Chapter 289: Tactics? We just need to copy Nice

"We can't beat them..."

Inside the Vitality training room, apEX leaned his head back against his gaming chair, staring at the defeat screen on his monitor, and said with a look of distress.

"We've spent quite a bit of time on Mirage these past few days. Xu Beifang and ZywOo haven't been performing poorly, but in actual practice matches, unless they have a breakout performance, it's still very hard to win."

Map proficiency is a very realistic thing; it's not like aim training for beginners where you see significant changes after just a few days of effort. That three-hour discussion of the Liquid VODs gave them a new understanding of the map, providing them with more theoretical knowledge.

But these days, apart from Astralis, even Liquid hasn't formed a systematic playstyle for their Mirage. Many of the setups, positioning choices, and tactics they displayed in matches were eye-opening, but at this stage, Vitality couldn't possibly invite Liquid to practice with them frantically. In the end, they scheduled practice matches with FaZe.

FaZe's win rate on Mirage this year is around 60%, making them a very suitable practice opponent.

In reality, apEX would have preferred Mouz as a practice opponent. After all, they've trained together many times over the past few months, both sides understand each other's tactical tendencies, and they can often make adjustments on the fly, which puts more overall pressure on them.

But even though Mouz hasn't shown any championship aspirations for the time being, they are still within the tournament schedule.

What if Han Wang and ropz hit a hot streak and end up facing Vitality after a breakout run?

In the end, the bald coach XTQZZZ scheduled a series of practice sessions with the eliminated FaZe.

apEX spoke up: "Alright, let's play according to our match plan. ZywOo, you and I will coordinate the utility. I'll throw a smoke for A Small Yellow Cloth at the start, and ZywOo, you throw that smoke for A Site. I'll drop a P250; Xu Beifang, you take it."

"Then let's continue our training. How about we play Vertigo against FaZe?" the bald coach suggested. "We've actually played very few matches against people on Vertigo these days. Let's just simulate a real match for this one."

He felt that Vitality definitely didn't have that much time to practice.

"Snap!"

"Look, aren't these two maps still our weak points?" apEX said upon seeing this.

Nice: You're just a primary schooler!

But apEX believed his team's strength wasn't stable enough yet. Having reached World No. 2, he had been very confident in his public demeanor outside of matches.

Don't you need to fight in the front?

Xu Beifang was just being cautious; after all, ZywOo was throwing utility, so there was no need for firepower at the front for the moment.

In recent Vertigo matches, although everyone's overall offense and defense were quite methodical.

"Don't we still have to play these two maps in our upcoming games?" JackZ asked, confused.

Amidst such controversies, ZywOo often wouldn't offer many thoughts; he was very focused on his own little world.

"I can't get out of A Small, I'm stuck in the smoke. Once you guys engage, I can pull out," NIKO said quickly over voice comms.

"What the hell, what is this smoke?" NIKO was shocked.

But just as he walked into A Small, a smoke grenade fell from the sky, obscuring his vision.

Without a fully expanded map pool, some things inevitably have to be sacrificed.

"Not playing Mirage?" NIKO raised an eyebrow. "That's rare."

JackZ and Xu Beifang, aided by a flashbang, instantly focused fire and took down rain. Guardian had decent movement and fled directly toward the bomb site.

So, this Vertigo could actually be considered a map Vitality could pull out.

"... Hmm." apEX thought for a long while before saying, "In an ideal state, that's true, but it's better if we try our best to iron out our weak points."

Everyone understood the special nature of this map—it is the only T-sided map among all the maps!

On its A Long slope, if the CTs don't contest it, the offensive side can use two smoke grenades to rush directly into A Site to plant the bomb, and even occupy several head-peek advantage positions, making the CT retake very difficult.

It took some effort, but seeing apEX's sudden realization, he was quite satisfied with his explanation of this round.

Nice: If it weren't for rain carrying this round, you'd be waiting to lose!

