A life-or-death battle in the second round of the playoffs
In the second round of the playoffs, AY faced RJ, the fourth-placed team in the regular season. This team was renowned across the league for its "Da Qiao + Gongsun Li" power play. Their agile teleportation and pull-to-win strategy had stumbled numerous strong teams, and before the match, many considered it a significant obstacle to AY's title defense. On match day, the atmosphere in the arena was even more tense than in the first round. AY's orange cheers and RJ's purple signage intertwined in the stands, and the air felt tense with cheers.
In the first game, RJ unsurprisingly deployed a "Da Qiao + Gongsun Li" lineup, pairing jungler Zhao Yun, mid laner Zhang Liang, and side laner Xiang Yu, maximizing their roster's pull. From the start, RJ leveraged Da Qiao's teleportation advantage to frequently launch raids on the side lanes. Gongsun Li would first consume the enemy in lane, Da Qiao would then unleash her second ability, "Sea of Fate." When Gongsun Li's health was low, Da Qiao would teleport her directly back to the fountain to replenish. A moment later, she used her ultimate, "Vortex Gate," to teleport the entire team back to the battlefield, catching AY off guard.
At the 15-minute mark, the two teams faced off in the middle river. RJ's Gongsun Li deliberately sacrificed health to draw the AY players into pursuit, while Da Qiao quietly prepared her ultimate from the rear. As AY's Lü Bu and Gongsun Li advanced to deal damage, RJ's players suddenly converged, using Da Qiao's teleport. In an instant, they created a five-on-two situation, not only killing two AY players but also securing their first Overlord. From then on, RJ continued to expand their lead, leveraging Overlord vanguards and elevator systems to pull the game apart, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory.
Before the second game began, the atmosphere in the locker room was tense. The coach, holding a tactical board, quickly ran his finger over the lineup, urgently adjusting the strategy: "RJ's elevator system relies heavily on Da Qiao's teleport. We must disrupt their rhythm. Lin Yu, you'll use Han Xin to push the lane and contain them. Wherever their Da Qiao goes, you'll go to the other lane to push the lane and destroy the tower, forcing them to return to defense. Su Ran, you'll use Wu Zetian's ultimate, 'Life and Death,' which grants full-screen control, to disrupt their recall and teleport, preventing them from easily connecting skills."
Lin Yu and Su Ran nodded and quickly settled on the lineup: Team AY's "Han Xin + Wu Zetian + Lü Bu + Gongsun Li + Taiyi Zhenren." As the game began, Lin Yu's Han Xin followed the tactical strategy, frequently pushing the lanes in top and bottom lanes. When RJ's Da Qiao went to support the bottom lane, Han Xin would go to destroy the top tower. When Da Qiao returned to defend the top lane, Han Xin would circle back to the bottom lane to steal the dragon. Whenever RJ's team tried to use Da Qiao's ultimate to teleport support, Su Ran's Wu Zetian would unleash it in time, stunning the teleporting teammate and disrupting their formation.
At 10 minutes, Lin Yu's Han Xin seized the opportunity when all RJ players were huddled in mid lane and snuck around to the enemy mid lane high ground tower. With his flexible movement and high burst damage, he quickly destroyed the high ground tower, opening up the game for AY. At 18 minutes, the two teams engaged in a decisive battle at the Storm Dragon King pit. RJ attempted to use Da Qiao's ultimate to teleport everyone to the dragon, but Su Ran's Wu Zetian ultimate accurately hit four players. Lin Yu's Han Xin seized the opportunity and activated his ultimate, "Unparalleled National Scholar." Combined with Taiyi Zhenren and Gongsun Li's damage output, he instantly killed Gongsun Li and Da Qiao. Without their core players, RJ's formation was thrown into disarray. AY took advantage of the situation and took down the Storm Dragon King, destroying the enemy's crystal in a single wave, bringing the score to 1:1.
