Chapter 295: Why is the BOSS in the second phase right from the start!

May 5, 2019, Sunday.

Suitable for: weddings, consecration, trading, competitions...

6:00 PM local Sydney time, Aolvfeng Arena.

The venue, which can hold nearly ten thousand people, was already packed to capacity tonight.

The performance match that had just concluded had already stirred up the audience's emotions and made them look forward to the upcoming finals even more.

Here in Europe, CSGO is very similar to football in terms of atmosphere, and one can see some clues of this from the vibe of the fans.

Starting from the center of the venue as a dividing line, on the left were white waves, and on the right were blue tides; the fans of both sides were sitting very distinctly on either side.

No one was willing to sit in the opposing camp; if a Liquid fan sat in the middle of a group of Vitality fans, it would be fine if they just watched the match properly, but if they shouted loudly when Vitality lost a point, those hot-tempered European guys would really start a fight.

Fortunately, although the atmosphere is similar to football, CSGO players are still relatively friendly.

As the giant screen began to play highlights of this IEM Sydney, they waved their cheering sticks even more excitedly, surging like a blue and white tide for a moment.

Rain sat in the front row of the stands, the big guy's muscular physique attracting many people's attention.

Although fitness culture is relatively popular in Europe and America, there are still few people as bulky as Rain.

Regarding the appearance of Fazeclan, the audience was quite surprised; they thought Fazeclan had left after being eliminated, and didn't expect them to appear at the venue for the finals.

As for the fact that they were being dragged by Vitality to play practice matches every day, they were even less aware of it.

So at this moment, they were also a bit confused.

"How come we don't see many of our fans today?" Coach Ynk asked.

Although the blue and white ocean on the field was beautiful, he still preferred to see the red and black colors that belonged to his own team.

Olofmeister smiled: "I know about this; our fans overlap highly with Vitality's. Since we were eliminated, the fans will naturally go watch Vitality."

They and Vitality actually both belong to that kind of All-Star Team composed of individual talents.

The fans of both teams highly admire individual ability, especially Fazeclan.

The idea when building the team initially was to find five star players and use their powerful abilities to form a 'Galaxy Battleship', which is also the origin of Faze being called a Galaxy Battleship.

As for Vitality, the individual abilities of Xu Beifang and Zywoo are also very exaggerated, and everyone has high expectations for their future.

Liquid's individual ability is also quite good, but their fans are mostly a North American group, and North American audiences prefer to see their own teams achieve results.

By comparison, the overlap rate of fans for teams like Faze, Vitality, and NAVI is the highest.

"Who do you think will win today?" Da Jin Ya was holding a bucket of popcorn and already eating it.

"It must be Vitality, otherwise wouldn't we have spent these days sparring for nothing?" Rain said speechlessly, then grabbed a handful from Da Jin Ya's popcorn bucket, "Vitality already won during the Group Stage, there's no reason for them to lose it back in the finals."

"Didn't you say you didn't like eating it before?" Da Jin Ya protected his popcorn bucket, resisting Rain's dirty little hands.

Olofmeister also grabbed a handful, "If Liquid actually wins, then Vitality will be too miserable."

Young people like NiKo and Rain have a very good relationship with Nice on the Vitality team, and naturally, they hope Vitality will win the championship out of love for the team.

Olofmeister, however, was just here to enjoy the match, with no particular support for either side.

Regarding the upcoming confrontation, he held a mindset of watching the fun without fearing the chaos.

Just then, cheers erupted from the scene, disrupting their train of thought.

Amidst the shouting, the IEM finals officially opened.

In the middle of the giant screen, promotional videos for Vitality and Liquid began to appear.

Perhaps because of the nature of CSGO cup tournaments, these promotional videos only served to let everyone get to know the members of the finals, just posing for photos in the studio; as for things like trash-talking each other in the promotional videos, they had never appeared.

Rain had communicated with many Professional Players and actually felt that the promotional videos of League of Legends next door were more interesting; this kind of mutual trash-talking before the match could add some fun.

The promotional video was interspersed with some highlight clips of players at IEM Sydney, paired with the English commentary clips from that time, allowing the audience in the venue to feel the atmosphere of the finals.