In the match against Liquid, although they eventually won.

Speaking of this, NIKO was also somewhat speechless.

Now, Forest Brother, currently with NIP, was asked by a host during an interview if they had prepared any top-tier "big moves" for the new map.

After all, those two were just too damn ridiculous.

After the StarSeries concluded, they ran the map many times together, and with Xu Beifang's help, they also dragged Tyloo and VG to practice this map.

He didn't intend to change his previous strategy, because if the strategy shifted, and the opponents pressed up, he might end up directly back at Overpass.

They had run the map many times and had a certain foundation of training.

Their setup for this round was a 3A 2B formation, with the main force focused on A Site, so at the start, NIKO proposed pulling out from A Small and A Long simultaneously to gather information and fight.

"Yeah, the final is a BO5 format. We can at least ban one map we aren't good at, and then on our own map pick, as long as it's not too extreme, at most one map will be difficult to handle."

Moreover, since Vitality sought them out, they could also ask Vitality to help them practice certain tactics they wanted to work on at specific times.

Although they hadn't faced each other specifically, unless something was deliberately hidden, there were no secrets in match VODs.

Hearing this, ZywOo braced his hands on the armrests of his gaming chair, made a "whoosh" sound effect with his mouth, and slid instantly into his seat.

With apEX's tactical briefing finished, Xu Beifang picked up the P250 from the ground and began heading toward the 50th Floor.

【Nice used P250 to headshot kill NIKO】

(The area under the A slope is called the 50th Floor)

This is the issue of the team's comprehensive map understanding.

Vitality's proficiency made it seem like they weren't here to "practice" at all; the details at the front and the utility execution were just too fluid.

"We've practiced Vertigo quite a lot. Recently, some teams have brought out this map, so comparing it should be quite easy," Xu Beifang said, writing Vertigo onto the 'Maps we can pull out' list.

"So, in the final, at most they might pick a counter-map in Map 1. If they pick it in Map 2, we won't be afraid either."

Carrying the thought of beating Nice up, he felt his crosshair control was incredibly silky today.

apEX and the others couldn't have imagined that Nice had already researched these ridiculous things.

Listening to apEX, Xu Beifang realized he had been completely assimilated by NIKO, acting just like a primary schooler.

The teammates gathered around to take a look.

After the pistol round started, Vitality, as the offensive side, took the initiative.

But for CNCS Vertigo, those who know, know—it's primarily abstract.

This also shows from the side that not only casual players but even professional players have started to recognize this "grind king."

He stretched, typed in the public chat for FaZe to wait a moment, and then said to apEX: "Actually, we don't need to be too anxious about Vertigo. We did brag to Karrigan and the others earlier, but our map pool isn't that pathetic."

Olofmeister wasn't in a hurry either, hugging the wall and slowly pushing forward. Whether he touched A Small or A Long, this wave could bring huge benefits.

NIKO: Nice, are you even capable? How did you kill 18 already this round?

NIKO: Your A Long is like paper.

Because Xu Beifang's utility understanding was indeed outstanding.

FaZe Clan was willing to help and provided them with great assistance.

He smiled and said: "Don't worry, Olofmeister, wait until the full-buy round, and you'll see how I carry!"

But if they encountered a "specialist" team again, it would be a bit tricky.

NIKO scratched his head; he felt something was a bit off.

Lost the pistol round.

Xu Beifang gave the coach a thumbs up.

"Don't rush the front. Wait for Da Jin Ya to sneak up from the back. Once he makes a move, you guys open fire." NIKO was quite calm; he gave the team a fluid clutch strategy.

Nice: Didn't you only kill 19? You died 5 more times than me, and I have 6 more assists than you!

The countdown ended, and NIKO, holding his USP, went straight to A Small.

shox shook his head: "This is definitely no problem. We haven't lost much on these three maps recently, and our win rate has always been very high."

"Why are you holding me!" NIKO spread his hands; he really didn't understand this wave.

