ATIBTF Chapter 95

The match began.

In the first game, both teams used their standard lineups.

As expected, LSQ focused on targeting Wei Yabo.

Facing off against the world’s number one 3rd position, Muffin, was already mentally taxing. On top of that, LSQ’s 4th position was relentlessly pressuring him, the 5th position would occasionally harass, and the 2nd position was either revealing a TP or sneaking through the trees in the middle lane, never letting Wei Yabo farm and develop in peace.

This was a typical LSQ strategy — suppress the enemy’s 1st position — and they executed it to perfection in the first game of this BO5.

After Wei Yabo got online, whether it was last-hitting or denying, he was under constant pressure. He was even killed twice. If it were any other 1st position, their mindset might have already collapsed.

“Cypress’ situation doesn’t look good,” Uncle Yuan, one of the commentators, said.

It’s not that WPL only sent the “golden trio” of commentators; in fact, WPL sent three groups of commentators, rotating for the match. However, the “golden trio” was very skilled and popular, so they typically handled the more important games.

This season, JW often appeared in the spotlight, so the “golden trio” had become their regular commentators.

“Muffin is a very skilled 3rd position and also the captain of LSQ, who leads the team’s strategy. His playstyle tends to focus on pressuring the enemy’s C-position early,” Lack continued, “The hero chosen for Cypress is Starfall Hunter, which should theoretically not be difficult to face Muffin’s Fishman Hunter in the laning phase. But LSQ’s ganks in the top lane have been relentless, and it’s really affecting Cypress’ rhythm.”

Ruby: “Exactly. But on the other hand, the bottom lane duo from JW seems to be holding their own against LSQ’s 1st and 5th positions.”

The director switched to the bottom lane view.

The bottom lane featured JW’s 3rd and 4th positions facing LSQ’s 1st and 5th positions.

We saw Hao Qianyi controlling the Heavy Knight. With a jump forward, he landed right in front of the enemy’s 1st position.

Then, with the 3rd ability [Drag], the Heavy Knight launched a rope and ensnared the enemy’s 1st position, immediately following up with the 2nd ability [Knight’s Charge], pulling the enemy 1st position back to their own tower.

This was a common skill combo for the 3rd position hero, Heavy Knight: using [Drag] to bind an enemy hero, then charging to drag them back to your side. If executed well, this move can put the enemy’s C-position in a very disadvantageous situation during team fights.

Now, we saw the early game’s squishy 1st position from LSQ trembling under JW’s tower, a testament to Hao Qianyi’s brilliance.

With Hao Qianyi and Yu Hao’s combined damage, plus the tower’s early defensive damage, LSQ’s 1st position was brought down.

“Well done, Haozi!” Yu Hao couldn’t help but praise.

“I’m hungry!” Hao Qianyi still hadn’t forgotten about his chicken legs. “I want chicken legs!”

After opening up the situation in the bottom lane, the top lane continued to follow the defensive strategy.

Wei Yabo remained calm and collected, farming quietly under the tower. Wei Yafeng had already left the top lane to provide vision and look for other opportunities, leaving all the experience in the top lane for Wei Yabo.

The 5th position support, the true utility player.

While the 4th position might occasionally be allowed to farm or gain experience depending on the situation, the 5th position is usually the one with the least economy and experience in the entire game.

Though it’s a double-support lineup, the 4th position might sometimes take on a more active role in initiating fights or handling pressure, leaving the 5th position as the pure support.

When the 1st position needs it, the 5th position will leave the lane, give up all the economy and experience to the 1st position, deliver supplies, and even risk their life to help the 1st position escape when they’re caught — truly a tool player among tool players.

This is a position that requires dedication and a strong team spirit to be successful.

And although Wei Yafeng doesn’t show it much in his usual demeanor, he truly is that kind of person in the game.

After leaving the top lane, Wei Yafeng moved to the middle lane to ambush.

In the top lane, Wei Yabo was in a 1v2 situation, but he wasn’t in immediate danger under the tower. As long as the other lanes didn’t send help too predictably, Wei Yabo should be able to handle the pressure.

So, what Jiang Min and the other teammates needed to do was to keep the enemy engaged in other lanes as much as possible.

And the bottom lane had already succeeded in that; the 1st position brother was being suppressed by Hao Qianyi, who had erupted with fighting power due to hunger, and the calm and wise Yu Hao, while the 5th position couldn’t leave to protect the 1st position.

As for the middle lane, Jiang Min wasn’t letting the enemy off easily either.

The Deep Sea Dragon King in his hands was like a fish in water, keeping the enemy mid-laner under the tower.

“Sugar God, I’m coming!” Wei Yafeng, hiding in a place with no vision in the river, said, “Should I go in first?”

The 5th position also had some initiation control skills. Though not as mobile as the 4th position, they could still play a role.

“Yafeng, you and Sugar try to kill him in the middle lane,” Yu Hao said in the voice chat, “They aren’t letting our 1st position have it easy, but Haozi and I will make things hard for them in the bottom lane. I’ll stay here and won’t roam for now.”

“Okay, Captain!” Wei Yafeng responded.

The Deep Sea Dragon King rolled forward, moving aggressively, and entered the enemy’s tower range.

The enemy’s 2nd position thought Jiang Min wanted to kill him, so of course, he resisted.

Jiang Min pretended to retreat to avoid the tower’s damage.

The enemy’s 2nd position, known for his stable playstyle, didn’t realize that the Deep Sea Dragon King was in a weak state, which created a perfect opportunity for a kill.

