Tianhuan won the first game beautifully. Although they faced headwinds in the early game, Ye Shaoyang actively sought opportunities, turning the tide with a tacitly coordinated jungle raid and firmly grasping the rhythm in his own hands.
FNO's Coach Tom, who watched the entire match from off-stage, had to admit that the current Tianhuan was much stronger than during the scrims, as if the entire team had been reborn.
But FNO was no weakling either. The key reason they lost to Tianhuan in the scrims back then was that Mitchell was too complacent and underestimated the enemy, and the bot lane duo Allen and Angus had poor psychological quality and weren't mature enough.
After a whole season of tempering, these weaknesses of FNO had been thoroughly resolved.
Tianhuan was growing, and FNO was also improving. The overall strength of the two teams wasn't much different. Losing the first game didn't matter; they would fight back in the second. Coach Tom lowered his head in thought for a moment, forming a clear strategy in his mind.
Upon entering the soundproof booth, he patted Mitchell's shoulder and instructed, "Tianhuan has prepared many new lineups for the World Tournament, but no matter how they change, Lieyang is the key to their team fights! In the next game, we will specifically target the mid lane and prevent the mid-laner from driving the tempo."
Mitchell rubbed his fists eagerly. "No problem. I'll pick a mage assassin next game and focus on him!"
After a short break, the two sides began the second game.
In this game, Tianhuan was on the Red Side, and FNO was on the Blue Side with the first pick.
Coach Tom still banned Ye Shaoyang's signature heroes [Abyssal Lord] and [Goddess of Destiny]. Tianhuan continued to ban [Sun Wheel Mage] and also sent the marksman [Sharpshooter] to the ban list.
Yao Mu analyzed, "Tianhuan used [Sharpshooter] themselves just now and doesn't want the opponent to use it, so they simply banned it. In that case, is it likely Tianhuan will grab a marksman in the P1 phase this game?"
Facts proved Yao Mu correct.
FNO picked Mitchell's preferred mage assassin [Illusionist] in the first slot. Tianhuan directly took the bot lane combo [Meteor Arrow] + [Shield of Glory] in slots 1 and 2. Xiao Xing got to pick his favorite marksman hero.
FNO followed closely by choosing [Wind Elf] for marksman and taking [Stealth Rogue] for jungle.
Brother Dong said, "Is FNO giving them a taste of their own medicine? In the first game, Tianhuan used [Stealth Rogue] as a support. In the second game, FNO's jungler took [Stealth Rogue]. Will he play it as a wild core or a support?"
Yao Mu looked at FNO's lineup and said, "Both Illusionist and Wind Elf need to farm. If they add another wild core, the economy distribution won't be enough. Or perhaps FNO will choose a utility top laner?"
Tianhuan took [Holy Spirit Mage] in slot 3, obviously picked by Ye Shaoyang to target FNO's marksman.
In the P2 phase, FNO began to crazily ban Chi Shu's junglers, sending [King of Fighters] and [Ninja], two wild cores, to the ban list. Chi Shu had no choice but to pick the [Sword Immortal] wild core to coordinate with Ye Shaoyang's control mage to kill the opposing marksman.
And FNO indeed picked a [Black Dragon Knight] top laner who didn't need much economy.
Brother Dong summarized, "In the second game, Tianhuan has a utility Mid + Wild Core. [Holy Spirit Mage]'s seal can target the agile [Wind Elf], coordinating with the jungler [Sword Immortal] to complete the kill—still a Mid-Jungle synergy playstyle. FNO chose a mage assassin mid, a jungler to flank and burst, a late-game marksman, and control-heavy top and support."
Yao Mu said, "The key to this game depends on whether Tianhuan's Mid-Jungle synergy can delete the opposing marksman."
Chi Shu's wild core paired with Ye Shaoyang's Holy Spirit Mage was a strategy Tianhuan used often. Ye Shaoyang seals one, Chi Shu kills one. Mid-Jungle synergy was remarkably effective against [Wind Elf].
The audience looked at the big screen with anticipation.
The match began. Viewers with the omniscient perspective soon discovered that FNO didn't go to the river to set up vision, nor did they invade the jungle. Instead, 4 people crouched together in the mid lane bush, while the jungler [Stealth Rogue] stealthed and crouched in the side bush, forming a "dumpling wrap" pincer formation.
Ye Shaoyang walked to the mid lane to scout. Finding no one on the opposite side, he immediately became alert and threw a ward into the bush on the right. Almost the instant he placed the ward, FNO's [Stealth Rogue] flanked from the side and stunned him with a Q-skill.
The marksman Angus attacked rapidly with basic attacks, the top laner [Black Dragon Knight] jumped over to unleash a combo, and Mitchell followed up closely with damage. A group of people ganged up on him, 5v1, instantly deleting Ye Shaoyang.
First Blood!
Mitchell took First Blood.
Ye Shaoyang: "…"
Is this necessary? 5 people coming to wrap me up?!
