This is a match that has captured the attention of many.
LSQ, a top contender for the championship, has fans who hope their team will go even further and perhaps even win the title.
On the other hand, JW, the spring champion of the WPL region, has considerable support within the region as well. WPL viewers naturally hope their home team advances to the next round.
Before the match, not only were the audience excited, but even the commentators were nervous.
Professionalism requires commentators to maintain an objective, god-like perspective during the match, but at the world championships, commentators from each region naturally feel a sense of allegiance to their home region. When the excitement reaches a certain point, it’s hard not to favor the teams from their region. This is a common occurrence at the WOC world championship.
At this moment, the “golden trio” of WPL commentators appeared calm on the surface, but inside, they were both nervous and excited.
AFK has already made it to the top four, and if JW advances, WPL will have two teams in the final four. This could be a special year for them! They might even witness the birth of the first-ever world champion from WPL! It would be making history!
“Before the match begins, I’d like to say something,” said Uncle Yuan, feeling the sweat in his palms. It had been a long time since he’d felt this nervous on the commentary desk.
“Let’s cheer for JW!” he said.
“Go JW!” The three commentators shouted, and with that, the match officially began.
In the first four games, LSQ applied significant pressure on JW’s 1st position player, Wei Yabo, but he seemed to handle it well.
However, facing the world’s top 3rd position player, Muffin, is no easy task, especially in the final game of a BO5 series when both teams are somewhat fatigued.
Wei Yabo had to remain extra focused, fearing that even the smallest mistake might be exploited by the opponent and turn into a major blunder.
In this game, Jiang Min chose the Paladin.
After Wei Yabo gradually adapted to the pressure from Muffin in the laning phase, JW seemed to want to focus on their 1st position player.
LSQ, likely sensing JW’s strategy from the draft phase, seemed to intensify their focus on Wei Yabo during the laning phase of game 5.
The Paladin is a tank hero, and while it can perform well even without great economy, the team still relies on Wei Yabo’s Starblade Knight for damage output during team fights.
During the laning phase, Wei Yabo was killed three times, thanks to Muffin and LSQ’s 4th position player’s collaboration.
The 1st position player’s economy was nearly wrecked.
“Bro, sorry! I really can’t protect you!” Wei Yafeng felt guilty.
But not forcing the fight was the wise choice; otherwise, he would have just fed more kills.
Now was Muffin’s power spike, and they couldn’t let the advantage continue growing.
“Yabo, go into the jungle. Sugar, we’ll push mid and give Yabo some space to farm,” said Yu Hao decisively.
“Got it.” Jiang Min nodded without hesitation.
Yu Hao’s Ice Dragon moved into the jungle from the bottom lane, while Hao Qianyi stayed on the lane.
The middle tower, under Jiang Min’s constant pressure, was left with less than half health, while LSQ’s mid-laner desperately tried to defend their tower.
Once the middle tower falls, the team will lose vision control and the opponent will be able to invade the jungle more easily.
So, losing the middle tower was not an option.
Just as LSQ’s second position player was guarding the tower, an ice wall suddenly appeared from the jungle, blocking his path.
It was the Ice Dragon’s third skill, Frozen Prison.
The Paladin jumped in, and with a combo of skills, LSQ’s second position player’s health quickly dropped to nearly nothing.
If not for the fact that Jiang Min had already worn him down earlier, he wouldn’t have been in such a desperate situation.
Luckily, the supply was almost there, and his bird was on the way, bringing him the much-needed replenishment!
If he could just hold on until the supplies arrived, he could drink the healing and mana potions and be good to go.
However, suddenly, a message appeared on the screen that made him feel hopeless.
[JW.Maple has killed the blue side courier, earning 100 gold.]
LSQ’s mid-laner saw that his bird had been killed and was instantly speechless, angered by the loss.
Without the supply and with his health nearly depleted, he was quickly finished off by Jiang Min.
Soon after, the middle tower collapsed under the combined assault of Jiang Min, Yu Hao, and Wei Yafeng, who had arrived to help.
Now, Wei Yabo had more space to farm.
“Beautiful! JW takes the first tower!” Uncle Yuan’s voice rose in excitement, showing how thrilled he was.
Ruby, observing the situation, said, “But at the same time, without anyone defending the top lane, LSQ took down our first tower. But overall, JW has gained from getting kills and taking towers.”
The early disadvantage caused by the pressure on their 1st position player was at least somewhat mitigated.
But it wasn’t enough.
Victory was still far off.
When the epic monster refreshed at the Pit, both teams were determined not to give up, carefully testing each other’s limits around the Pit.
