Tianhuan's rhythm in the first game was impeccable.
Beimu's coach, who had watched the entire process from the sidelines, had to admire Chi Shu's ability to control the jungle tempo. He was truly a world-class jungler.
Beimu's weakness indeed lay in the jungle.
Tianhuan's coaching staff had clearly studied strategies specifically targeting Beimu. After Beimu picked dual warrior side laners, Tianhuan picked the Mid-laner [Lord of the Forest] last to provide dual vine crowd control, which countered the dual melee lineup extremely well.
As long as the Mid and Support coordinated their vine controls, the two Zhaos had no way to cut into Tianhuan's backline.
This allowed Chi Shu to find the optimal timing to enter and counter-kill.
There was a few minutes of break after the game. Beimu's coach immediately went into the soundproof booth and smiled encouragingly. "It's okay. The loss in the first game is mainly my fault; there were some errors in the BP. Don't be discouraged. In the second game, we'll target Chi Shu's jungle. Xinping, any issues with you taking a Marksman?"
Zhao Xinping said decisively, "No problem."
The coach said, "In the early game, group up to invade their jungle. Sean, take a burst mage assassin and coordinate with Little Zhao to eliminate targets. Xinping, seize the time to farm. In late-game team fights, remember, kill Lieyang first!"
Everyone nodded in unison. "Understood."
In the first game, they focused on Xiao Xing, aiming to delete him first in team fights. The result was a 5v4 loss due to the Mid-Support control chain causing a turnover. This showed that even if Tianhuan's Marksman died, the Mid, Jungle, and Support could still win team fights together.
Tianhuan's core had always been the Mid and Jungle. Killing Ye Shaoyang first to prevent him from linking up with Chi Shu was the key.
The match started quickly. In this game, Tianhuan was on the Blue Side and had the first pick.
Coach Lin consecutively banned two warrior side laners, still targeting the dual side lane system of the two Zhaos. Beimu targeted control mages, sending [Frost Goddess] and [Earth Mage] to the ban list.
Coach Lin couldn't help but complain seeing this. "Are they targeting Qu Jiang's control supports?"
Qu Jiang smiled. "Should I feel honored?"
Ye Shaoyang said, "That's a must. Our Mid-Support synergy disgusted them."
Cheng Xing laughed from the side. "Tianhuan has two Mid-laners. By banning two mages, they basically banned both Brother Yang and Brother Qu. However, this means all the Marksmen are open." He rolled up his sleeves and said excitedly, "Can I pick [Meteor Arrow]?"
Tianhuan, being on the Blue Side, had the first pick. Coach Lin decisively grabbed the new hero [Meteor Arrow] that Cheng Xing liked recently. Beimu took a combo, directly grabbing [Sharpshooter] Marksman and [Vampire Duke] Top laner.
Tianhuan's 2nd and 3rd picks chose the Support [Shield of Glory] and Top laner [Holy Paladin], two large front-line tanks.
Beimu took the utility Jungler [Fighter].
Many viewers in the livestream chat speculated: "Will Tianhuan go for the Sun-Moon-Star system again?" "Xiao Xing took Meteor (Star) Arrow, Yangyang takes Sun Wheel (Sun) Mage, Captain Chi takes Yueying, continuing Sun-Moon-Star!"
But in the P2 phase, Beimu directly banned [Yueying], a very flashy jungler, and also banned [Abyssal Lord], breaking two of Tianhuan's systems.
Tianhuan targeted Sean, banning two artillery mages.
In the end, Tianhuan didn't pick Sun-Moon-Star. The Mid-Jungle choice was the classic synergy [King of Fighters] + [Goddess of Destiny]. Beimu's Mid-laner chose the high-burst mage assassin [Illusionist], and the Support took the engage tool [White Bear].
Yao Mu said, "Both lineups are relatively comprehensive. Beimu has a lot of crowd control skills, and Tianhuan has a classic Mid-Jungle synergy. Let's look forward to the second duel!"
