Team YM's lounge.
"It's so hard. The opponent is like a monster. How can we still find an opportunity when we're at such a disadvantage?"
Xiao Ming was lying on the gaming chair. After leaving the stage, his nerves were temporarily relaxed and he felt dizzy.
During the 20-minute wave, he and Xiao Tian had been caught by the Tigers' sudden change in strategy. If not for their teammates, the situation would have been reversed instantly once the Dragon was dropped.
If that wave had allowed Smeb to take off, Dragon King and Nightmare would have had less room to play in the team battle. After all, the two of them were like the king of scraping sand against a tank like Bobby. There was no way they could beat him.
"They're really strong. We should be on the red side in the next round. Xiao Ming, pay attention when you set up the Dragon's Pit vision after the 20-minute mark. Don't get caught again. We can't win by relying on the Dragon's Pit team battle every time," Hanyi instructed.
On the other side, the Tigers' lounge was dead silent.
Smeb scratched his head dejectedly. Little Peanut beside him was no longer shaking his head. He just sat there quietly and sipped his water.
They stood on the edge of a familiar cliff. This scene had happened two months ago in the LCK summer finals, but they had been very relaxed at that time.
Even if they lost the finals, they could still enter the S Tournament as the second seed by virtue of being the runner-up in the spring and summer tournaments. There was very little psychological pressure.
In the end, they had relied on Smeb's magical captain's ultimate move, the two-drop Dragon, to turn the tables.
However, it was different now. Being behind 1: 2 meant that they had to win two games in a row to advance to the finals.
There was an even crueler reality in front of them. S6 would be the last international competition for the five of them. Without a major sponsor to invest in the next season, ROX would not be able to afford the rising salaries of the five members. Disbandment was inevitable.
The reality was very cruel.
If they lost another round, they would have to return to China and go their separate ways after the KESPA Cup.
"There's no turning back now," Rat King Pray said seriously. "After three rounds, we've revealed all our cards. Now it's up to the five of us to play."
There was not much time to rest and the tactics that could be arranged were very limited. Coach Nofe acquiesced to Rat King's encouragement of his teammates.
"Do you want to fight to the death or give up?" He gradually raised his voice. "What's the answer in your hearts?"
Normally, Rat King was not good at encouraging and comforting his teammates, but at this moment, he had to stand up.
However, the four teammates didn't buy it. Rat King's motivational words weren't very reliable.
"Giving up is very simple and easy. Isn't that what we did in the Spring Competition?
What's the difference between losing to SKT back then and losing to YM now? "
At the mention of SKT, the Tigers finally reacted. Kuro, Little Peanut, and Grera whispered to each other.
This team was like a red nightmare that haunted the Tigers. From the KooTigers in the S5 finals to the ROXTigers today, they had never defeated SKT.
To the Tigers, this was a humiliation.
"If we win against YM, we'll be able to wash away our shame on the stage of the finals. We'll let all the players in the world chant the name of the ROX Tigers. We'll let them remember who defeated the insufferably arrogant SKT!"
Smeb no longer had a warm smile on his face. Instead, he gripped the paper cup fiercely, his eyes filled with the desire for revenge.
SKT was his lifelong enemy.
"Who are we?" Smeb looked at his teammates.
"… The ROXTigers," Little Peanut was stunned for a second before replying.
"Louder, who are we?" Smeb stood up and asked again.
"The ROXTigers!" Rat King was the first to respond. He stretched out his arm and placed it on Smeb's shoulder.
Kuro, Grera, and Little Peanut joined in later. They placed their arms tightly on their teammates' shoulders, transmitting their faith and strength to each other. At this moment, they were full of fighting spirit.
"As expected, ROX chose the blue side for the fourth round. They banned Sindra first, and YM banned Panther Lady as usual." Mille took advantage of the break to replenish his water. His dry throat felt much better.
"Looks like the Tigers' expressions are very serious," Doll teased. "They're probably panicking because they're forced to the point of the match."
"ROX banned Karma, and YM suppressed Victor as usual," Remember continued. "For the last ban, ROX chose to ban Olaf. This is exactly the same as their three bans in the second round!"
The problem that YM was facing now was even more serious than in the second round.
They had to choose between banning Spider, Kenan, or Gunslinger.
Hanyi thought that Gunslinger was more troublesome. She didn't think that Kenan had much to do with their loss in the second round, and Little Peanut, who had released Spider in the third round, didn't show much dominance.
"YM banned Gunslinger in the end, and the Tigers locked down Kenan!" Mille was a little surprised. "This way, strong heroes like Spider and Ember are left outside!"
"Let's pick Spider and Ember. Let's not pick the support first. In this version, the supports are all short-legged and brittle." Hanyi paced behind the player's bench. "If we pick them first, it won't be good if we get countered by the black tech."
ROX picked Ella and Blind Monk.
"Let's look at the lineup before picking the support," Hanyi asked. "Jin Gong, are you going to use Jayce?"
Jin Gong looked hesitant. He remembered how miserable Little Peanut had been in the first few rounds. Even if he was very good at resisting pressure, he still felt disgusted when he thought about it.
Jayce, on the other hand, was quite average at dealing with tower overs.
"Bobby. I'll resist pressure in this round. I can defend against Blind Monk's Roundhouse Kick in the team fight." Bobby was very uncomfortable playing on Kenan's lane, but Jin Gong didn't mind sacrificing another round for his teammates.
When it was Lin Yan's turn to pick a hero, he hesitated for a moment.
There weren't many midlaners outside who could be picked first. Victor Sindra was banned, and Vampire's development cycle was too long. If he picked Lamia first, Dragon King would keep pushing him, and if he picked Dragon King first, he would be countered by Jayce.
After thinking about it, there were only two heroes left, Jayce and Clockwork. Lin Yan decided to play it safe and pick Clockwork to cover for the team.
"Dragon King and Ice!
The Tigers have decided on the last two choices. Let's see YM's final choice! "
"Is Fire Man okay?" Xiao Ming tilted his head and asked.
Hanyi looked at the lineup on the other side and thought for a while. She didn't think there was anything wrong with Fire Man, so she asked Xiao Ming to lock him down directly.
Both teams' lineups were confirmed.
The blue team's ROX: top laner Kenan, jungler Blind Monk, mid laner Dragon King, bottom laner Ice, and Ella.
The red team's YM: top laner Bobby, jungler Spider, mid laner Clockwork, bottom laner Lu Jin, and Fire Man.
"With ROX's lineup, they'll be done for after 25 minutes." Phyllostachys Pubescens was a little happy. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he felt that victory was already in his grasp. "Their late-game damage output and DPS are not as good as ours."
"I think so too." JKL shifted his chair and laughed. "If we drag it out until the late-game, I'll be able to kill them with three shots each with a shotgun."
On the other side of the ROX players' seats, the five of them were talking non-stop. Everyone's eyes were filled with determination and confidence. Their previous dejection in the lounge had been swept away.
They were eager to defeat SKT in the finals. Before that, YM was their last whetstone.
However, for YM, wasn't ROX also playing the role of a whetstone?