Chapter 199: 203. Chapter 199: National Server Number One Marco Polo!! (6100 words)

203. Chapter 199: National Server Number One Marco Polo!! (6100 words)

The match ended. Putting away the depression in his heart, Xu Beifang and Black and White Fat Balls finished shaking hands. This long-lost Nuke also finally came to an end.

Failure.

This word hadn't appeared on Vitality for a long time.

Ever since Vitality adjusted its strategy, the team's combat power had risen straight up. They had been in a winning streak in the IEM Sydney qualifiers, and now their winning streak was finally interrupted at the Major.

Of course, Vitality wasn't surprised that the winning streak was interrupted.

Unless they retired on the spot during the winning streak, if they kept playing on the professional stage, they would always usher in failure, which was unavoidable.

As strong as NiP, they got an 87-game winning streak early on, but were still defeated in the 88th battle.

There are no ever-victorious generals on the professional stage, only dream chasers with firm faith.

Facing NRG, this world's fifth, failure was actually expected.

There is a rough strength division among professional teams. The top 5 teams are a sequence.

The teams behind 5-10 can also compete with the top 10, but they lack some stability.

Those teams after 10, if they want to compete with the teams in front, they can only rely on explosive power to win.

Vitality's world ranking is now 14th. If they want to win against NRG, they need two members to explode.

But the premise of explosive performance is that they are proficient in this map.

Meeting a team of NRG's level, Vitality's pain points gradually exposed.

The map pool is too shallow. Before this match, they thought they only had two weak maps, but now it seems that there are three maps that can't be played against top teams.

Nuke can be played, but it's just a level that can be played. If you want them to play brilliantly, they have to feed it with experience in the match later—this kind of tactical map can't be improved in a short time.

"Cheer up!" The bald coach clapped his hands and comforted everyone, "We didn't expect the gap between Nuke and top teams to be so large, but exposing mistakes is actually a good thing."

"Next, as long as we practice hard and make up for the gap in map proficiency, it will be enough. And it's still early to lose now, so it won't put us in the state of a BO3."

Listening to XTQZZZ's comfort, Xu Beifang felt better in his heart.

Vitality is still in a growth period and hasn't become a true hexagonal god of war. Its shortcomings are still many and need to be constantly made up for.

And for making up for shortcomings, Xu Beifang knows the experience too well.

Just grind it slowly with time later.

"Coach, do we have any tasks today?" Xu Beifang packed up his peripherals and started walking toward the player channel with his teammates.

"Go to the lounge first. I just asked the tournament group. Maybe we still have a BO1 match to play today. Now wait for the second round of matches to be completely finished."

The second day of the Challengers Stage was very tense.

The Katowice Major tournament group official, perhaps to create that sense of urgency, arranged a total of 16 matches on the second day. The BO1 confrontations of the entire Challengers Stage had to be finished today, and the BO3 match confrontations would officially start tomorrow.

Perhaps because of the dark horses in the last Major, there was some controversy about the London Major's format.

The London Major's regulations stipulated that except for the elimination round, the rest of the confrontations adopted the BO1 format, which led to teams like VP and COL, as long as they had a certain explosive power, could successfully advance.

Many old teams with strength died on the road instead.

So this IEM Katowice Major made some modifications to the rules.

Previously, only the elimination round had BO3 matches, but now both the elimination and advancement rounds have become BO3.

This decision is reasonable. It increases the fault tolerance of the match, allowing those old teams without strong explosive power to have the capital to fight the enemy. Even if they are rushed into the elimination edge by young people in BO1, they still have the opportunity to fight back with tenacity in BO3 matches.

But this is not good news for Vitality.

After all, their map pool is not clear. Once they encounter a BO3 match, the pressure will be great.

Entering the lounge, Xu Beifang looked at the battle situation on his phone, and there were upsets again.

In the second round of matches, Cowboys defeated NiP with a score of 16:13 on Mirage, a conventional map.

At the same time, Xu Beifang noticed that G2 almost overturned against Vaga in the first match today.

The Major is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even if it is an unknown small team, they dare not have any contempt.

Xu Beifang opened his phone and looked at the comments on the forum:

【Sad! Vitality was crushed】

【No way, Vitality can't chew the beef jerky, it was a beating on Nuke】

【It's very clear, the gap in map understanding is like this】

【Don't blame Little Xu and Zywoo, 2 greens and 3 reds can't win, it's normal.】

Rational viewers see it very clearly, but there are also viewers in the country who saw the records of Tyloo and VG, and couldn't help but compare them.

【VG crushed C9 16:4, two veteran strong teams were crushed by them. Are they so fierce this year?】

【Tyloo won Grayhound dangerously, but the highly anticipated Vitality didn't win, broken】

【Conservative faction says Little Xu has been too conservative recently】

【Suddenly became steady after going to the Major】

Xu Beifang didn't have much to say about these arguments. If you really want to compare, Vitality met the strongest team in the Challengers Stage. As for Grayhound and C9, they are at the bottom of the strength, so it's not a big problem for Vitality to win.