As for the English commentary, their Map Understanding and various rhetoric are actually not particularly good.

But English commentary has a great advantage, which is that their ability to stir up the atmosphere is very exaggerated; if you let a CSGO player with failing English grades watch a highlight clip with English commentary, it is very easy for them to feel the passion within it.

So many audience members at the scene were already excited, and at this moment they were also waving their cheering sticks vigorously in response.

The short promotional video ended, and the flashing lights temporarily calmed down.

"Welcome to the 2019 IEM Sydney Finals!"

The host walked to the center of the stage, and the lights from the dome shone down, making the Trophy look exceptionally dazzling.

"After intense competition among 16 teams, only two teams remain." The host held the microphone and began to stir up emotions, "And today, in this venue, the final winner will be decided!"

"Let us welcome Team Liquid with screams and shouts!!!"

The lights from the dome danced in the venue, and waves of sound flew through the arena; the members of Liquid crossed the player tunnel, strolled through the center of the venue, and walked into the arena under the gaze of the audience.

Twistzz reached out his palm to high-five the audience; he had a faint smile on his face, and his hairstyle was even more flamboyant.

In the IEM Sydney tournament, this was the second time they had faced Vitality.

They had made many preparations to deal with Nice, just wanting to take revenge amidst the cheers, lift the Trophy, and leave their own names on it.

(The special Trophy for IEM Sydney is this large round plate; the letters engraved on it are the player IDs of the champion team of each year.)

stewie2K is also a bit of a wild child; in this excited atmosphere, he jumped up to high-five the audience beside him, bouncing and hopping as he arrived at the center of the stage.

It wasn't until he saw Liquid coach adreN standing still that the host raised the microphone again:

"And now, let us welcome the other top team in this final, Vi~tality!!!"

Led by JackZ, the Vitality team walked into the venue amidst cheers.

Yesterday, they also competed in this venue, on this stage.

But just having an entrance ceremony made the feeling for Xu Beifang completely different.

The lights in the venue were brilliant, and that not-so-large Trophy was exceptionally dazzling in the center of the stage.

The audience beside him all stretched out their hands toward the player tunnel with excitement, expecting them to respond.

Xu Beifang looked at a fanatical audience member on the right and also raised his hand to high-five him.

"OMG!! Nice high-fived me, Jim, I'm not washing my hand for a month!!"

Hearing the conversation between that fanatical spectator and their friend nearby, Xu Beifang felt that the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.

Amidst the cheers, everyone walked onto the stage, and after the Vitality members stood in place.

The host raised the microphone and began to build momentum: "Next, Liquid and Vitality are about to have a BO5 confrontation here. Will the champion finally hoisting the Trophy be Liquid?"

"Or Vitality??"

"Let us wait and see!!"

Amidst the shouting, the air jet machines near the stage erupted with white waves of air.

The players on stage began to enter the match rooms.

Xu Beifang looked back at the Trophy once, then followed them into the player area.

The IEM Sydney final, officially begins!

……

"Alright, welcome to the final of the 2019 IEM Sydney. Today, the opponents in the final are Vitality and Liquid."

Inside the Douyu 6657 livestream room, Wanjiqi thoughtfully gave everyone an introduction.

He also knew that some CSGO viewers would follow the matches all the way through, but there were also some viewers who only watched the offline finals, so he had to give them a rough introduction at this time.

"Let's briefly talk about the players on both sides first. The entire Liquid team achieved an average rating of 1.17."

【This stat is decent, an average of 1.17】

【An average of 1.17 isn't just decent, it's quite exaggerated】

【If it weren't for Twistzz's underperformance, the average might have even surged to 1.2】

Seeing the last comment questioning Twistzz, Wanjiqi immediately responded: "It really isn't Twistzz's problem. Twistzz just has a bit of inconsistent form; overall, he is still very much a carry. In this IEM Sydney, he put up Liquid's highest rating, an average of 1.24!"

Why is there so much drama surrounding Twistzz?

Because his form is inconsistent; some viewers watching the match see him when he is underperforming, while others see him when he is popping off.

And the fans who still choose to believe in Twistzz after he is mired in controversy do so because his overall performance isn't bad, and in many cases, his stats are among the best on the team.

