother Dong couldn't help but say, "Mage Jungle, Marksman Mid… Tianhuan really has a lot of tricks."
Meanwhile, in the #SunMoonShineTogether# super topic, fans were partying collectively.
[Captain Chi is actually taking Yangyang's signature hero to the Jungle!]
[After all, they are together every day. What Yangyang can play, Captain Chi can definitely play too~]
[Is this what they call 'what's mine is yours' between husbands?]
The game was about to start. Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shu looked at each other and smiled.
This strange lineup was proposed by Ye Shaoyang specifically to deal with Fang Zhengqing's ultra-long-range artillery mage. You have long range, right? My range is longer than yours!
Xie Weiyu, who was watching the live broadcast on TV, was stunned. "Yangyang's Sharpshooter…"
Xu Zhuo asked curiously, "How is it?"
Xie Weiyu smiled and said, "His accuracy is very high. In this game, Captain Fang is probably going to suffer a bit!"
In fact, Ye Shaoyang had learned Marksman from Xie Weiyu. The two often duo-queued in casual matches, and he learned a lot of Marksman mechanics from Xie Weiyu, including the [Sharpshooter]'s 180-degree flick snipe technique, which Xie Weiyu taught him. That Ye Shaoyang dared to bring it out in a match showed that his mechanical skills had improved again during this period.
Taking a Marksman to Mid lane?
One could only say: It's not that Lie Yang can't do it, only that the opponent couldn't imagine it.