In the third game, RJ adjusted their roster, selecting jungler Jing and midlaner Mai Shiranui, focusing on early burst and attempting to suppress AY through a fast-paced strategy. Jing repeatedly invaded Han Xin's jungle early in the game, and with Mai Shiranui's quick support, he successively took down Lü Bu and Taiyi Zhenren, quickly widening the gold gap to 3,000. The AY players were a bit impatient, and voice chat became disorganized. Several teamfights were decimated by the enemy due to poor coordination.
"Don't panic!" Lin Yu's voice suddenly rang out over the chatroom, his calm tone gradually calming his teammates. "Su Ran, hold mid lane. Use Wu Zetian's wave clearing advantage to hold the tower. Don't let Shiranui Mai support. Lü Bu and Gongsun Li hold the side lanes, and try not to engage them. I'll go counter-jungle and slowly recover the gold." With that, he controlled Han Xin to circle around to RJ Team's red zone. While Jing was supporting bottom lane, he stole the red buff and the small monsters, taking out the enemy's small monsters along the way, gradually easing the gold pressure. Su Ran firmly held mid lane. Wu Zetian's first skill, "Empress's Radiance," cleared the wave at an extremely fast speed. Shiranui Mai tried to roam to support several times, but was forced back to the tower by Wu Zetian's skills.
The game reached the 22nd minute, and the economic gap between the two sides narrowed to 500. RJ team was eager to end the game, and all the members gathered at the Storm Dragon King pit, ready to take the dragon. "Now!" Lin Yu's Han Xin suddenly led the line from the top lane, heading straight for the RJ team's crystal, and the soldiers under the tower had been pushed to the high ground. RJ team had no choice but to send three people back to defend; AY team took the opportunity to take down the Storm Dragon King and launched a counterattack with the Dragon King Buff. "Chase!" Su Ran's Wu Zetian's ultimate skill hit three people from RJ team again. Lin Yu's Han Xin cooperated with Gongsun Li's output to instantly kill the opponent's Mai Shiranui and Jing. AY team took advantage of the victory and pushed down the RJ team's crystal in one wave, leading 2:1.
In the fourth game, RJ fought a desperate battle, playing with exceptional aggression. Jing and Mai Shiranui's synergy grew stronger, repeatedly slicing into AY's backline, killing Wu Zetian and Gongsun Li. Despite Lin Yu's Han Xin's best efforts to push the lane and contain the opponent, they were unable to turn the tide. RJ eventually won the game, bringing the score to 2-2 and forcing the deciding game.
Before the final round began, Lin Yu walked over to Su Ran and gently took his hand. The warmth from his fingertips gradually reassured them both. "Don't be afraid, we'll win together." Lin Yu's voice was soft, yet filled with undeniable determination. Su Ran nodded, his eyes full of trust. From the city tournament to the professional league, they had experienced countless life-or-death games together, and they had always come through side by side, and this time was no exception.
In the final game, Team AY selected the classic "Lan + Wang Zhaojun" duo, the mid-jungle duo that had accompanied them to the championship, once again becoming the core of the team. In the early game, Lin Yu's Lan, with the support of Su Ran, successfully secured first blood on Mai Shiranui in the mid lane, establishing an early advantage. Thereafter, Lan frequently invaded Jing's jungle, disrupting the opponent's development rhythm. Wang Zhaojun used her ultimate to support the side lanes, helping her teammates maintain their advantage. At 15 minutes, Lin Yu's Lan seized the opportunity when Jing was pushing the side lane and sneaked around to the opponent's Overlord pit, successfully stealing the Overlord and further expanding their lead.
Ultimately, Team AY, with their tacit coordination and consistent performance, triumphed over Team RJ with a hard-fought 3-2 victory, advancing to the finals. At the end of the match, Lin Yu and Su Ran embraced tightly, tears of joy welling in their eyes. The fans in the audience erupted in excitement, their shouts of "AY Champions" deafening, and the orange lights illuminated the entire venue in a sea of joy. They knew they were just one step away from defending their title.
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