Everyone remained silent. Vitality would definitely ban this map; they had neither the time nor the energy to practice such a ridiculously low-proficiency map.

Map proficiency still needs time to settle, slowly turning some understanding into one's own.

Plus, after the terrorists occupy B Site, defending the bomb isn't easy, so the benefits of a terrorist attack on B Site are very small.

As a team leader, apEX sometimes looked at his own team with too narrow a focus.

In the last two days, they had been dragged by Vitality to frantically practice Mirage and Nuke.

Looking at NIKO applying for interaction in the public chat, Xu Beifang's expression instantly turned into the "subway old man looking at phone" meme.

"No pressure."

They communicated, wanting Da Jin Ya to tap the bomb, and then Guardian would come to fight.

The countdown ended, and he led his teammates to execute it immediately.

In the public chat:

Nice: Why are you like a formulaic robot on Yellow Cloth?

Nice: NIKO, how is your rating red even in a practice match!

Olofmeister winked at NIKO: "Is this what you predicted? That they were purely here to practice?"

"Off?"

You already got kills at the front, and you have teammates going to A Small, why are you still holding here?

Xu Beifang took over: "To summarize their map pool, those who know Mirage don't know Nuke, and those who know Nuke don't know Mirage. This is a judgment based on our level."

Forest Brother just shrugged: "We don't have that much time to prepare. We have our own understanding of the new map, but we haven't prepared any 'big moves' like you said... As for your worry about not having big moves, that doesn't matter. We'll just copy Nice's homework when the time comes."

It was only 1:47 left; he hadn't even gone out from Yellow Cloth to get vision yet.

Xu Beifang asked: "Then if we run into most of the teams you mentioned on these three maps, what do you think?"

He wasn't surprised by the smoke, but by the speed at which it was thrown.

Must-ban map: Train.

He stood up, took paper and pen from the table, and spoke under everyone's gaze: "I mean, we definitely need to practice our map pool, but at this stage, the focus is slightly off."

This way, only two maps remained unstable.

Actually, their level on these two maps wasn't too bad.

In a 3v3 clutch, he felt there was a lot of hope.

For apEX, who wanted to improve his map proficiency and lead Vitality to World No. 1, this was naturally a blow. However, apEX had a tough personality; even though the results of several practice matches were poor, he knew the process was necessary and kept dragging his teammates to train.

"For this practice match, apart from those special positions, you don't really need to hide your utility," head coach XTQZZZ instructed from behind. "Just treat it like a real match and use this practice to find our leaks."

Their default playstyle was always getting caught; many times, they would fall into a numerical disadvantage while playing defaults.

"So next, at least in this tournament, we can focus on training the main maps. Mirage and Nuke, at this stage, aren't that important."

"One at A Small." Instantly killed by a flash, Olofmeister had no choice but to call out the position to provide information.

But sometimes, excessive concern leads to chaos. apEX's internal anxiety caused him to lose the proper judgment of his own team's strength and other teams.

Others nodded as well.

NIKO looked at Xu Beifang's mockery in the public chat, retorted, and then suddenly started laughing and acting crazy.

Casual players only thought Xu Beifang's utility was flashy and ridiculous.

Doing what one can in training and matches is enough.

But professional players, while finding his utility ridiculous, saw more of the concept where Xu Beifang's utility and tactics perfectly complemented each other.

In free-play practice, Vitality's winning chances increased slightly. Xu Beifang and ZywOo were liberated, able to find fights at the front and feed the kill benefits back to the whole team.

Like the Yellow Cloth triple boost, the wall-clinging position behind sandbags, or even the T-spawn quadruple boost.

The point is, they have a BP (Ban/Pick) order.

"Our map pool, at this IEM Sydney, is already at a top-tier level. Apart from Liquid, other teams' mastery of the active duty maps is far inferior to ours."

To avoid that situation from happening again.

"How so?"

The quality is too low, and the effectiveness of many things fluctuates too much.