In the second game, Beimu played aggressively right from the start. Their Mid, Jungle, Marksman, and Support—four people—grouped up to invade Chi Shu's Red Buff. Although Qu Jiang saw them with vision, he and Xiao Xing were no match in a 2v4.
Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang were defending the Blue Buff this game, coincidentally missing Beimu. As a result, Beimu's four members stole the Red Buff at maximum speed. When Chi Shu went to steal the enemy Red Buff, Sean immediately rotated back and joined Little Zhao to drive him away.
Beimu started with 3 buffs, gaining a slight advantage.
But Chi Shu cut his losses in time, stealing the mid lane river crab to salvage some of the situation.
Both Junglers farmed rapidly. Since Sean got the first Blue, he reached Level 6 before Ye Shaoyang. Chi Shu, starting with a single buff, leveled up a few seconds slower than his counterpart.
Ye Shaoyang warned, "Mid miss, Level 6, be careful."
Sean immediately supported bot after hitting Level 6. Beimu's Jungler also came over, diving the tower 4v2. Zhao Xinping took Cheng Xing's First Blood and immediately secured the Small Dragon.
Chi Shu frowned. "Their tempo is very fast. Steady."
Beimu's tempo this game was indeed fast. Starting with 3 buffs, their Mid and Marksman reached Level 6 before Tianhuan's. After winning the first skirmish, Zhao Xinping buried herself in the jungle to farm, clearing all resources in the bot-side jungle. Sean also fed well in the top-side jungle and even built Mobility Boots to roam with the jungler.
Tianhuan gathered quickly mid-game to counter-jungle, wanting to break Beimu's rhythm. But Sean's instincts were very sharp; he ambushed in the bush with his jungler in advance. When Ye Shaoyang tried to support, Beimu's jungler suddenly jumped out with a control skill, and Sean followed with a Flash, instantly bursting Ye Shaoyang with a full combo.
[Illusionist] was a high-burst mage assassin. Ye Shaoyang's [Goddess of Destiny] couldn't withstand the enemy combo. Unable to arrive in time, Chi Shu decisively retreated.
Ye Shaoyang said helplessly, "They are specifically camping me."
Chi Shu said, "In this game for Beimu, Sean should be the one commanding, right?"
Ye Shaoyang agreed. "I think so too. The Mid-laner has been driving the tempo."
At the commentary desk, Yao Mu analyzed, "It's highly likely Sean is commanding for Beimu. He has been driving the tempo for several consecutive fights. As far as I know, Sean was also an outstanding shotcaller during his time in Europe! It's just that after joining Beimu, he has been trying to integrate into the team and didn't command a single game during the regular season."
Brother Dong laughed. "Yes. After all, Xinping is a Marksman and can't see the situation in Mid and Top lanes. Plus, a Marksman needs to focus on farming; commanding team fights actually has too many limitations. As for Little Zhao… cough, his playstyle is very hot-blooded, sometimes impulsive, not calm enough. In the playoffs, it's most suitable for Sean to command."
The Mid lane could oversee the whole situation, making it indeed suitable for commanding. Moreover, Sean's macro sense was equally outstanding.
In the second game, although Tianhuan found some rhythm mid-game, they fell too far behind early on. Beimu snowballed crazily, leading to a massive economic gap.
Zhao Xinping farmed too well. In late-game team fights, her [Sharpshooter] displayed the power of the league's top sniper. Five consecutive bullets all hit, crippling Tianhuan's backline. Sean and Little Zhao joined forces to cut the backline; although both died, they traded for three of Tianhuan's members.
A 2-for-3 trade; Beimu profited massively.
Zhao Xinping pushed with the minion wave and destroyed Tianhuan's crystal.
With the victory, Little Zhao excitedly reached out and patted Sean. "Good job, brother!"
Sean said, "No rush, no rush. It's 1:1, we have to start over."
With the score at 1:1, the first two games were a draw, equivalent to restarting a BO3.
The third game was crucial. Coach Lin came to the soundproof booth and instructed, "Beimu changed shotcallers, the tempo is very fast. We must stabilize in the third game."
Chi Shu looked at Ye Shaoyang. "Yangyang, you command this game. You and Sean are both Mid, you can see his actions more clearly."