The epic monster buff would enhance their minions, which was extremely beneficial as it would grant super minions, making it a vital objective.
However, just before such an important team fight, Wei Yabo made a positioning mistake that LSQ quickly capitalized on, taking him out instantly. Without their key damage dealer, JW was forced to retreat, giving up the resources.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s my fault!” Wei Yabo regretted deeply as he stared at the black-and-white screen.
“It’s okay, Yabo,” Jiang Min comforted him.
This was the final game of the BO5, and not only were the players physically exhausted, but their mental resilience was also being tested.
Everyone wanted to win.
This was the annual global championship knockout stage; whoever lost would go home.
People often console themselves, saying “If not this year, next year.”
But esports careers are short, and how many years do they really have to waste?
Not to mention, the competition for a spot at the World Championship is fierce, and making it there is never guaranteed.
So, when the knockout stage of the World Championship begins, especially when it’s the “do-or-die” match, the pressure on the players is immense.
Jiang Min worried that Wei Yabo wouldn’t be able to handle the stress, and tried to calm him down: “I have my boots now, we’ll find another opportunity.”
Yu Hao remained expressionless and simply said, “Don’t let it affect you, keep farming, we can win.”
The word “win” was incredibly tempting to the players.
They knew Yu Hao well, and he never spoke without confidence.
When Wei Yabo heard Yu Hao’s determination, his spirits, which had fallen to the bottom, were miraculously lifted again. “Okay!”
The audience, initially expecting JW to collapse after LSQ secured crucial map resources, was taken aback. Instead, JW’s 1st position continued to farm at an unbelievable speed, while the other four players cleverly worked to control the minion waves.
These four players moved in and out of vision, clearing waves, then disappearing from LSQ’s sight.
LSQ’s vision was quite good, but JW always managed to avoid it, which left Muffin confused.
Yan Junying had not slept for two whole days, watching LSQ’s game footage every day and night. Apart from coming up with counterstrategies for Muffin, he focused heavily on studying LSQ’s vision control.
In MOBA games, vision is crucial.
Though many players might not notice, every team has certain habitual warding positions.
With his exceptional analytical and memory skills, Yan Junying mapped out LSQ’s common warding spots and trained JW’s players to avoid and deward those areas.
It was clear now that studying vision had paid off.
In an advantageous position, a team could suppress the enemy’s vision by dewarding, and in a disadvantageous one, they could evade the opponent’s vision.
The buff from the epic monster had worn off, and JW had lost two towers, but with no deaths, it was within an acceptable range.
The game then entered a more uneventful phase.
JW avoided engaging with LSQ, opting to farm instead.
LSQ, not wanting to chase the enemy around, also focused on farming.
Thus, both teams spent a few minutes farming steadily.
The next explosive moment would come with the next epic monster.
The match resumed, and the second epic monster appeared.
Both teams gathered around the Pit.
Their positions were spread out to avoid clumping together and getting caught in a single burst.
LSQ’s 1st position player thought he had found a very safe spot, hiding behind Muffin and preparing to deal damage.
Suddenly, the Paladin, clad in white armor, descended from the sky.
It was JW.Lollipop, the Paladin, who, like a war god, activated Sacred Shield Armor, and with a hammer, stunned LSQ’s 1st position player.
LSQ’s 1st position player quickly reacted and used an item to remove the debuff.
However, before he could even recover for half a second, an ice wall appeared, separating him from Muffin.
Things were looking bad!
Being separated from teammates in battle is incredibly dangerous for a fragile carry!
A physical-based 1st position can be a tank warrior, but also a fragile assassin or hunter.
In this match, both teams have physical 1st positions.
However, JW’s Starry Swordsman is a tank core, while LSQ’s 1st position is a fragile hunter.
The problem is, this hunter has no mobility skills and cannot cross the ice wall to rejoin his teammates.
Muffin, seeing his 1st position in danger, immediately turned to help, only to be intercepted and stomped by a centaur who had suddenly jumped into the middle of the crowd.
The Paladin was also dealing damage—though not very high, as a mid-lane Paladin, each hammer hit still hurt.
Muffin had no choice but to focus on dealing with the JW players who had entered the fray.
He figured that now that LSQ’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions were all visible, the only ones who could target their 1st position were the opposing 1st and 5th positions.
He wasn’t too worried about the 5th position, and the 1st position had been under heavy pressure, so it shouldn’t be that strong. He thought their 1st position could handle it alone.
However, as he turned to deal with others, the news of his own 1st position’s death reached him in an instant.
Muffin looked back in shock to see his 1st position already lying on the ground, killed by JW’s 1st position, the Starry Swordsman wielding a two-handed sword.
[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]