But he didn't argue about anything. If he lost, he lost. This is the result of the match.

The domestic controversy without spraying is already showing mercy.

……

Closing his eyes and resting in the lounge for an hour, Xu Beifang was awakened by the coach.

"Go, it's our turn to go on stage."

Xu Beifang got up in a daze, then went to the bathroom to wash his face with cold water to wake himself up.

Watching Nice come out of the bathroom, XTQZZZ started to introduce the situation to him:

"Next, we are going to play AVANGAR, still a BO1 duel. This match is related to whether we will enter the elimination stage next, so we have to cheer up."

"Um." Xu Beifang nodded. For Vitality now, being able to play one less BO3, the winning percentage will be a few points higher.

"And this match needs you to pay attention to some things. AVANGAR is a very steady team. Once you want to push forward in the match, you must take defensive measures in advance."

Because of the special style of the opponent, he took the initiative to remind the team members to prevent being affected by this style in the match.

Arriving at the studio, Vitality's group sat down to rest, plugged in their external hard drives, started entering the game, tested the microphone situation, and after confirming that the machine was correct, the players started to warm up, and Apex and the coach entered the BP stage.

AVANGAR chose first, and they removed Nuke and Inferno.

This action made Vitality breathe a sigh of relief. Having just suffered a big loss on Nuke, they didn't hope to be beaten up on Nuke again in a short time.

Vitality's first two hands still followed the habit, banning Train and Overpass.

"Still Overpass, Dust II, Mirage, which one should we ban?"

"Dust II, AVANGAR is the team with the highest sniper rifle usage rate. In Dust II, he always has a sniper rifle to use, which is still quite difficult to play." The bald coach said.

Apex complained with a smile: "I don't know what they are thinking, always saving money to buy a sniper for Jame. Jame's team status is really high."

They removed Dust II, leaving Mirage and Overpass for the opponent to choose.

After simple consideration, AVANGAR removed Overpass, and finally left a Mirage as the map for today's match.

The team members were all working hard to warm up, intending to get their feel out in the few minutes before the match.

The bald coach clapped and shouted in the match room: "Cheer up, put your attention into the match, focus on this match."

"I believe you are the best! Go, go!!"

With the coach's blessing, Vitality started to enter the match server.

Vitality vs. AVANGAR

Map: Mirage

T: Buster, Fitch, Jame, Qikert, Krizzen

CT: Nice, Apex, Zywoo, NBK, RpK

Because it was the map chosen by AVANGAR last, Vitality had the right to choose the side, so they naturally chose to play the defensive side first to find the rhythm of the match.

The pistol round officially started, and Apex started to arrange tactics.

"Let's set up a 302 formation. Nice, I'll give you a pair of dual pistols, then RpK, you follow him and walk down A2. We'll do a one-on-one hook later. Nice, don't rush to shoot, wait for him to give you enough information."

"We hold the gun at the back point on B site. There is no utility this round. If we want to retake, the difficulty is not small."

Although Dou Dou bought a defuse kit, if the B site loses people too fast, relying only on dual pistols and two USPs, the retake difficulty is still quite great.

Dou Dou put the focus of the pistol round on A site. Xu Beifang picked up the dual pistols and started running all the way into A2.

RpK followed closely, and then held the A1 crossing at a position outside, his role in this round is to sell flaws and pave the way for the team's big brother.

Zywoo was holding the crosshair directly at A1 in the hiding position on the police box.

Once he saw someone, he would try to point two shots, and then retreat behind the cover.

The three-person A site formation had been set up, but they were late to see AVANGAR's movement.

Zywoo in the hiding position on the police box was forced to look at the supermarket crossing, preventing the timing miss of VIP from causing a big mistake.

But as time came to 50 seconds, Xu Beifang, who was hiding under A2, finally heard the sound of utility being thrown.

"A site bomb! Should be hitting A!" Xu Beifang's voice made the panicked people calm down.

Apex wanted to get close to A site at the first moment, Zywoo hurriedly reminded: "Don't be in a hurry, VIP might have timing, pay attention to some."

The middle of the pistol round was in a lost state, and the offensive side had the opportunity to double-boost and touch VIP.

A site started to explode, a smoke exploded inside the Archway, and then plus

Listening to the heavy footsteps in A Site, Xu Beifang gripped his dual pistols tightly, waiting for his teammates to create an opening for him.

Rpk stood not far ahead, holding a USP and firing wildly at the A1 crossing point.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound, a headshot kill appeared in the top right corner. 【rpk used USP to headshot kill fitch】

Rpk secured the first kill and performed the role of a bait as expected; the moment he got the kill, he jumped behind the short box.

