The Star Sea Cup World Invitational entered the semi-finals stage, pushing the atmosphere in the Shanghai main venue to a new climax.
On the massive circular screen, the emblems of the four strongest teams shone brightly, symbolizing the two paths leading to the finals.
According to the drawing results, the semi-final matchups were:
Upper Bracket: European Royal Knights (Royal Knights) vs. CIS Siberian Bear (Siberian Bear)
Lower Bracket: China Star Sea Team (Team Star Ocean) vs. Korean White Tiger (White Tigers)
Everyone understood that the lower bracket was a "finals-level" clash happening early, while the upper bracket was the ultimate confrontation between two forces of drastically different styles
—the disciplined legions of the classical European knights against the savage torrent of the CIS ice field bears.
The first match to be played was this semi-final BO5, filled with a sense of raw power!
Furthermore, the Global Ban/Pick rule revealed its most brutal side at this moment
—throughout the entire BO5 series, heroes used by either side would be automatically banned and could not be selected again.
This not only tested the players' hero pools but also the coaching staff's depth of tactical reserves and ability to adapt during a long series.
In Game 1 of the BO5, the Royal Knights were on the blue side.
Knowing the ferocity of the Siberian Bear, they immediately constructed a solid defensive line.
In the ban phase, they specifically targeted several heavy fighters favored by the enemy top laner and the jungler's strong engage champions.
During the pick phase, the Royal Knights immediately snatched the version T1 ADC aphelios, followed by ornn in the top lane, Sejuani in the jungle, orianna in the mid lane, and Tahm Kench as support.
A "steel barrel formation" that maximized protection and counter-engage!
The Siberian Bear, meanwhile, bared their fangs: Darius, the Hand of Noxus, in the top lane, Udyr in the jungle, Talon, the Blade's Shadow, in the mid lane, Samira as ADC, and Rell as support.
A "slaughter lineup" that pushed early skirmishing and instantaneous burst damage to the extreme!
"The spear and the shield! The ultimate spear against the ultimate shield!" Commentator Commentator's voice was full of anticipation. "The Siberian Bear are going to use the most savage method possible to smash through the Royal Knights' iron wall!"
As the match began, the Siberian Bear immediately started invading from level one, attempting to replicate their previous bloody tempo.
However, the Royal Knights' defense was like a precisely calculated clockwork mechanism; their vision control was perfect, their formation remained strict, and they didn't give the Bears many opportunities.
During the laning phase, the Siberian Bear gained a slight advantage in farm due to their champion characteristics, but they were consistently unable to secure a kill.
Udyr attempted to gank several times, but each attempt was easily neutralized by Sejuani's counter-ganks and Tahm Kench's protection.
"The Royal Knights' defense is too solid. The Siberian Bear' punches are like hitting cotton," Yao Yao analyzed.
The Royal Knights steadily dragged the game into the late stage, where they were comfortable.
Once Orianna and aphelios completed their items, the Siberian Bear' dive composition began to look weak.
Finally, during a Dragon Soul team fight at thirty-three minutes, the Royal Knights relied on perfect positional skirmishing and aphelios's explosive damage to secure a 4-for-1 exchange and win the first game!
(Royal Knights Champions Used: ornn, Sejuani, Orianna, aphelios, Tahm Kench)
(Siberian Bear Champions Used: Darius, Udyr, Talon, Samira, Rell)
"1:0! The Royal Knights take the first game! They used the most knightly way possible to withstand the Siberian Bear' initial fierce assault!" Commentator summarized.
After a short break, Game 2 began.
The effect of the Global Ban/Pick rule started to show, as the ten champions used by both sides in the previous game were automatically banned for this game!
Having lost core champions like aphelios and Orianna, the Royal Knights opted for a composition leaning towards early-to-mid game tempo: Renekton in the top lane, Jarvan IV in the jungle, Zoe in the mid lane, ezreal as ADC, and leona as support.
