League of Legends: League of Unknowns

At the E-sports club of Fudan University, Lin Siyong lit his cigarette and stared at the computer screen blankly.

“Captain, I don’t even know how we lost that badly,” said Huang Lin bitterly.

Nineteen minutes and fifty-three seconds!

That wasn’t how long it took Fudan University to lose the Baron to Team Skycrown, nor was it the duration in which Team Skycrown took down the high ground turret. Nineteen minutes and fifty-three seconds was exactly how long it took for Fudan’s Nexus to be demolished.

The fact that the game had ended seven seconds before the surrender option became available was scary. The players from Fudan University were at a loss for words after the game ended so quickly. They couldn’t believe that they had just been so utterly defeated.

‘Is this really the Team Skycrown that we know and have played with before?’

Though Fudan University still recorded more losses than victories in the last few games they played against Team Skycrown, those games at least lasted about thirty to forty minutes.

‘What happened to them in just a few days?’

Lin Siyong broke the silence. “Any comments?”

“We are unable to cope with their pace. Their push was insanely quick.”

“I agree. Right after my first gank at the top, I could tell that our Jungle was constantly surrounded with wards. From that point onwards, they always knew what I was up to.”

“F*ck! Why do I feel that their strategy was fiercer than ours?”

“Ours? We didn’t even last long enough to execute our tactics.”

Once all the afternoon games were over, the Fudan University team members remained in shock after experiencing a string of one-sided defeats.

Just a few days ago, they could still fight Team Skycrown on an equal playing field. But today, Fudan University felt completely helpless throughout all the matches. At one point, they felt like they wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of winning, no matter how hard they tried.

None of them could explain what just happened.

“Maybe they were holding back during previous games. I heard from Xiao Jia that Team Skycrown trained non-stop even during the New Year. That must be why their strength and strategy have improved so drastically.”

“Hmm… that’s highly possible.”

Twenty minutes was an important benchmark. If they couldn’t make it past twenty minutes, then it meant that Fudan University was no longer a match for Team Skycrown.

***

At Shanghai University, Jian Feng, Li Meiqi, and Qin Ting were dazzled by Team Skycrown’s performance. It was hard to imagine that the almighty Fudan University could one day be defeated in such a brutal manner.

‘That was inexplicably pleasing to watch.’

“The strategy is basically in place. The rest depends on how you guys implement it in a real match,” said Yu Luocheng.

Da Luo removed the headset and laughed. “My baiting was not too bad, right?”

“That’ll work for now.”

Lin Dong stood up and said, “I still haven’t checked the tournament schedule.”

“Let me do it.” Jian Feng offered to help.

“By the way, here’s the info I gathered on the top eight teams of LPL. Come and check it out.” Yu Luocheng switched on one of the computers and waved them closer.

The eight strongest teams from all around China were in the LPL. Referring to the previous LPL rankings, it was pretty much obvious who the top four teams were.

The first was Asmodai’s Team Daemon and the second was Team Sky led by Blood Eagle Zhao Tinghua.

Their supremacy within the country was indisputable. They would alternate being crowned champions at almost every major and minor domestic competition. No other team was a threat to them during the previous season. Judging by this trend, these two teams were in a league of their own far ahead of the rest of the LPL.

Third place belonged to Team 71, which had the analyst Zhang Aijin and the national No.1 Solo Top player Xiao Wang. And finally, fourth place went to Team Revelation, captained by the king of ADC, Bai Feng.

These four teams had dominated the local LPL scene for a very long time. Other teams have never even come close to overthrowing them throughout the years.

The other four teams participating in this year’s LPL were Stardust, Meteor, Dusk, and first time participant Skycrown, who had defeated the initial favorite Fudan University to qualify for the LPL.

Lin Dong purposely picked the name Skycrown as it represented the past glory (crown) of Team Wing (sky) in DOTA. He sincerely hoped that this team signified the rebirth of Team Wing in LPL and that the team would be able to dominate the MOBA arena once again!

***

“I believe you guys have been briefed about the tournament rules and format during the introductory meeting. But let me reiterate some of the key messages,” said Yu Luocheng solemnly.

“This time, we’re participating in the Spring Tournament LPL which uses the points system. Simply put, each team will play all the other teams once and the winner receives one point while the loser gets none. The two teams with the lowest points will be eliminated at the end of the robin round while the top six will enter the Summer Tournament.”

“Four teams with the highest combined points from the two tournaments will then qualify to compete for the two China seats in the International S Tournament. In other words, only the two strongest teams in this country can go after the international trophy and the prize of 1 million.”

More games meant more exposure, which is how a team would be able to garner enough fame and interest from potential sponsors.

The LPL has a well-established tournament system. Main events and mini-competitions in between spanned almost the entire year. If Team Skycrown could consistently secure a spot in the top tier, they would no longer need to worry about their lack of funding.

In the Spring Tournament, the two weakest teams would be eliminated. Yu Luocheng did not want such a tragic fate to befall Team Skycrown. If they were to be ousted that early in the Spring Tournament, then perhaps their time in E-sports had really come to an end.

Sky Club had used all available resources on hand to jeopardize their resurgence. If Team Skycrown couldn’t even survive the first tournament, then no one would remember them. As cruel as it may sound, this was their last chance to have a shot in this merciless world. If they didn’t pull off a memorable run in this tournament, then they could forget about getting endorsements and consequently, forget about their professional career.

