A tough start to the first game of the finals
The sun on the day of the finals was exceptionally bright, filtering through the glass walls of the esports center, illuminating the sea of orange cheers within. With an hour left before the match, a long line had already formed outside the venue. Fans held up signs reading "Lin and Su side by side, the champion will emerge," gently waving their cheering sticks to the rhythm of the chants. The air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement.
In the AY team's lounge, the atmosphere was unusually quiet. Lin Yu sat in his gaming chair, his fingers repeatedly stroking the screen of his phone—a collection of notes from the night before when he and Su Ran reviewed ZT Team's tactics. It was densely packed with notes about Aze and Pei Qinhu's jungle routes and Lao Xia and Zhuge Liang's support habits. Su Ran walked over and handed him a bottle of warm water. Her fingertips inadvertently touched the back of his hand, feeling the light sweat on his palm. "Don't be nervous, just practice like usual. We've practiced this so many times. It's fine."
Lin Yu took the water, tilted his head back and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, easing his nervousness a little: "I'm not nervous about the competition, I'm just afraid of disappointing everyone's expectations." He knew that not only the fans at the scene, but also the countless people supporting them in front of the screen, were waiting for the result of this finals, waiting for them to realize their dreams of many years.
"No." Su Ran patted his shoulder, his tone firm, "We have done our best. The rest will be left to the competition."
At that moment, a staff member knocked on the door, reminding them that it was time to go on stage. Lin Yu took a deep breath and followed Su Ran out of the lounge. As the two, wearing the blue uniforms of the AY team, stepped side by side into the passage leading to the stage, the cheers from outside rippled through the soundproof door like a surging wave. Lin Yu subconsciously shook Su Ran's hand, and Su Ran shook it back firmly. The two smiled at each other, the tension in their eyes gradually replaced by determination.
The moment they walked onto the stage, the audience erupted in cheers that threatened to lift the roof off the stage. Orange signboards twinkled like a sea of stars, and chants of "AY will win" echoed in unison. Even the referee couldn't help but pause his work and gaze upon the enthusiastic scene with a smile. Lin Yu and Su Ran walked to the battle table and bowed deeply to the audience. The cheers escalated again, with some even excitedly shouting "Lin Su lock it up!" A faint blush crept onto their cheeks.
The BP screen lit up, and the audience held their breath. As the defending champions, Team ZT was the first to have the right to ban. Without hesitation, they targeted Lin Yu's signature hero, Han Xin, and then quickly banned Su Ran's most skilled hero, Wu Zetian. Clearly, they had done their homework, not wanting to give Team AY a chance to take their core mid-jungle duo.
"Ban the backhand mirror and Mai Shiranui." The coach's voice sounded in the headset, "Limit Aze's jungle options and don't give Lao Xia the opportunity to play a burst mage."
AY immediately banned Jing and Mai Shiranui. When it came time to pick heroes, ZT immediately locked in Pei Qinhu and Zhuge Liang, clearly aiming for an early-game tempo. AY followed their pre-determined strategy, with Lin Yu picking Lan and Su Ran picking Wang Zhaojun. They added Lü Bu and Gongsun Li to the side lanes, and settled on Taiyi Zhenren as support. This "Lan + Wang Zhaojun" combination had the highest win rate in their scrimmages. Lan's agile dash, combined with Wang Zhaojun's control, was just the right balance to counter ZT's squishy lineup.
"AY's lineup is a solid one!" the commentator said excitedly. "Wang Zhaojun's freeze can create an environment for Lan to deal damage, and Lan's charge can help Wang Zhaojun damage the backline. Furthermore, Lü Bu's late-game teamfighting and Gongsun Li's sustained damage can make up for the lack of damage in the early game!"
As the game loaded, Lin Yu's fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the screen, his heartbeat a beat faster than usual. Su Ran, sensing his nervousness, nudged his arm with her elbow and whispered, "Don't be nervous. Have you forgotten what we practiced yesterday? Aze's Pei Qinhu will likely counter-jungle. We'll just follow the plan."
Lin Yu turned to look at him, and just happened to meet the smile in Su Ran's eyes - it was a trust that needed no words, as if saying "I'm always behind you." He took a deep breath and nodded, and the trembling in his fingertips gradually subsided.
"The game begins!" As the referee's voice fell, the game officially entered the competition stage.
Lin Yu controlled Lan and headed straight for his own red zone, with Taiyi Zhenren following closely beside him, charging his first skill, "Golden Flash," in advance, ready for any unexpected situation. Following the plan from training, Taiyi Zhenren placed his vision in the bushes near the red buff, ensuring he wouldn't be ambushed by Pei Qinhu from behind.
But just when Lan had just finished defeating the red buff and reached level 2, Pei Qinhu's avatar suddenly appeared on the minimap - Aze actually gave up his own blue zone and moved directly towards AY's red zone with Zhang Fei, obviously determined to counter-jungle!
"Support center-left!" Lin Yu's voice had barely fallen when Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun had already cleared the first wave of soldiers. He abandoned the ranged soldiers of the second wave and used his second skill, "Imprisoning Frost," to attack the red zone. Simultaneously, he activated his first skill, "Withered Ice Crystal," to accelerate and dash towards the red zone.
