"Congratulations to Tianhuan for taking the first match! The MVP for this game goes to Tianhuan Starlight!"
"Xiao Xing's performance in this match was indeed outstanding. From start to finish, he didn't die once, dealt 45% of the team's damage in fights, and even treated us to a colorful fireworks display!"
A wave of laughter erupted at the venue.
The MVP information card appeared on the big screen. Cheng Xing's photo was enlarged, flanked by his stats panel for the season, including win rate, champion pool, KDA rating, and MVP count.
He was the marksman with the fewest MVPs.
However, looking at Xiao Xing's stiff smile in the photo, the livestream chat couldn't help but spam comments—
[Why does Xiao Xing look like he's heading to the execution ground in his photo?]
[That smile is so stiff! Did the photographer hold a knife to his neck?]
[Xiao Xing, blink twice if you've been kidnapped.]
[To be honest, although Xiao Xing is the weakest link in Tianhuan, his improvement is actually quite fast.]
[Tianhuan has a Great Demon King named Lieyang, so he just makes Xiao Xing look like a noob by comparison!]
[I saw a compilation on Weibo titled "Xiao Xing's 100 Ways to Die." I feel a bit sorry for this cutie; his deaths are tragic.]
[Rise up, Xingxing!]
Inside the soundproof booth, Cheng Xing took off his headphones and shouted excitedly, "Brother Yang is awesome!"
This was a phrase he shouted after every match.
As Ye Shaoyang's number one die-hard fan, showering Ye Shaoyang with excessive praise was Cheng Xing's daily routine.
However, in the past, when he shouted this after a match, he would usually see Brother Yang and his Master hugging to celebrate, so he would stand silently to the side, afraid to disturb them. But today, Ye Shaoyang didn't go to hug Chi Shuo. instead, he turned to look at Cheng Xing, patted the young teenager on the shoulder, and smiled. "You played well this game."
Cheng Xing scratched his head with a goofy grin. "My mechanics felt really good today, smoother than before!"
Qu Jiang said, "Is it because you forgot to turn off the keyboard lighting effects?"
Cheng Xing looked down and saw that his keyboard was indeed lit up with colored lights. With every key press, the keyboard would shift through a spectrum of seven dazzling colors. It was very cool.
Cheng Xing looked puzzled. "Maybe that's part of the reason?"
Ye Shaoyang laughed. "Then don't turn it off. Your keyboard doesn't blind us anyway."
Cheng Xing sat back down, tapping his hands randomly on the keyboard and dancing in his seat. The word "HAPPY" was practically written on his forehead… This kid's mental age was still relatively immature.
Coach Lin walked into the soundproof booth and praised them. "Everyone played very well in the first game. The rhythm of pushing all three lanes was fantastic! Xiao Xing deserves special praise; you dealt very high damage and didn't die once. Great job."
Cheng Xing giggled. "It's because everyone protected me well!"
Coach Lin asked, "For the next game, are we sticking to the original plan?"
Ye Shaoyang looked at Chi Shuo. "Will Huowen pick a Positional Warfare lineup? They're on the Blue Side this game, so they can first-pick Goddess of Flame."
Chi Shuo said calmly, "If they play Positional Warfare in the second game, I'll pick Stealth Rogue to force a kill on their marksman. If they don't pick it, then we'll carry the rhythm with Mid-Jungle synergy."
Coach Lin nodded. "Okay, we'll see how the BP goes."
At the same time, inside the Huowen team's soundproof booth.
The coach asked, "Should we go back to Positional Warfare for the second game, or use Plan B?"
Zhou Jiawen frowned slightly, thought carefully, and said, "Let's not take Positional Warfare. It looks like Tianhuan has specifically researched how to crack it. Bringing it out would just be playing into their hands."
The coach thought the same. "Then let's play it safe and use a more balanced lineup."
The break time ended, and the second game began quickly.
In this game, Huowen was on the Blue Side and had first ban. Their first ban was still targeting the Spirit Realm Snowbird. They didn't let the dual-fly combo through because it posed a massive threat to the marksman position.
Tianhuan continued to ban hard-engage supports to prevent Cheng Xing from being forcibly engaged on.
Huowen used their second ban on Ye Shaoyang's Abyssal Lord to stop him from stacking marks and diving the marksman.
When it came to picking heroes, Huowen used their first pick to instantly lock in the most mobile marksman, Wind Elf.
In the previous game, Huowen's marksman barely managed to deal any damage. His positioning was restricted by the Goddess of Flame's Fire Circles, making it too hard to perform. By snatching the Wind Elf this game, he would have strong self-preservation capabilities. He wouldn't be afraid of dying, and once farmed up, his damage output would be high.
Tianhuan's first and second slots instantly locked in the top laner Man of Steel and the support White Bear.
Huowen secured the mid laner World Destroyer Mage and the jungler Demon Hunter. This was a classic Mid-Jungle synergy combo. The World Destroyer Mage was one of Zhou Jiawen's signature heroes—a heavy artillery mage with massive damage output whose ultimate could instantly delete a squishy. The Demon Hunter was a jungler with a relatively long attack range, able to control opponents from a distance and coordinate with the mid laner to burst targets down.