Moreover, there were no enemy wards around, so a 1v1 situation should be fine.

Finally, the enemy’s 2nd position walked out of the tower.

Who would have thought that Wei Yafeng had chosen the perfect spot to stand, avoiding LSQ’s vision completely?

As soon as the enemy’s 2nd position left the tower, he was immediately controlled by Wei Yafeng.

Jiang Min followed up with more control, and the two of them coordinated perfectly to kill LSQ’s mid-laner.

With kills in both the middle and bottom lanes, only the top lane was still under pressure.

“Muffin, LSQ’s captain, really has great pressure. There aren’t many 1st positions in the pro scene who can handle a lane against him,” Uncle Yuan, the commentator, said.

Ruby: “I wonder if Cypress can withstand the pressure…”

In this game, while Wei Yabo didn’t make much noise, he didn’t make any major mistakes despite Muffin’s strong pressure.

Jiang Min, on the other hand, gradually grew stronger with the help of his teammates.

Ultimately, during the crucial battle for the epic monster in the pit, JW executed a beautiful pull and managed to secure a 2-for-5 exchange, after which the remaining three teammates decisively pushed the base and won the game.

JW led 1-0.

This outcome was truly unexpected by everyone.

Before the quarterfinals, many people thought JW was a team that barely made it to the top 8 by luck and didn’t have a chance against the top teams.

In the quarterfinals draw, LSQ was matched against JW, and most online fans predicted LSQ would win 3:0 with ease.

However, unexpectedly, JW won the first game, and they did so decisively.

This took WOC viewers by surprise.

【Could LSQ be throwing the game?】

In the official WPL stream, the chat was equally shocked by the result.

【Why be so negative? Can’t you just admit that JW played well this game?】

【Who would throw a game at the global finals? Under the eyes of the tournament organizers? Are they out of their minds?】

【Honestly, JW played really well this game.】

【If JW had been playing like this during the group stage, it wouldn’t have been so hard to watch!】

【Hold up, it’s just one game. It’s a BO5!】

The chat was buzzing with excitement.

During the break, Hao Qianyi strongly requested extra food.

“Stop eating. You’ll get bloated if you eat too much,” Yu Hao said, unrelenting.

Hao Qianyi wailed, “Oh no! Captain, are you really going to make me play the BO5 on an empty stomach?”

Yu Hao: “You won’t die from missing one meal.”

Hao Qianyi: “I will die!”

Yu Hao: “No, you won’t.”

Hao Qianyi: “Yes, I will! I really will~~”

His voice was so loud that it could be heard all the way out of JW’s break room.

People walking down the hallway outside looked shocked.

Other teams and staff from different regions didn’t understand Chinese, but they could hear the crying coming from JW’s training room and found it odd.

Didn’t JW just win the first game? Why was there such a situation?

Despite Hao Qianyi’s protests, he ultimately didn’t get extra food.

However, Fan Dadi promised him that after the match, he would make sure Hao Qianyi got a big meal.

So, Hao Qianyi, still motivated, declared, “JW never works overtime!”

However, LSQ was not an easy opponent for JW.

After JW won the first game, LSQ adjusted their strategy and focused more on controlling the middle lane to prevent a repeat of the first game where Jiang Min dominated.

It must be said that LSQ, as a top-tier team, had excellent adaptability.

After losing to JW, LSQ won the next two games, bringing the score to 2:1.

The next game would be LSQ’s match point.

In the break room, Yan Junying crossed his arms and stood in front of the players, saying seriously, “Alright, you’ve lost two games. Are you finally in the right mindset?”

The players stayed silent.

Yan Junying: “When will you guys stop making these impulsive mistakes?”

Even though JW had undergone special training with Yan Junying, their reckless behavior was still hard to shake.

If they hadn’t insisted on rushing the high ground just now, they wouldn’t have lost so quickly; at least they would have had a chance to fight back.

Yu Hao: “My bad.”

The captain took the blame.

Hao Qianyi raised his hand weakly: “I confess, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have impulsively rushed the high ground.”

Wei Yabo weakly said, “I shouldn’t have followed Haozi up there; I should have just let him go on his own and not interfere…”

Wei Yafeng agreed.

Jiang Min: “It’s my fault for not calling out the position in time, letting their mid-laner escape back to the high ground. Sorry.”

Yan Junying raised an eyebrow: “…Alright, you guys are quick to admit your mistakes. But the issue is to reflect and change. Don’t engage in every fight. Think carefully before you act.”

“Yes, yes, Coach, we understand!” The players nodded eagerly.

Yan Junying: “If we lose the next game, we’re going home.”

The players fell silent again.

There was an overwhelming, terrifying aura coming from the coach.

Yan Junying: “I didn’t come to JW to watch you guys get knocked out in the top eight.”

The players sat up straighter.

Yan Junying: “In my opinion, you have the ability to defeat LSQ. So…”

The players leaned in to listen closely.

Yan Junying: “If we lose, just swim back home!”

While it was probably an exaggeration, and the coach wasn’t really going to make them swim across the Pacific, everyone knew that losing would definitely lead to a harsh scolding from him. The players shivered in unison.

In the fourth game, JW, thanks to excellent initiation by Yu Hao and Hao Qianyi, won a crucial team fight and took the game.

The score was tied 2:2.

The final game was truly a “go-home” match for both teams.

[mfn]You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad [/mfn]