Ye Shaoyang nodded decisively. "No problem."
In the third game, with Ye Shaoyang commanding, the playstyle became noticeably more hot-blooded. Small-scale skirmishes increased, and the Mid-Jungle synergy tempo was extremely fast. Beimu clearly couldn't react in time.
Before hitting Level 6, Ye Shaoyang dared to tower dive Zhao Xinping—truly number one in stubbornness!
In the end, Ye Shaoyang died, but the kill went to Chi Shu.
Once Chi Shu farmed up, he became the boss of the match, continuing to unite with Ye Shaoyang to target the bot lane. Zhao Xinping was ganked crazily and couldn't farm up at all before the game ended.
Yao Mu said excitedly, "Tianhuan 2:1 Beimu, reaching match point first!"
However, Beimu wasn't so easily bullied.
In the fourth game, Beimu was on the Blue Side. Sean first-picked the hero [Dark Witch]. This hero fit Sean's personal characteristics very well. According to Ye Shaoyang: Every time Sean speaks in the group chat, he uses the [Cracked/Split.jpg] emoji, and this hero can indeed 'split'.
Dark Witch could split off a witch puppet to stand at a designated location, taking damage in place of the user, and could swap positions with the user or control opponents at any time. Complex operation, flexible skills.
The difficulty of this mage assassin rivaled that of [Abyssal Lord].
In the P1 phase, Beimu directly banned Ye Shaoyang's [Abyssal Lord], allowing Sean to pick [Dark Witch]. Zhao Xin'an coordinated by picking the mid-range control hero [Dark Angel].
Zhao Xinping didn't pick a Marksman this game. After seeing Ye Shaoyang pick his Mid laner, she brought out [Berserker], a high-burst warrior. Usually, Little Zhao played this hero, so it was unexpected for it to go to Zhao Xinping.
The younger brother's [Berserker] was like a mad dog, chasing people to bite desperately.
The older sister's [Berserker] was like a calm and fierce hunter, seizing the opportunity for a one-hit kill!
Both sides pulled back and forth in the fourth game, tangling until the ultra-late game at 28 minutes. In the final crucial Baron fight, Sean released a split witch puppet, found Xiao Xing's position, and instantly deleted him with a combo.
Ye Shaoyang countered with an ultimate to kill Sean.
But Zhao Xinping was waiting calmly in the bush for an opportunity. The moment Ye Shaoyang acted, she suddenly Flashed over. With three clean horizontal slashes of her greatsword, she instantly deleted Ye Shaoyang!
Chi Shu wanted to save him, but Zhao Xin'an targeted him specifically. The siblings coordinated to cripple Chi Shu, and Beimu quickly took the Baron.
Brother Dong was so excited his voice went hoarse. "Beimu stole the Baron and took the victory in the fourth game!"
Yao Mu said, "Just now Tianhuan reached match point first, leading 2:1. If Tianhuan won this game, they would have taken the championship! Beimu knew this too, so they fought with all their might, battling to a 30-minute endurance game, and leveled the score to 2:2!"
Brother Dong said, "Today's match is truly spectacular. Both sides fought fiercely back and forth! 2:2 tie. The crucial deciding game will determine the ownership of the S10 Huaguo Regional Championship!"
Yao Mu said, "The deciding game of the playoffs follows 'Blind Pick' rules. The hero pool is open to both sides simultaneously, and duplicate heroes can be chosen. I believe both sides will bring out their strongest lineup systems!"
Brother Dong said, "There will be a relatively long break before the deciding game, allowing our players to calm down a bit. Don't go away, we'll be right back after the ads!"
Players from both sides left the main stage and went to the backstage lounge.
2:2. This score was within Chi Shu's expectations.
After all, the strength of Beimu's world-class players in the top, mid, and bot lanes could not be underestimated. Plus, with Sean's fast-paced commanding, Tianhuan played very passively in the second game, and the fourth game was lost on a crucial team fight over the Baron.
No matter what, the first 4 games were in the past.
The deciding game was the key.