But ominously, AVANGAR lived up to their nickname of "Little Astralis," showing remarkably solid discipline.

Buster, who had emerged from A2, used a rapid-fire Glock to take down rpk, but the moment he jumped down, he still turned his head to glance below A2.

The viewers in Wanjiqi's stream felt a sense of dread upon seeing this.

After so much early setup, Xu Beifang was discovered the moment rpk died; with his position locked down, it would be difficult for him to maneuver.

Once they failed to trade effectively in the front, the retake would be too difficult; Apex and NBK still needed time to rotate, which was enough for the attackers to set up their post-plant positions.

The situation was not optimistic.

The only hope now was for Zywoo or Xu Beifang to step up and manage to secure a few more kills.

Xu Beifang, holding his dual pistols, saw the Terrorist facing him in mid-air; he knew he had to act now!

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat..."

【Nice used Dual Berettas to headshot kill buster】

With his teammate killed, Jame, who was standing on A2, didn't rush; he held a P250 and watched the angle quietly, preventing anyone from pushing out of the Link.

Confirming there was no movement in the Link, Jame's deadpan eyes glanced at the mini-map, and he began to peek to suppress CT Spawn, "Find a way to rush and kill the one below A2, I'll handle CT Spawn."

The duo inside A1 understood and immediately grouped up to trade the kill.

Hearing the footsteps, Xu Beifang didn't panic; Zywoo was restricted by the opponents and couldn't provide effective support, so he had to rely on himself this time.

Xu Beifang held a wide angle below A2, and the moment he saw the opponents emerge, his dual pistols erupted in fire!

He poured fire onto the Terrorists appearing in his field of vision! Bullets sprayed from the muzzles, striking their chests, arms, and heads.

【Nice used Dual Berettas to headshot kill qikert】

【Nice used Dual Berettas to headshot kill krizzen】

"There's one left below A2!!" Rpk, who had entered spectator mode early, saw Xu Beifang's spree and excitedly reminded him over voice chat.

Xu Beifang had been too focused on holding A1, but upon hearing the reminder, he quickly turned to look at A2 and fired his dual pistols through the wall.

Jame, standing on A2, only felt a bullet strike his face from below, his body unable to stop from recoiling backward, and a bullet flying in from the side finished him off.

【Zywoo used USP to kill jame】

"Niceeee!!!!"

Excited cheers erupted in the Vitality voice chat.

"Great shooting, brother!" Rpk reached out to fist-bump Xu Beifang; he wasn't as resistant to being a bait for his teammate anymore.

After all, it was a fact that his own form was inconsistent, and he looked at Xu Beifang, who was beaming with a smile.

Besides, this guy could really kill! If you dared to give him a chance, he would dare to wipe the other team for you.

Apex looked at the kill feed in the top right, feeling the team atmosphere was still a bit silent, so he immediately stood up and mimicked Xu Beifang's dual-pistol firing motion: "Rat-tat-tat... rat-tat-tat..."

The other team members were amused by Apex and slowly began to get into the flow of the match.

"Welcome to this match between Vitality and AVANGAR, I am Wanjiqi."

After the opening, Wanjiqi explained: "I went to get water during the pistol round, so I didn't see it."

"But the score has already told us; in the last round, Nice used dual pistols to instantly kill 3 people. I know, he must have been hiding below A2, and relying on a bit of coordination with his teammates, he used the dual pistols to kill everyone!"

"Sure enough, he did it again; the National Server's Number One Marco Polo lives up to his reputation!!"

Wanjiqi's speculation left the viewers in the stream dumbfounded.

【Holy crap, you were peeking from the bathroom, weren't you?】

【You could even predict that?】

【So this is the reason why 6657 didn't have the pistol round??】

Wanjiqi explained: "It's easy to understand. As long as you watch enough matches and know some of the playstyles and positions of these teams, you can deduce what happened through their weapons and kill situations."

"Alright, let's keep our attention on the match. Besides, doesn't AVANGAR have pistols? If they have pistols, it's a pistol round."

Wanjiqi's statement fully demonstrated that commentary is just nonsense.

"Coming to the second round, the perspective is on Zywoo. He has a fully equipped MP9, and at the start, he blasted through Mid. He confirmed no one was in Mid, pulled across, and then came back to check the Sewer."

"He blew one away in the Sewer, and at this time, someone pulled out from Mid, so he turned to fight Mid. My god, is there no one helping him hold Mid?"

"But Zywoo's MP9 tapping is simply a feast for the eyes. He took down the one at Mid Sandbags, then came back to handle the Sewer, and with one spray, he took them all out!"

"Four headshots in one breath, Zywoo's economy has taken off!"

Four kills appeared in the top right corner, and Xu Beifang, below A2, also saw someone holding the bomb jump from A2 into the short box; the opponent ignored everything and planted the bomb directly.

