Battle speed bottleneck and breakthrough
Chapter 25: Tactical Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs
The team's winning streak of the new season came to an abrupt halt in the mid-game. AY lost two consecutive games in late-game teamfights—against mid-ranked teams like FT and HT. Despite building an early advantage, they consistently stumbled in crucial teamfights after 20 minutes. Either Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun was instantly killed by the opposing jungler, or Lin Yu's Lan was ambushed during a dragon drive, ultimately losing the game by a narrow margin.
The atmosphere in the training room was tense to the extreme. The coach replayed the game replays repeatedly, his finger tapping the screen at the scene of Wang Zhaojun's death, his brow furrowed. "Our late-game strategy is too simplistic! The Lan + Wang Zhaojun synergy has been mastered by every opponent. They're either banning those two heroes or setting up vision ahead of time to specifically flank Su Ran. If this continues, our title defense will be in jeopardy!"
Lin Yu and Su Ran sat in front of their computers, watching the replay of themselves being repeatedly targeted by the opposing jungler, their faces heavy. Su Ran's fingers tapped unconsciously on the desk, his voice tinged with regret, "In that teamfight just now, I shouldn't have pushed forward for the damage. If I had retreated sooner, we could have secured the Dragon King."
"It's not just your fault," Lin Yu shook his head, blaming himself. "I didn't set up vision ahead of time, and the enemy jungler got behind you. It's my fault."
After practice, their exhausted teammates went to rest, but the two remained in the training room, staring blankly at the tactical board. The board was densely packed with "Lan + Wang Zhaojun" teamfight routes, with red handwriting marking the repeatedly targeted points, like glaring marks.
"This won't work," Lin Yu broke the silence first, his eyes determined. "We can't always rely on the same old tactics. We must develop a new system to catch our opponents off guard."
Su Ran raised his head, his eyes brightening. He swiped his fingers across the tactical board, sketching out a new strategy. "How about we try a 'jungle core to mid core' playstyle? In the early game, you use the blue-collar jungler to stabilize the tempo, initiating teamfights and defending the jungle, leaving the economy to me and the marksman. In the later game, I'll use the high-burst mage to find opportunities to flank, while you switch to protecting the backline. How about that?"
Lin Yu followed his train of thought and pondered it for a moment before an idea suddenly struck him: "This idea is feasible! The blue-collar jungler can free up my control, allowing me to focus on teamfight control. Your late-game mage has high enough damage output, and as long as we successfully flank them, we can instantly kill the enemy core. Let's talk to the coach tomorrow and try it out in a practice match first!"
The next day at practice, they nervously proposed a new tactic to their coach. The coach stared at the tactical board for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. Finally, he sighed, "You can try, but you need to be careful about your coordination and avoid any disconnects. The blue-collar jungler and the center core have different rhythms. Lin Yu, you need to quickly adapt to the shift from 'cutting the backline' to 'protecting the backline.' Su Ran, you also need to grasp the opportunity to flank the rear and avoid being impulsive."
After receiving their coach's approval, the two immediately engaged in scrimmages. Team AY selected a lineup consisting of Lin Yu-Pangu (blue-collar jungler), Su Ran-Sima Yi (mid-core), Ma Chao (wing laner), Marco Polo (marksman), and Da Qiao (support). In the early game, Lin Yu's Pangu adhered to the strategy, focusing on defending the jungle and initiating teamfights. He avoided aggressive counter-jungling like before, instead steadily developing his own jungle. After reaching level 4, he frequently supported the side lanes with his "Disarm" skill, limiting the enemy's damage output. Su Ran's Sima Yi focused on clearing lanes quickly, prioritizing the production of "Book of the Devouring Gods" and "Witch Staff" to lay the foundation for high-burst damage in the later stages.
But the first attempt wasn't smooth. When Su Ran's Sima Yi finished building his key equipment and prepared to sneak up on the enemy marksman, the enemy support had already established vision in the river bushes. As soon as Sima Yi appeared, he was surrounded and attacked by five of the enemy team, instantly killed.