“In the Spring Tournament, opponents are assigned randomly. This means there is a chance we might face Team Daemons or Team Sky very soon,” continued Yu Luocheng.

His tone was somber but his eyes shone with determination.

I hope that all of you can at least stay within the top six throughout this tournament. As long as we remain in the game, we will definitely have the opportunity to turn our fortunes around. I also want you guys to defeat Team Sky for at least one game!” said Yu Luocheng animatedly.

Li Meiqi nodded in agreement and said, “Sky Club has been oppressing us in all facets since the beginning of the tournament. They are the reason why we still have no income and recognition. If we manage to pull out a stunner, even only once, it will give us an opening to break through their off-stage impediments. We can then build on this and announce our existence to the world.”

He paused, looking around at his teammates who were all as determined as him. They all desperately wanted to show Sky Club that they were not to be taken lightly.

“Sometimes it may not be a bad thing to have an overpowering rival. Because the longer we resist them, the greater the chance for us to exploit them as our PR medium. Once we have enough popularity, they will not be able to shut us out completely,” continued Li Meiqi.

Defeating them in an official game was now the only way Team Skycrown could overcome the current predicament that Sky Club had forced them into.

Yu Luocheng was confident that Team Skycrown could definitely take Team Sky by surprise with the strategy he designed for them.

They were not being unrealistic by dreaming of nabbing one of the top two positions. Yu Luocheng was aware of Team Skycrown’s immaturity. They would not attain a very high win-rate in the LPL at their current state.

Nevertheless, with the element of surprise, they might be able to take down any opponent, even one as powerful as Team Sky. It didn’t matter if such a patchy tactic only worked for a while and was quickly discovered. They just needed it to work long enough to give them an advantage.

“We understand everything you’re trying to tell us and we will definitely give it our best. But tell us this, will you take the player’s seat when necessary?” Da Luo asked Yu Luocheng.

Lin Dong, Zhou Yan, Xiao Bei, and Wu Sen were looking at Yu Luocheng too. They knew that he was the only one in the team capable of countering Zhao Tinghua.

No matter how unorthodox the strategy, Zhao Tinghua was the type of aggressive player that could singlehandedly destroy any game plan. If a match against Sky Club did arrive earlier than expected, they hoped that Yu Luocheng would fight alongside them.

They were using his strategy after all. He was the perfect candidate to lead them in-game, instead of remaining in his position as coach. With all five of them looking at him wistfully, Yu Luocheng didn’t know what to say.

Was Team Skycrown a five-man team?

No, of course it wasn’t.

Everyone in the team acknowledged Yu Luocheng’s contribution. They knew the effort he put into this team was no less than any other team member.

They also knew that the MOBA spirit in Yu Luocheng’s heart was yet to be extinguished.

Yu Luocheng answered firmly after a long silence. “I will if it’s necessary.”

The five of them nodded simultaneously.

It was actually uncommon for a MOBA team to alter their lineup at the last minute. Da Luo, Zhou Yan, Lin Dong, Wu Shen, and Xiao Bei all understood that adding Yu Luocheng to the roster meant that one of them would need to back out.

They had been playing together for six months now. They were like a well-oiled machine, and the impromptu inclusion of Yu Luocheng at this point would perhaps do more harm than good to their teamwork.

All they needed was Yu Luocheng’s promise. With his words, they could now march forward into the LPL brimming with confidence.

Yu Luocheng had promised that he would be there if and when they needed him. That’s all they needed to hear. They understood how much his family meant to him now, so they wouldn’t actually force him to do anything against his will.

Team Wing’s captain was always going to be their captain. Even after he had retired, he could still give his teammates the greatest moral support!

***

“Our first opponent is Team Stardust. The game will be decided by best of five. Each win is equal to one point. In other words, we can get three points if we win and zero to two points if we lose. Wu Sen, you know Team Stardust better than I do. Maybe you can give them an evaluation based on my collected data,” said Yu Luocheng.

Wu Sen was formerly a SP of Team Stardust. Their current members were mostly his ex-teammates. Team Skycrown’s advantage lay in Wu Sen’s in-depth understanding of the team.

“In Stardust, we often acknowledged each other as Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, and Lightning depending on the position that we played. The strongest member among the five is their mid-laner, Earth. He is the kind that will carry the whole team on his shoulders. As for how strong he is, I believe Lin Dong knows best,” said Wu Sen, expressing his opinion.

Lin Dong nodded heavily. “If I was the non-professional me of half a year ago, he would beat the crap out of me.”

“Personal skill-wise, from one to ten, where does he rank?” asked Yu Luocheng.

“Not lower than eight I suppose,” answered Wu Sen with a low voice.

Both Li Meiqi and Qin Ting’s jaws dropped in astonishment.

“8? Isn’t that equivalent to Bai Feng and Xiao Wang?”

***

Author’s Note: The Spring Tournament of the LPL in real life does indeed follow the point format. The only difference here is that the actual tournament goes by BO1 (best of 1) instead of BO5. The author hopes that readers will understand the need for such an alteration, as he aimed to provide more twists to the story. Other than this discrepancy, the LPL narrated in this novel is exactly the same as how the real tournament is carried out, including the Spring and Summer seasons. The author will reveal more information and rules regarding the competition in subsequent chapters and hopes that the readers will have a better picture of this annual gaming event in China as the story progresses.