Watching the match enter the screen, NIKO rubbed his hands, starting to look forward to it.

Guardian moved his wrists and replied: "We really haven't played it; maybe we didn't have time to practice."

NIKO, mixed in the Yellow Cloth smoke, heard someone pass through the smoke after the first round of fire, trying to come out and catch a timing.

"Then other teams can't compare with us for now," JackZ said.

Olofmeister saw this and smiled, comforting him: "It's okay NIKO, let's carry next round!"

Although NIKO felt some pressure, he refused to admit defeat in front of his teammates.

NIKO: I killed more than you!

Only one person was traded at A Site before Vitality took it, and Olofmeister could only save his weapon.

NIKO considered that because of visa issues, the team hadn't kept up with the main group's rhythm, so using these practice matches to brush up on his feel was not bad.

Writing this, Xu Beifang looked up and asked: "These three maps, we have no problem bringing them out, right?"

"Let's simulate the worst BP result."

Map proficiency isn't something that just goes up by stacking matches.

But even with a smoke and a defuse kit, the pressure in a 2v3 clutch was just too great.

"That settles it then," Xu Beifang smiled.

But once they officially entered the first full-buy round, he was disgusted by Vitality's smoke grenades again. This time, they even used a one-way smoke, and he was killed through the smoke without even seeing anyone.

As for B Site, because of the positioning, as long as the CTs occupy the front point at the first moment, it's actually very easy to defend.

And after getting the kill, Xu Beifang watched the Yellow Cloth smoke dissipate and directly occupied A Small.

European practice matches basically have two modes: one is default training, and the other is free play, without any framework.

Now, facing a proper tier-one team like FaZe, they naturally have to be serious and use the feedback from this practice to make themselves stronger.

But the feeling of powerlessness during the Mirage Map 2 left a deep impression on him as a leader.

Head coach XTQZZZ had basically figured it out and said from the side: "It's not that exaggerated; there is a BP order."

Although NIKO didn't make it to the airport due to visa issues, the requirements for practice matches weren't that high; as long as the ping wasn't too exaggerated, they could communicate online.

Now there was no other way; Guardian and Da Jin Ya at the front could only operate.

apEX's playstyle was slightly rougher.

But while he was still pushing, he saw a figure sway out near the Yellow Cloth.

"Speaking of which, Vitality hasn't played Vertigo in a match yet, right?" NIKO pondered.

At least the win rate was over 50%. Apart from some specialist teams, they could also play against most tier-one teams.

Vitality's current tactical core is largely designed around Xu Beifang's ideas. His personality is quite flamboyant, and naturally, he would brag to good friends.

He knew NIKO was the A Small player and would likely be at A, so he guarded against the Yellow Cloth smoke and saw NIKO inching out.

30 minutes later.

As a leader, his thoughts were different from Xu Beifang's. From his perspective, Xu Beifang was a very contradictory person; he was very aggressive in matches and appeared arrogant, but outside of matches, he had his own understanding of the game.

Instead of spending a lot of time guarding against potential opponent counters.

【Nice used P250 to headshot kill olofmeister】

Teams in the same region have similar levels, making it easier to train.

Guardian had already gotten two kills and his position was locked, so he had to start sneaking from the back.

But after meeting Liquid in the group stage and being beaten up on their strong map, he discovered his team's weakness and was now desperate to compensate for it so as not to fall from the World No. 2 position.

Vitality had been dragging them to practice the two old maps frantically on their days off, with no intention of bringing out Vertigo at all.

Feeling Olofmeister's gaze, NIKO said: "Don't worry, Olof. This round was a fluke. Wait for the next full-buy round, I'll press out directly, okay? Watch me help you guys get the first point back."

"But most teams would dare to play these three maps, right?" JackZ stroked his chin, looking suspicious.

But there was also a problem here: after training with FaZe Clan, they developed new understandings of some places.

"Now only 3 maps remain: Nuke, Vertigo, and Mirage."