"My problem," Su Ran took off his headphones and scratched his hair in frustration, "I didn't choose the right time to go around. I shouldn't have rushed in when the opponent's support didn't have vision."
Lin Yu walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said gently: "It's okay. This is our first time trying a new tactic, so there will definitely be mistakes. Next time, I will use Pangu's ultimate skill to start a team fight in advance to attract their attention, and you can take the opportunity to go around them. It will be safer this way."
Su Ran nodded, put on his headphones again, and the frustration in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination.
In the second practice match, the two adjusted their strategies. At the 18-minute mark, as the two sides faced off in the mid-lane river, Lin Yu's Pangu suddenly unleashed his ultimate, "Creation of Heaven and Earth." A golden axe blade slashed through the opposing team, disarming three of them. Da Qiao then unleashed her ultimate, "Vortex Gate," summoning her teammates. The opposing team's attention was completely drawn to Pangu's initiation, and no one noticed Su Ran's Sima Yi had quietly slid around from the flank.
"Now!" Lin Yu's voice echoed over the chat. Su Ran's Sima Yi immediately activated his ultimate, "Death's Arrival." A dark figure instantly rushed to the opposing marksman, using basic attacks combined with his second ability, "Desolate Realm," to instantly reduce the marksman's health to a trickle. Marco Polo seized the opportunity to follow up with his damage, instantly killing the marksman. This teamfight victory allowed Team AY to successfully break the deadlock and ultimately win the training match.
Over the next few days, they honed this new tactic, meticulously focusing on every detail, from the timing of flanking to the skill connections. Sometimes, they would practice late into the night, leaving only the two of them in the training room. When Su Ran's eyes burned red from staying up, Lin Yu would force him to rest while he remained in the training room, repeatedly studying the opponent's vision patterns on replays and noting the brush spots their supports frequented.
"Don't stay up too late," Su Ran would make a cup of hot coffee for Lin Yu and put it next to him before leaving. "You still have to practice tomorrow, don't ruin your body."
Lin Yu smiled and nodded, watching Su Ran's back disappear at the door, his heart filled with warmth - no matter how big the difficulties are, as long as the other person is by his side, he will always have the motivation to persevere.
A week later, Team AY faced the third-placed Team RJ. This was a crucial match for them to validate their new strategy and a crucial opportunity to break out of their recent slump. During the match, they decisively deployed a new lineup of "Pangu + Sima Yi," surprising the audience and commentators.
Early on, Lin Yu's Pangu repeatedly disrupted the enemy jungler's rhythm with his "Disarm" ability. Every time the enemy jungler attempted to take the dragon, Pangu arrived promptly, using his abilities to limit their damage. Su Ran's Sima Yi steadily developed in the mid lane, occasionally supporting the side lanes to maintain his economic lead. Later in the game, when the match entered a crucial fight with the Storm Dragon King, Su Ran's Sima Yi, at a crucial moment, flanked from behind and used his ultimate, "Death Comes," directly into the enemy's core damage-dealing mage, Zhen Ji. Combined with his teammates' damage, he instantly killed her. Without their core mage, RJ's formation was thrown into disarray, allowing AY to seize the Storm Dragon King and push down the enemy crystal in a single wave.
In the end, Team AY easily defeated Team RJ 2-0, successfully breaking through their tactical bottleneck. After the match, the coach patted both players on the shoulders, a long-awaited smile on his face: "Your 'jungle core to mid core' tactic really caught them off guard! Keep it up, we still have a long way to go to defend our title."
Lin Yu and Su Ran exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with a sense of accomplishment. They knew this was only the first step toward breaking through a bottleneck, and that more challenges lay ahead. But as long as they trusted each other and worked together, nothing was insurmountable. Under the lights of the training room, the two men once again plunged into intense training, preparing for their next match—their road to defending their title continued.
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