A FAMAS spray easily secured the final kill.

The ECO was easily taken, the score reached 2:0, and the first full-buy round began.

"But entering the first full-buy round, the difficulty for Vitality to win is a bit high. Their weapons this round are a bit too poor; how these submachine guns perform will be a very critical issue."

Taking the second round without any pressure meant Vitality didn't need to change their weapons.

Now the team had two FAMAS and two MP9s, plus NBK's P90.

They only had two long guns to use, and they were FAMAS, which were quite weak against armored opponents.

On a map like Inferno that leans toward mid-to-close range combat, these weapon configurations wouldn't be under much pressure.

But this was Mirage, which had all kinds of engagement distances; how these submachine guns would leverage their advantages would be a big problem.

How to compete against five AK-47s with these weapons would be a critical issue.

"NBK, you solo defend B Site this round, and Rpk, you and I will be around the Archway to see if we can create effective trades."

"As for A Site, I'll leave it to Nice to solo defend."

Apex came up with a decent dueling strategy, utilizing the narrow space of the Archway to perform a bait-and-trade duel.

Zywoo would use a FAMAS in VIP to help them keep an eye on the B Small tunnel.

Although AVANGAR had good weapons this round, their utility usage definitely wouldn't be too heavy.

The countdown ended, Xu Beifang threw an anti-rush fire at A1, then pulled out a flashbang and threw it toward Mid-Far.

This flashbang was mainly to put pressure on Mid-Far, preventing them from being so reckless in Mid.

At the start, Mid was blocked by a crossing smoke and a VIP smoke, and Vitality's vision of Mid was completely stripped away.

Seeing this, Zywoo could only throw an HE grenade into the B Small tunnel and then retreat to a secondary position.

Apex saw that his teammate couldn't watch the B Small tunnel, so he quickly threw an Archway smoke to stall for time.

AVANGAR entered the default phase again, and the map became silent.

This made Xu Beifang very uncomfortable; he was actually quite good at processing visible information, but AVANGAR's playstyle left him with no information to process, making it impossible to judge their general positions, forcing him to react passively.

"I'll stand inside the Archway; once someone engages me, you pull from the Jump Platform to trade," Apex arranged the plan very clearly, and then put himself into a mysterious state.

But after a while, seeing the smoke they threw inside the Archway, Xu Beifang knew something was wrong with the Archway.

"I can throw an Archway pop-flash, we need to anti-rush the Archway!"

This was the style of CIS teams; although they played slowly, they were particularly meticulous.

As soon as this Archway smoke popped, Xu Beifang knew what they were going to do.

Apex was still considering it, but hearing the sound of a lighter below the Archway, he shouted loudly: "Throw it!!"

"Thrown!"

The flashbang exploded inside the Archway, but Apex only saw a Terrorist on the left side below the Archway covering his eyes and walking behind cover.

He quickly wanted to pursue, but after stepping through the fire, he didn't have much health left.

"Vitality's anti-rush timing wasn't good, but Qikert was also quite meticulous; he wasn't standing in the middle of the road holding an angle, so he was blinded by the flash but could immediately retreat to cover."

"Nice is out of flashbangs, Rpk is standing on the edge of the Archway, does he still want to try? But Jame just wallbanged the person behind the Jump Platform wooden board! What's going on??"

Wanjiqi was puzzled: "A double kill in the Archway this round, A Site is blown wide open!!"

"Nice is standing at the A Site fake door, this is a world-class position; he is very bold, but it's more out of helplessness, trying to win back the round for the team. He turns away from a flashbang, turns back to kill the enemy pulling out of A1, is there a second one?"

Looking at the UI on the mini-map, Wanjiqi was dumbfounded: "What's going on? AVANGAR confirmed Nice's position at A Site and turned around to rotate? This is too steady!"

"They are still putting pressure on the Archway to stall the A Site retake. Jame's calling this round is too steady; NBK has already rotated to CT Spawn, this B Site is undefended."

The A Site trio nervously guarded the Archway, only to find the sounds from the other side getting quieter and quieter.

By the time they reacted, the countdown above their heads had changed to the bomb icon.

"Should we still fight?" NBK asked for his teammates' opinions.

Apex shook his head: "Save the guns. There's an AK at A1, Nice can take it, and swap out the submachine gun in NBK's hands."

Although they knew AVANGAR was a team with strong discipline, they didn't expect them to be this steady.

Although they had watched the recordings before the match, being in the match itself, AVANGAR felt completely different.

Listening to the C4 explode at B Site, Xu Beifang understood that they had to do something different.

Otherwise, if they were dragged into AVANGAR's rhythm, they would die a miserable death!

There will be more tonight, and there is a fan title event in the comment section called "Electronic Pet," those interested can participate.