"Hmm... I mean, our training should still be focused on the old three, plus at most Vertigo."

That sense of pleasure couldn't be better.

NIKO grinned and said, "On this map today, I'll let Nice see what a Yellow Cloth God of War is!!"

Although Guardian's hand injury had flared up recently, his aiming ability remained formidable. He caught apEX pushing from A Small, headshot him with one shot, and then killed JackZ, who was trying to trade, forcing the numbers back.

rain and Guardian, hearing his thoughts, immediately peeked out from A Long to scout information on the A slope.

"The opponent bans Inferno first, we ban Train, and then in the first two picks, they directly pick Mirage and Nuke."

Olofmeister, as a lurker, remained skeptical of everything: "It's also possible they're hiding big moves. Don't forget that grind king."

apEX sat in his seat, looking at Xu Beifang's tactical paper, deep in thought for a long time before finally realizing.

Training is boring and dull. The only joy NIKO felt might be mocking Xu Beifang directly after beating him up.

Xu Beifang pulled over a stool and began writing furiously.

To some extent, the emergence of figures like Xu Beifang and ropz had dampened everyone's research into new utility.

Vitality was a bit too anxious now.

Despite this, they still accompanied Vitality through the training.

But looking at the VODs, they could reverse-engineer many better decisions and tactics, which showed that Vitality's understanding of this map was higher than other teams.

NIKO saw this and was quite invigorated.

The opponents were indeed baited, but too many people came out!

A Small, A Long, and the sandbag position peeked out simultaneously.

Maps they can pull out: 1. Inferno, 2. Mirage, 3. Dust II...

Playing default training matches, Vitality was quite miserable.

He deliberated for a long while before giving this answer.

The two of them were focused and instantly killed.

The public chat was instantly filled with NIKO's gibberish.

And various small techniques researched by Xu Beifang made them exclaim that it was ridiculous.

So Vitality's tactic for this map was: if you can hit A, hit A; if you can't hit A, create conditions to hit A!

"Snap!"

Xu Beifang originally thought apEX understood this, but didn't expect him to have walked into a dead end, so he took the initiative to wake him up.

He was doing it for NIKO's own good; after all, being a fragging leader is too hard. After taking NIKO down, he could let him fully transition into a leadership state.

"I'm still more inclined to think Vitality doesn't have time to practice."

They could all see that Vitality wanted to raise the level of these two maps.

FaZe had a discussion about this internally and all thought it was unrealistic.

Their understanding of Mirage was stuck on a plateau.

He continued writing on the paper.

After sitting back down, apEX also communicated with NIKO in the public chat to change maps.

Having been teammates for over half a year, Xu Beifang looked at his expression and knew exactly what he was thinking.

He cautiously sneaked out of the smoke.

"And those teams that have a chance to face us in the final, their map pools haven't reached that exaggerated level."

XTQZZZ said from the side: "That just means you haven't looked at enough data!"

But compared to the improvement of the map pool, they pursued the final championship more in this tournament. They should prioritize winning the championship first, and then practice those two maps more later. That is the correct solution.

After all, that grind king played 30 ladder matches in a week when there were matches; how could he have extra time to research new things?

But before information was gathered, a flashbang flew into his face, instantly losing all vision, and they could only flee backward.

apEX shook his head, indicating he didn't quite understand.

Under that interview, a bunch of fans called it ridiculous.

A shallow map pool is indeed a problem Vitality currently has.

The three-hour argument during the review made him realize his shortcomings on this map, so he was desperate to improve his level on it.

Because of the exaggerated and ridiculous utility in recent professional matches, ropz and Nice both earned the title of "Grind King."

Supplement: Because Vertigo has been changed many times and the version is too old, many things cannot be found, so subsequent Vertigo content will be based on the version everyone is familiar with.

Putting an Easter egg of NIKO acting crazy at the end, though it might be "dead" by tomorrow. ===== CHAPTER 290 =====