However, Team ZT was more prepared than they'd anticipated. By the time Wang Zhaojun reached the red zone, Guan Yu had already circled from top lane, activating his ultimate, "Blade Cavalry," and charging towards Lan. Pei Qinhu, having transformed into his tiger form, used his first skill, "Tiger Roar," to pounce on Lan, combining his basic attacks to reduce Lan to half health. Zhuge Liang followed closely behind, using his first skill, "East Wind Breaking Attack," to deal area damage, instantly reducing Lan and Taiyi Zhenren's health to the critical level.
Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun immediately unleashed her second skill, "Imprison Frost," accurately freezing Pei Qinhu. However, Zhang Fei's ultimate, "Beast Blood," activated just in time, not only shielding Pei Qinhu from the subsequent damage but also blocking Wang Zhaojun's escape route. Finally, after breaking free from the freeze, Pei Qinhu unleashed a basic attack, taking Lan's head and securing First Blood, while also snatching the small monster in the red zone.
"It's okay," Lin Yu took a deep breath and calmly comforted his teammates, "We'll play steadily and steadily. Our lineup will be more advantageous in the later stages. Don't panic."
In the following match, Team AY indeed adjusted their tempo. Lin Yu's Lan stopped aggressively invading, instead focusing on clearing their own jungle, occasionally helping out on the side lanes to defend towers. Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun remained steady in the middle lane, using her ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived," to quickly clear lanes. Every time Zhuge Liang tried to support, he was restricted by Wang Zhaojun's second skill, unable to leave the middle lane.
Eight minutes into the game, the economic gap between the two teams was only 500. Lin Yu seized the opportunity and controlled Lan to wait in the bushes of ZT's blue zone - he knew that Pei Qinhu would come to attack the blue buff at this time, and this was the best time for them to counterattack.
Sure enough, not long after, Pei Qinhu appeared on the minimap. Aze, controlling Pei Qinhu, walked unguarded into the blue zone and began attacking the blue buff. Lin Yu's Lan seized the opportunity, suddenly bursting out from the brush. His first skill, "Breaking Waves," pushed Pei Qinhu against the wall. Combined with Taiyi Zhenren's stun, he used a basic attack followed by his second skill, "Severing the Sky," and instantly reduced Pei Qinhu's health to a meager dregs.
Zhuge Liang tried to come to support, but was slowed down by Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun's first skill, "Withering Ice Crystal", and could only watch Lan take the head of Pei Qinhu. Su Ran took the opportunity to take down the middle lane tower, regaining some advantage for Team AY.
But ZT quickly launched a counterattack. At 10 minutes, Aze's Pei Qinhu, in conjunction with Guan Yu, swerved from the bottom lane to attack Gongsun Li. Although Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun provided timely support, freezing Pei Qinhu with her ultimate, Guan Yu's charge still pushed Gongsun Li into Zhuge Liang's path. Zhuge Liang's ultimate, "Spirit Bomb," instantly killed Gongsun Li. ZT then secured their first Overlord, widening the gold gap to 1,000 again.
"Don't panic!" Su Ran's voice remained calm, without a trace of impatience. "We still have a chance. Once I finish building the Frost Staff, I can better restrict the movements of Guan Yu and Pei Qinhu. Then we can actively look for a team fight."
Lin Yu nodded and controlled Lan to patiently wait in the jungle, no longer rashly pushing lanes. Instead, he focused on protecting Gongsun Li and preventing ZT Team from sneaking into the backline again. He knew that the key now was to maintain a steady pace and wait for Wang Zhaojun's equipment to complete. With just a good team fight, he could make up for the economic gap.
At 15 minutes, Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun finally finished building her Frost Staff, giving her a qualitative leap in both damage and control. "Looking for a team fight!" Lin Yu called out, and Lan moved towards the middle river, with Wang Zhaojun following closely behind, ready to engage in a decisive battle.
ZT team really took the bait. Guan Yu was the first to activate his ultimate skill and rushed towards the back row of AY team, trying to push Gongsun Li away; Zhuge Liang was ready to attack on the flank, and Pei Qinhu switched to tiger form, ready to cut in at any time.
At this critical moment, Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun suddenly unleashed her ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived." Golden ice crystals instantly covered the river, freezing ZT's Guan Yu, Pei Qinhu, Zhuge Liang, and Zhang Fei. Lin Yu's Lan seized the opportunity to activate his ultimate, "Execution," pushing Zhuge Liang into Wang Zhaojun's ultimate range. Combined with Lü Bu's ultimate, "Demon God's Descend," and Gongsun Li's damage output, Zhuge Liang was instantly killed.
Without their core mid laner, ZT fell into disarray. AY pressed their advantage, slaying Pei Qinhu and Guan Yu, leaving Zhang Fei and Di Renjie fleeing in panic. AY didn't give them a chance to breathe, seizing the Storm Dragon King and advancing with the Dragon King buff.
When Lan's blade pierced through the ZT team's crystal, the system prompt sounded: "AY team wins!"
The moment the match ended, Lin Yu took off his headphones and immediately turned to look at Su Ran. Su Ran also turned to look at him, and they smiled at each other, tears of excitement welling in their eyes. The fans in the audience were in high spirits, shouting "AY will win!" one after another, and the orange lights illuminated the entire venue like daylight.
Lin Yu and Su Ran stood up and hugged their teammates tightly. They knew that this was only the first game of the finals, and that there would be more difficult challenges waiting for them. But as long as they maintained this tacit understanding and trust, they would definitely defeat their opponents and win the championship trophy that belonged to them.
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