Yao Mu looked at Lieyang lying in the mid lane, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Grouping up as 5 to kill the mid laner at the start—isn't Yangyang's aggro value too high? Mitchell even used Flash to kill him; truly VIP treatment."
Ye Shaoyang said helplessly, "5 people camping me. You guys hurry up and clear minions and jungle."
After FNO's 5-man camp, they immediately split up to clear minions. Jungler Fast ran to steal Chi Shu's Blue on the way, but Chi Shu cleared the jungle too fast and took the Blue Buff with a Smite.
In the bot lane, Qu Jiang and Cheng Xing, seeing Lieyang surrounded, reacted quickly by running into the jungle to steal two small monsters, then returned to lane to clear minions. In the top lane, Old Qin also pushed the wave.
Mid lane, after getting the kill, Mitchell cleared minions at maximum speed and reached Level 2 first.
He built [Mobility Boots] and began roaming to support.
The mage assassin [Illusionist] had two playstyles. One was building magic power items, camping in bushes after Level 6 to burst people; squishy heroes could hardly withstand a full combo. The other playstyle was building cooldown reduction items + Mobility Boots, frequently roaming to support and drive the tempo.
Mitchell was using the second playstyle today.
This playstyle placed high demands on teammates. He needed someone to help lower the opponent's health for him to take the kill, or he would cripple the opponent and hand them over to teammates to harvest.
FNO had someone who could keep up with Mitchell's rhythm.
Jungler Fast, a veteran player who had partnered with Mitchell for three seasons.
The two arrived at the bot lane together. Fast stealthed to flank and stunned Cheng Xing, whose positioning was slightly forward. Angus fired rapidly from a distance, followed by Mitchell unleashing a combo. The three joined forces to kill Cheng Xing.
Cheng Xing said in surprise, "Ganking this early?"
Generally, junglers and mid laners ganked more effectively at Level 6, with ultimates and high damage. But FNO's tempo this game was noticeably accelerated. Mitchell ganked at Level 2, and Fast even camped in the bush before finishing his Blue Buff. Xiao Xing didn't expect the opponent's tempo to be this fast at all and was taken away by a combo before he could even Flash.
Qu Jiang said, "My bad. The opposing assassin can stealth; I should have stood in the bush to help you with vision."
Ye Shaoyang said, "They are also playing Mid-Jungle roaming synergy this game. Stabilize, don't let them lead the rhythm. Old Qin, yield a wave of minions to Chi Shu, hit Level 6 ASAP."
Next, Tianhuan's players were much more cautious. Cheng Xing didn't leave the tower at all, crouching under it to clear minions. Mitchell roamed to support several times but didn't find an opportunity to kill anyone.
Until the moment Chi Shu hit Level 6. Marksman Angus sensed danger and retreated immediately, but Ye Shaoyang was very fierce, flashing directly over and using his ultimate to seal him under the tower!
From a distance, Chi Shu refreshed his skills, used three dashes to approach quickly, and took Angus's head.
The Sun-Moon duo finished killing and was about to retreat when an exclamation mark suddenly appeared behind them. The invisible [Stealth Rogue] stunned Chi Shu, and Mitchell followed closely with an illusion combo, instantly deleting Chi Shu.
It was too late for Ye Shaoyang to shield Chi Shu, so he simply shielded Cheng Xing instead.
Cheng Xing fired rapidly from a distance, killing the skill-less Mitchell in the blink of an eye, but Fast suddenly flanked and killed Cheng Xing with a combo.
This bot lane team fight was a 2-for-2 trade. Both sides lost their marksman and jungler; neither gained an advantage.
As the match progressed, FNO began to snowball economy crazily.
Mitchell had already completed his three-item set. [Illusionist] was strongest during this period around 10 minutes with three items. Encountering squishy heroes like mages, marksmen, or assassins, a full combo meant death.
Fast's [Stealth Rogue] began invading the jungle and scouting for vision. Seeing Tianhuan's movements clearly, Mitchell crouched in distant bushes. Upon catching someone alone, he decisively struck to kill.
Their joint invasion left Tianhuan with no energy to target FNO's marksman.
Angus farmed very comfortably. In the crucial late-game Baron fight, Ye Shaoyang wanted to flash over and coordinate with Chi Shu to delete Angus. However, as soon as he moved, Mitchell, who was crouching nearby, immediately stepped forward to control him.
Angus decisively flashed to escape and activated [Wind Elf]'s ultimate, jumping and dealing damage rapidly. He dealt 50% of the damage in one team fight, crippling Tianhuan's entire front line!
Although Chi Shu flanked and killed Mitchell, the marksman wasn't dealt with in time.
In one team fight, FNO's Mitchell died, but Tianhuan lost 3 people. Angus pushed towers frantically with the minion wave, breaking through the mid lane defense first, and finally ended the game at 25 minutes.
The score became 1:1.
Yao Mu watched the post-match replay and commented, "The rookie Angus performed exceptionally well in the second game, worthy of being the Best Rookie Award winner in the North American region! In several team fights, he dodged skills very timely. Mitchell locked down Yangyang, preventing Yangyang from cutting to the backline."