This synergy duo was extremely oppressive. Once they had items, they could essentially kill anyone they caught.
When it was Tianhuan's turn, their third slot decisively locked in Snow Maiden.
The two commentators exchanged glances and said, "This should be the first time Xiao Xing has brought out Snow Maiden, right?"
"That's right. This hero has a medium attack range and low damage in the early game. Her ice arrows can slow opponents, and she excels at poking and attrition warfare. Few players use this hero in the league because she drags the tempo down too much. Before 10 minutes, her ice arrows are like tickles. To deal real damage, she needs at least three core items."
"However, Snow Maiden's biggest advantage is the magic shield from her E skill. She can shield herself to resist a certain amount of magic damage, which counts as decent self-protection in the early game."
"Huowen's mid laner is a high-burst mage, and their jungler's ultimate also deals magic damage. Tianhuan picking Snow Maiden helps prevent instant deletions to some extent. It's a counter-pick, and not a wrong choice."
"It seems Xiao Xing's champion pool isn't as shallow as we imagined? He can even play this niche marksman."
"Yeah, let's look forward to seeing if Xiao Xing can withstand the opponent's burst with Snow Maiden."
The first phase of BP ended. Tianhuan had selected their top and bottom lanes, while Huowen had taken their mid, jungle, and marksman.
In the second phase, Tianhuan banned heroes targeting the support and top lane, while Huowen continued to target the jungle and mid lane.
Since Tianhuan's marksman position took Snow Maiden, a slowing hero, Huowen banned the Goddess of Ocean to prevent Tianhuan from having a double-slow comp in mid and bot. After that, they banned the Stealth Rogue, knowing Chi Shuo's strong assassination capabilities with it.
In the second phase picks, Tianhuan took the jungler Ninja first.
With the Stealth Rogue banned, the best option for cutting into the backline was the Ninja, who could use shadow clones to chase down targets. This hero didn't require mana, allowing him to give the Blue Buff to the mid laner.
Tianhuan's final counter-pick slot was, as always, reserved for Ye Shaoyang.
Huowen's 4th and 5th picks took the Vampire Duke for top lane again, and the Paladin for support.
The commentators noted: "Remember last game, Tianhuan played Paladin in the top lane, and a key 'Substitute' skill blocked a huge wave of damage for the marksman in a crucial fight. Huowen taking Paladin as support means they intend to protect their marksman to the bitter end!"
"Let's see what mid laner Tianhuan will choose for their final counter-pick?"
"…Lieyang has locked in Kraken of the North Sea!"
A gasp erupted from the audience.
The voices of the two commentators rose in excitement: "As everyone knows, in Gods, the two mid-lane artillery heroes with the strongest burst are the World Destroyer Mage and the Kraken of the North Sea! Today, Huowen picked the World Destroyer, and Tianhuan picked the Kraken. Is this going to be a heavy artillery duel in the mid lane?"
"Lieyang plays mage assassins very well, but he hasn't picked artillery mages very often. The mid lane battle should be fierce this game. Let's look forward to the showdown between these two excellent mid laners!"
World Destroyer Mage: Launches 6 orbs of black mist in an arc. If all hit, the ultimate can instantly kill someone.
Kraken of the North Sea: Summons a giant beast that opens its bloody maw to devour the target. If the skill lands, it can also bite someone to death in one go.
The advantage of the World Destroyer Mage is that the skills are instant cast, making it hard for opponents to guard against them in advance. However, the arced attack trajectory is difficult to aim; if the opponent moves quickly, the shots can easily miss.
The advantage of the Kraken of the North Sea is that the ultimate, "Kraken Devour," is an area-of-effect execution. In the late game with full items, it can swallow two or three squishies in one bite. However, the skill has a 0.1-second casting delay, making it easy to dodge.
Both artillery heroes had their strengths and weaknesses, and both required predicting the opponent's movement.
If you hit, it's a highlight reel play. If you miss, it looks ugly—especially for the Kraken of the North Sea. In online games, you often see players summon a massive monster only for it to awkwardly bite a mouthful of air.
The mid-lane artillery duel between Zhou Jiawen and Ye Shaoyang became the biggest highlight of the second game.
At the same time, the dual carry jungle matchup between Chi Shuo and Yan Yan would create intense contention in the jungle.
The two commentators summarized: "In this game, Tianhuan's bot lane marksman Snow Maiden can shield herself, offering strong survivability, while Huowen's Wind Elf has high mobility and is hard to kill. The key still lies in the Mid and Jungle!"
"Exactly. Two artillery mages in the mid lane, two assassins in the jungle. The winner of this game depends on the rhythm of the Mid-Jungle synergy on both sides! Whichever Mid-Jungle duo creates an advantage first will find it easier to win!"
"Let's enter the second showdown between Tianhuan and Huowen!"