The Siberian Bear, after having several key diving champions banned, brought out another equally fierce system: Mordekaiser, the Iron Revenant, in the top lane, Lee Sin in the jungle, Pantheon, the Unbreakable Spear, in the mid lane, Kalista as ADC, and thresh as support.
"Both sides have brought out new weapons! The Siberian Bear' lineup has even stronger early-game combat power!" Yao Yao exclaimed.
In this game, the Siberian Bear did not give the Royal Knights a chance to farm peacefully.
Starting from level three, the mid-jungle duo of Pantheon and Lee Sin demonstrated terrifying synergy, launching continuous successful attacks on both the top and bottom lanes.
Once Mordekaiser gained an advantage, his split-pushing was unstoppable; the combination of Kalista and thresh also broke through the bottom lane defense.
The Siberian Bear were like a true avalanche, with each attack wave fiercer than the last.
The Royal Knights attempted to resist, but their formation was repeatedly scattered in the face of the opponent's absolute strength and early-game advantage.
At twenty-two minutes, the Siberian Bear secured the Baron Nashor, followed by a powerful push that swept away the opposition and tied the series!
(Siberian Bear Newly Used Champions: Mordekaiser, Lee Sin, Pantheon, Kalista, thresh)
(Royal Knights Newly Used Champions: Renekton, Jarvan IV, Zoe, ezreal, leona)
"1:1! The Siberian Bear tie the score! They answered the Knights' Bulwark with an even fiercer offense!" Commentator shouted. "Under Global Ban/Pick, both teams have incredibly deep tactical reserves!"
The overall score was tied 1:1, leading to the pivotal Game 3, the Battle of Tianwang Mountain!
Neither side could use any champions played in the previous two games! This presented the ultimate test for both teams' hero pools and tactical creativity.
The Royal Knights selected a late-game insurance lineup from their hidden reserves: Sion in the top lane, Skarner (the Crystal Vanguard) in the jungle, viktor in the mid lane, Xayah as ADC, and Rakan as support.
The Siberian Bear changed their strategy again, bringing out Illaoi in the top lane, Ekko in the jungle, Katarina in the mid lane, Draven as ADC, and Pyke as support!
A "do-or-die" composition that maximized individual skill and carry potential!
"My heavens! Katarina! Draven! Pyke! The Siberian Bear are trying to... carry the slaughter to the very end!" Yao Yao's voice was filled with disbelief.
The match entered a white-hot phase right from the start.
The Siberian Bear' lineup gained a massive early advantage, with Draven even stacking up "Adoration," dealing terrifying damage.
However, the Royal Knights displayed astonishing resilience, stubbornly dragging the game out by utilizing Sion's tankiness and viktor's late-game scaling.
Both sides engaged in a fierce struggle over objectives, with every team fight being utterly devastating.
Katarina from the Siberian Bear attempted to enter the fray to clean up several times, but she was thwarted by the Royal Knights' perfect crowd control and protection.
The game was dragged into the deep late stage, past forty minutes!
Finally, in a decisive Elder Dragon team fight, Xayah, under Rakan's protection for the Royal Knights, dealt heaven-defying damage and secured a triple kill!
She led the team to win the fight and immediately end the game!
(Royal Knights Newly Used Champions: Sion, Skarner, viktor, Xayah, Rakan)
(Siberian Bear Newly Used Champions: Illaoi, Ekko, Katarina, Draven, Pyke)
"They won! The Royal Knights won!" Commentator roared, his voice already hoarse. "In this epic forty-five-minute battle, they withstood wave after wave of bloody assaults from the Siberian Bear, securing the victory in the Battle of Tianwang Mountain through superior resilience and team coordination! 2:1! They have reached match point!"
The entire audience gave the most enthusiastic applause for this spectacular match!
Both the tenacity of the Royal Knights and the fierceness of the Siberian Bear earned everyone's respect.
The Global Ban/Pick rule turned this BO5 into a tactical exhibition, filling the match with endless suspense and possibilities.
The Siberian Bear have been pushed to the brink, but is their champion pool deep enough to support a reverse sweep?
All the answers are left for the upcoming games.