A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the highly anticipated Star Sea Cup league of legends Invitational Tournament finally officially kicked off amidst the expectations of hundreds of millions of players!
On the opening day, the official league of legends account and its founder, Qin Feng, simultaneously posted a concise yet powerful congratulatory message on major social platforms:
"The war drums beat, the Star Sea sets sail! I wish all participating teams to shine brightly and reach new heights on the stage of the Star Sea Cup! Regardless of origin, only strength matters; this is the proving ground for dreams! Go, Summoners!"
Below this Weibo post was a link to the Star Sea Live event special page.
Qin Feng's statement added a sense of official recognition and solemnity to an event that was already unprecedentedly popular.
Due to the large number of participating teams, the first round of matches proceeded online as planned.
The country was divided into four online competition zones: North China, East China, South China, and West.
Each zone had hundreds of teams battling it out for the mere eight qualification spots (a total of thirty-two teams would advance to the offline stage).
The battles entered a white-hot stage from the very beginning.
The live broadcast rooms on major streaming platforms were overflowing with popularity, and bullet comments streamed like a waterfall.
In the North China zone, the Forbidden City Peak team demonstrated the strong foundation of an imperial capital's king, advancing steadily with its rigorous operations and deep champion pool, encountering almost no adversaries, and securing a qualification spot first.
The "Veterans" team, composed of former professional players, also advanced smoothly, relying on their rich experience and steady play.
The South China zone, on the other hand, saw a fierce struggle between the Star Sea Team and "Jinneng E-sports."
After introducing the prodigy Wind Chaser, the Star Sea Team's playstyle became even sharper, with the carry capabilities of their mid and bot lane duo being astonishing.
"Jinneng E-sports," however, relied on strong team execution and consistent performance, staying hot on their heels.
The clash between these two teams became the biggest highlight of the South China zone.
In the Western zone, the style was more rugged and uninhibited.
The Shu Road Mountain team became a Western overlord with its unpredictable tactics and formidable individual abilities.
The "Steel City Will" team from the Northwest, with their tenacious defense and resilient will, repeatedly created miracles in adversity, earning the respect of a large audience.
However, what surprised everyone the most was the East China zone.
This zone was a gathering place for strong teams, boasting several well-funded clubs like the Phantom Team and "Flashing Stars," making the competition incredibly fierce.
Yet, in this battlefield dominated by powerhouses, a dark horse from a small city was charging forward at an incredible pace!
They were—the "Dawn" team!
No one favored them.
When their team logo appeared on the match list, the bullet comments were mostly, "Which team is this?"
"Never heard of them."
"Probably a one-round exit."
But the "Dawn" team silenced all skeptics with a series of clean and decisive victories.
In the first round, they encountered a team composed of famous streamers.
The opponents had decent individual skills and played very aggressively in lane.
But the "Dawn" team showed amazing resilience and teamwork.
Under the precise rhythm control of captain A Le (jungler), they gradually accumulated advantages through several ingenious underdog plays, ultimately securing the win with steady play.
In the second round, their opponent was a championship team from a university league, playing with great impact.
The "Dawn" team was once at a disadvantage, trailing by nearly five thousand gold.
At a critical moment, top laner Da Kang (playing Ornn), in a crucial dragon fight, landed a perfect "Ram's Headbutt" that knocked up three enemies, creating a miraculous comeback opportunity for the team!
ADC Xiao Miao (playing Xayah), protected by the sacrificing support, dealt explosive damage, achieved a team wipe, and instantly turned the tide of the battle!
"Holy crap! That Ornn! That AD!"
"This coordination! This resilience! Is this really a grassroots team?"
"Dawn Team! I'll remember you!"
The live stream room began to fill with cheers for them.
Third round, fourth round... the "Dawn" team advanced, overcoming all obstacles.
They had no fixed tactical template; their playstyle was flexible and varied, sometimes relying on A Le's fierce early-game invasions to open up the game, and sometimes relying on Da Kang's stable tanking and the mid and bot lane duo's late-game capabilities to wear down opponents.
They were like a resilient sponge, constantly absorbing their opponents' attacks and learning and evolving from them.
Their matches were full of the fighting spirit and reckless courage unique to grassroots teams, forming a stark contrast with the rigorous and meticulously operated capital-backed teams, which instead attracted a large number of neutral viewers' affection and support.
Their story—pooling money to participate, selling motorcycles, staying in youth hostels—also began to circulate in the player community, earning them the reputation of being "poor but strong."
Finally, they pulled off upsets all the way, miraculously reaching the grand finals of the East China zone!
Their opponent was the Phantom Team, which boasted luxurious configurations and a famous coach!
On the day of the East China zone finals, the live stream room's popularity reached its peak since the start of the tournament!
Everyone wanted to see if this dark horse's miracle journey could go all the way!
At the same time, the finals of other zones also successively unfolded, with strong contenders clashing, sparks flying.
The entire online stage of the Star Sea Cup, due to the emergence of dark horses like the "Dawn" team and the fierce clashes of top teams from various zones, became wonderfully exciting and full of suspense.
Qin Feng sat in his office, looking at the data and battle reports feedbacked from various zones, especially the striking rise of the "Dawn" team, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
The influx of capital is certainly important, but it is these vigorous wild grasses, spontaneously growing from the deepest soil, that are proof of a truly healthy and vibrant ecosystem.
The flames of the online qualifiers are about to extinguish, and the thirty-two strongest teams are about to gather.
The more brutal, more glorious offline grand finals are already in sight.