But in reality, Wanjiqi also understood that Twistzz was definitely not the most outstanding player for Liquid this time; he could only be considered as not underperforming.

His average rating is 1.24, yet Elige and NAF also have 1.23, and it is a stable 1.23.

Between a player with fluctuating form and a player who can consistently deliver, most people would choose the player who can consistently carry when it comes to who is more valuable to the team.

However, one cannot erase Twistzz's contributions because of this.

"Looking at Vitality's side, in this tournament, the team's average rating is 1.23."

Wanjiqi couldn't help but laugh when he saw this stat: "What kind of stat-padding is this? The best performer on the team is Zywoo; as a Sniper, he got an average rating of 1.36, but Xiao Xu's rating isn't bad either, averaging 1.33."

【Zywoo's stats are number one? What's going on?】

【I feel like in the last few tournaments, Xiao Xu has had more instances of popping off】

【I don't understand, are Machine's stats wrong?】

Wanjiqi shook his head: "Actually, it's normal. As an Entry Fragger, Xiao Xu's stats are already god-tier for the team, but as a Sniper, Zywoo finds it easier to put up high rating stats, you know?"

"As a Rifleman, these kinds of stats from Nice are actually already outrageous."

For an excellent Sniper, relying on cover and angles to take out an opponent without losing a single drop of health is a common occurrence.

But even with cover, Riflemen will still have some exchanges of fire, and being traded or taking damage is a common occurrence.

Snipers get kills relatively easily and will also survive more, so it's easy for their rating to be a bit higher.

Moreover, in this tournament, Zywoo's performance hasn't been bad either; he has been performing consistently, and Vitality was able to enter the final so easily because Zywoo contributed a great deal.

"And Xiao Xu's entry in this tournament is still powerful. In the Group Stage and Playoffs of this IEM Sydney, his Entry Kill success rate was 20%. He is just a pure entry-fragging maniac," Wanjiqi said in amazement.

Entry Kill success rate is not Entry Kill attempt rate.

It calculates the probability of the rounds in which Xu Beifang successfully gets an Entry Kill out of all rounds.

An average player's Entry Kill success rate would be around 10%, while Xu Beifang's value is twice that of an average player. You can see how aggressive he is in head-on fights and how much he wants to find opportunities to make plays.

Aside from Xu Beifang, Wanjiqi has only seen this kind of Entry Kill success rate above 20% in one other Brazilian player.

That player is one of the current cores of Brazilian CSGO, known as Art.

This is also easy to understand; after all, even with Art's AK, his pace of making plays is a bit too slow.

And for Xu Beifang to be able to maintain an extremely high rating in addition to his Entry Kills is just very outrageous.

Watching the pre-match comparison stats of the players on screen, the audience Under Platform also fell into discussion.

More viewers started chatting in the various streamers' channels.

【Xiao Xu really is the Shiyitui, these stats are outrageous】

【It really is exaggerated. He plays aggressively in head-on fights, yet he can still have such good stats. He doesn't look like a human at all】

【Xiao Xu, send Liquid back to where they belong!】

【I originally thought Twistzz was quite exaggerated, but after looking at Nice's stats】

【To be fair, Zywoo is also top-tier. I didn't feel like he was carrying hard, but as he played, his stats became so exaggerated】

Wanjiqi said in the livestream: "Xu Beifang's performance is indeed very outrageous. Since the StarSeries, he has maintained a terrifying level of dominance in head-on fights. Even if there were occasional matches where he hit 1.05/1.06, that was already considered a slump."

"But at those times, Zywoo is often able to stand up and withstand the pressure. At this stage, Vitality really does have that championship look."

Wanjiqi was still in awe when the match's BP screen officially began to appear.

The bald Coach chose the blank side for the coin toss today, but who knew the blank side wouldn't work, and in the end, Liquid got the first-pick Ban Map rights.

"Coach, your touch is quite unlucky!" Xu Beifang teased while warming up with bots.

The bald Coach lightly tapped Xu Beifang on the head with his hand: "You brat, you still have the heart to tease me, huh."