Brother Dong said, "FNO had good rhythm this game. They pinpointed Tianhuan's core, ambushing with 5 people at the start to forcefully kill the mid laner, breaking Tianhuan's Mid-Jungle synergy rhythm. Following that, the sudden Level 2 roam to gank bot and kill the marksman was unexpected. Mitchell's control over the overall situation is also very strong."
Yao Mu said, "Yes, a back-and-forth match is exciting to watch. Both sides are currently tied 1:1, so the third game becomes crucial. Whoever wins the third game first will reach match point first."
In the third game, Tianhuan returned to the Blue Side.
This game, Coach Lin no longer targeted the mid lane but targeted the marksman crazily instead, compressing Angus's hero pool. FNO's coach was still wary of Ye Shaoyang's mage assassins; [Abyssal Lord] and [Goddess of Destiny] continued to be banned.
Tianhuan picked the marksman [Machine Gun Hunter] in slot 1. FNO took away the support [Mechanical Expert] who paired best with this marksman, and picked the mage assassin [Shadow Warlock].
Tianhuan picked [Goddess of Ocean] and [Time Traveler] in slots 2 and 3.
Yao Mu said, "Is Tianhuan going to play macro?"
Brother Dong said, "Mid slows, Support speeds up, Marksman pushes towers—indeed a macro playstyle."
Chi Shu and Old Qin both chose heroes with strong split-pushing abilities.
In the third game, Tianhuan decided to face FNO's fierce mage assassin system with detailed macro operations.
After the match started, Mitchell still played very proactively, utilizing [Shadow Warlock]'s invisibility to ambush and catch people everywhere. However, Tianhuan avoided fights in the early game, giving Mitchell no chance to kill.
Qu Jiang activated speed boost, taking Xiao Xing to push towers quickly and clear the jungle. Chi Shu and Old Qin split-pushed rapidly. Ye Shaoyang defended the mid lane to the death, dragging the match to the ultra-late game at 20 minutes.
Playing until 20 minutes with a 0:0 kill score—such a match was indeed rare.
Mitchell found that even with a full set of luxurious equipment, he had nowhere to use his strength. Ye Shaoyang built defensive items directly and couldn't be burst down; Chi Shu and Old Qin moved too fast for him to reach; wanting to kill Xiao Xing, Qu Jiang acted as a bodyguard the whole time, activating speed boost to run faster than a rabbit.
Under Tianhuan's three-lane split push macro, FNO was always half a beat slower in rhythm. As a result, the defensive towers in the top and bot lanes were pushed down first.
Mitchell frowned. "Can't let them continue macro-ing. Force a fight at Baron!"
FNO was a team very good at fighting, and their lineup this game leaned towards team fights. They forced a fight near the Baron, compelling Tianhuan to come defend.
The 0:0 kill score lasted until now; the first team fight between the two sides was imminent.
Mitchell's [Shadow Warlock] stealthed and crouched in the grass, staring at Ye Shaoyang's [Goddess of Ocean]. Seeing Ye Shaoyang pass in front of him, Mitchell used his ultimate. Just as he was about to delete the opponent, Qu Jiang happened to activate a "Time Rewind" skill. Ye Shaoyang turned back and dropped his ultimate water field, slowing all of FNO collectively.
Tianhuan sped up and ran away; FNO couldn't catch up at all.
Then, Mitchell discovered that Old Qin, who had been obscure in the top lane, didn't participate in this team fight. He ran all the way to the bot lane to split push and quickly stole the bot lane inhibitor.
Mitchell: "…"
FNO lost the third game, and they lost very depressingly.
They couldn't start a fight in the early game. When the match ended, the kill score was only 4:3, with FNO having the advantage in kills. However, Cheng Xing lived until the end, taking two minions to destroy the crystal.
Ye Shaoyang seemed to be using the third game to tell Mitchell—this isn't a fighting game.
We can win by relying on macro too!
Coach Tom came to the soundproof booth and reminded, "Tianhuan's handling of macro play details is much stronger than ours. Must pay attention in the next game; we must break their rhythm in the early game, don't drag it to the late game!"
Tianhuan led 2:1, reaching match point first.
Domestic viewers stared nervously at the screen, and Tianhuan's fans began to pray silently.
Yao Mu said, "If Tianhuan takes the fourth game smoothly, then this season, Tianhuan can make it to the finals and securely get a medal. But if they lose the fourth game, it will drag into the deciding game with blind picks, and the outcome will be uncertain."
Brother Dong said, "I'm a bit nervous now too, even more nervous than when I went on stage to play myself. The fourth game is Tianhuan's match point. Hope Tianhuan can stabilize!"
The commentators and audience were all nervous.
However, inside the soundproof booth, Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shu's expressions showed no sign of nervousness at all.
The two leaned together and whispered a few words. After speaking, Ye Shaoyang even smiled and actively extended his right fist. Chi Shu also extended his fist, gently bumping it with his, seeming to encourage each other.
Audience: "???"
CP fans screamed excitedly: Are you two going to show off your affection in front of the audience worldwide?