No bans, blind pick.
They didn't know what heroes Beimu would pick and couldn't target them in BP; similarly, Beimu didn't know what strategy Tianhuan would bring out. This moment depended on the level of the coaching staff, and some luck.
Of course, whether the lineups would counter each other was still unknown.
Ye Shaoyang only knew that to win the deciding game, the players' mentality must remain stable.
Chi Shu looked back and saw Xiao Xing's face was somewhat pale. Although the little guy tried to keep smiling, his clenched fists at his sides betrayed his nervousness.
First time making it to the playoffs, first time making it to the deciding game of the Grand Finals…
The next game would decide the champion!
A slight mistake could ruin Tianhuan's efforts for the entire season.
It would be strange not to be nervous.
Chi Shu looked at Ye Shaoyang. Yangyang wasn't nervous at all; this Omega rookie was truly an oddity. He raised the corners of his lips slightly, looked at his apprentice whose face was pale with tension, and said, "Cheng Xing, come with me."
Cheng Xing paused, then turned to follow his master.
Chi Shu took him to a corner and said in a deep voice, "How long have you been an e-sports player?"
Cheng Xing whispered, "Counting the youth camp, over two years."
Chi Shu said, "Back then, I stayed in the youth camp for less than half a year before my master pushed me onto the stage to compete. During the Grand Finals, I was also very nervous."
Cheng Xing's eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh? But in the S6 Grand Finals, didn't Master use [Bloodstained Assassin] to get a Penta Kill and become the FMVP?"
Chi Shu said indifferently, "I wasn't nervous when killing people."
Cheng Xing: "…"
Chi Shu patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid. Your Brother Yang and I are always by your side, and Old Qin and Qu Jiang will also protect you. For the last game of the S10 Huaguo Region, don't think about anything else, just play well."
Cheng Xing nodded vigorously. "Mn, I understand, Master."
Chi Shu gazed into the little guy's eyes and encouraged, "You always feel that meeting us was the luckiest thing for you. But actually, for Yangyang and me, meeting a talented rookie like you and watching you improve and grow rapidly is also our luck."
Cheng Xing: "..."
Hearing this sentence, the 18-year-old boy suddenly teared up.
So, Master and Brother Yang both appreciate me? Master is also happy to have an apprentice like me?
Guiding me all this time and watching me constantly improve must be a comfort to them too, right?
As an apprentice you personally trained, I absolutely cannot drop the ball in the Grand Finals.
Cheng Xing clenched his fists, secretly cheering himself on.
When he returned to the team, Cheng Xing's complexion had returned to normal.
Ye Shaoyang leaned over curiously and asked Chi Shu, "What did you say to Xiao Xing again?" Chi Shu briefly repeated his words. Ye Shaoyang couldn't help giving a thumbs up. "You really know how to win people's hearts!"
Despite Chi Shu usually being serious and cold, at critical moments, as Tianhuan's captain, a single sentence from him was not only a shot of adrenaline for his teammates but also carried absolute weight, inspiring their fighting spirit.
For example, when Xiao Xing was being flamed the hardest, his sentence "You are not only my apprentice but also my teammate"—that was the greatest encouragement for Cheng Xing.
Now, before the deciding game, seeing Xiao Xing's nervousness, he told Cheng Xing "Accepting you as an apprentice is also Master's luck"—for the die-hard fan Cheng Xing, this was the greatest recognition!
Xiao Xing looked excited, clearly entering "Chicken Blood Battle Mode" (hyped up).
Ye Shaoyang held back a laugh, thinking, This kid is really easy to coax.
For the deciding game, Qu Jiang and Old Qin had played for over three years and had stable mentalities, needing no psychological adjustment. Ye Shaoyang was an oddity who never got nervous and also didn't need counseling.
The most uncertain factor was Cheng Xing.
Now that Cheng Xing wasn't nervous anymore, Tianhuan no longer had any weaknesses.
Ye Shaoyang actively extended his hand. "Everyone, last game!"
Teammates placed their hands on top one after another and shouted in unison, "Tianhuan, Add Oil!"