While the two were talking, Liquid had already completed the first round of Ban Map.

"Banned our Inferno?" shox laughed, "Are they trying to earn a map off us?"

The basic Ban Map for both Vitality and Liquid was Train. Liquid didn't want to just let Train through like that, so they ultimately took away their strongest map.

XTQZZZ said: "Then we won't pick it either, let's just remove Overpass."

The opponents didn't want to waste a ban, and naturally, they didn't want to be at a disadvantage either.

Since neither side wanted to use this ban to remove Train, they just left it in.

They hadn't practiced it anyway; unless this Train pick was a secret weapon for Liquid, they would just leave the rest to luck.

Although they did this, in reality, they were still somewhat worried.

"Coming to Liquid's first pick, they went straight for Mirage!"

Looking at the final lock-in on the BP screen, the bald Coach breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the game of BP; Liquid's actions had suddenly felt off, and since they were in the finals, even though he knew Liquid likely didn't have the time or energy to practice Train, he still felt a bit uneasy.

Mirage was acceptable.

Although Liquid was very strong on this map, their Mirage was not weak either; they had even defeated Fnatic yesterday.

If they had left Overpass open, that would have been much more uncomfortable.

After all, they had already played against each other last time, and even though they had played out of their minds on Overpass, they were still a distance away from victory.

Not having to play Overpass against Liquid now was truly the best thing.

They had already discussed the map selection before the match, so after confirming with the Coach, they locked in their first map pick, Vertigo.

"Vertigo?" The Liquid Coach looked at the first round of picks and fell into deep thought.

Their IGL nitr0 said from the side: "Actually, I think it's fine, as long as we don't run into them on Inferno, the pressure won't be that high."

Liquid's level on Inferno wasn't actually bad, but when they faced each other in the Group Stage, they hadn't even managed to reach a double-digit score, which left them with fresh memories and made them particularly bitter during the post-match review.

Before the review, they all thought it was just a matter of form, or that certain details hadn't been executed well that day.

But upon reviewing, they discovered that Xu Beifang was truly inhuman in head-on duels.

Moreover, on Inferno, a map where the Sniper Rifle was hard to utilize, ZywOo would carry a sniper and run around the map like crazy to get kills while on CT, and the problem was that they couldn't deal with these two issues in a short time, so they ultimately gave up on Inferno during their pre-match discussion.

As for Train, also considering that Vitality didn't play it, they simply left it in.

If all went as expected, this map would only appear as Map 5 and wouldn't affect the competition on the previous maps.

And if it reached Map 5, then winning the match would also require some luck.

Entering the second round of picks, after some consideration, Liquid went straight for Dust II; among the subsequent maps, this Dust II was the one they played best.

Three maps had already appeared, and Vitality would decide the final order for the remaining two.

After considering for a while, they still didn't dare to put Train early, so they ultimately picked Nuke.

The BP for this BO5 final had officially ended, with the following results:

Map 1: Mirage

Map 2: Vertigo

Map 3: Dust II

Map 4: Nuke

Map 5: Train

Looking at the final BP results, the viewers in the livestream chat started talking:

【The BP today is interesting. If it goes to Map 5, will we get to see two noobs pecking at each other?】

【You're overthinking it. Even if they haven't practiced it in a long time, they should still have a certain level of skill on this map.】

【But I feel like with this BP, the first few maps will be very intense, and it won't reach Map 5.】

【I feel like it should end 3:1.】

【Not necessarily. Liquid is quite strong on Map 1 and Map 3, and Vitality is very proficient on Map 2 and Map 4. I feel like it really might enter the Map 5 noob-pecking phase.】

【Don't forget, Vitality isn't afraid of Liquid at all on the first few maps.】

The viewers in the livestream were making various speculations about the BP results, and the players officially entered the server for Map 1. Amidst the cheers and encouragement from the audience, the match for Map 1 officially began!

Vitality vs Team Liquid

Map: Mirage

T: nitr0, Twistzz, NAF, stewie2K, Elige

CT: apEX, Nice, ZywOo, shox, JackZ

Entering the game, Xu Beifang sprayed a Vitality logo on the ground and asked: "By the way, don't we need to shout something for encouragement?"

apEX smiled: "Since you want to shout, let's shout! Wait for me to count 3, 2, 1, and we'll shout together!"

"3, 2, 1..."

The Vitality team shouted in unison: "Let's go!!"

After shouting, JackZ said: "I'm not kidding, after shouting like that, I feel pumped!"

Xu Beifang adjusted the distance of his computer screen to focus himself.

This was the first game of the BO5, and it was a very important confrontation; the impact on what followed would be huge, so he had to try his best to win it.

The director didn't notice this scene; he just scanned the players' booths as usual.

But the sharp-eyed viewers saw this moment.

【What the hell?】

【A familiar scene, feels like everything is back.】

【Danger! Liquid fans feel numb.】

【Which boss starts directly into the Second Stage? Give us a buffer time at least!】

After the cheering, apEX, acting as the IGL, began to set up the tactics.

This was the map Liquid chose, and they started as the CT side.

"Let's go with a standard 311 opening; Liquid's frequency of hitting A is still very high, let's try defending A heavily."

One of Liquid's most famous tactics on Mirage is Liquid's A.

Their A-site explosive execute, people and flashbangs coming out together, using utility to create gun positions for themselves, needing to aim and eliminate opponents within their field of view.

The tactic isn't actually complicated, but combined with Liquid's aim-bot-like Gunplay, it can often achieve miraculous results in matches.

At the start of the round, everyone's positioning spreads out immediately; except for apEX, the other members are all holding a Glock with Half Armor.

Xu Beifang steps onto the Archway at the first opportunity, his Crosshair directly holding the T Spawn crossing point.

After holding for a while, he doesn't see anyone from Liquid.

"Help me watch T Spawn, I'm going to nudge into the Sewer."

"Mm, go ahead," Zywoo replied.

With Zywoo helping to watch T Spawn, Xu Beifang starts Pre-aiming into the Sewer bit by bit, wanting to get more information as quickly as possible.

"No one seen in Mid at the first moment; the twin stars coordinate to choose to actively scout the Sewer. Liquid just happened to place an NAF in the Sewer. Can Little Xu see him this time?"

"Not at all. As the member flanking and watching the rear, NAF is very smart; he didn't enter the Sewer immediately, but instead is holding both sides alone, waiting for the front to make a move first."

Xu Beifang controls his Positioning Control well, peeking at the far end of the Sewer, but didn't see an enemy at first.

After confirming no one is at the far end, he searches the corner at the near end, confirming no one is at the near end of the Sewer.

After completing this series of actions, Xu Beifang, carrying his USP, continues to push forward, preparing to get some information on B Apartments.

"Little Xu is still pushing forward. The final has just begun and he is already showing very strong aggression. He wants to keep pushing, but at this moment, the explosive execute has already unfolded on A site. A Jungle Smoke, paired with two Flashbangs, Liquid has directly launched an attack."

"The CT at CT Spawn got flashed and was instantly melted by Elige's P250!! The fulcrum at CT Spawn has been dismantled, so this wave can only rely on Little Xu and apEX to operate from the front!"

"But can this Crossfire really be played well?" Wanjiqi couldn't help but express doubt.

The CT at CT Spawn was pulled out and instantly killed by the opponent; there's no particularly good way to deal with that.

But his death also made the situation somewhat uncomfortable.

Originally, the crossfire from three angles, their constant pulling, could make the Terrorists coming out of A1 and A2 very uncomfortable.

But now that this most important gun line at CT Spawn is gone, there is no one left at the front to withstand the pressure.

Zywoo's vision is obscured by that Jungle Smoke, and he can only move toward CT Spawn: "I can't help you for now, Beifang, you handle it yourself."

Xu Beifang says "Mm," then steps onto the Jump Platform, and sees a Terrorist in A2 performing a Spin Jump and rushing directly toward the Short Box.

"Dou Dou, someone is rushing you!!" Xu Beifang shouts in the voice chat.

Even though his focus was very concentrated and his Reaction was fast, the opponent was in the air for too short a time, and the timing wasn't good either, so he still let the opponent fly into the Short Box.

【stewie2K used a Glock to get a Headshot kill on apEX】

"Banana gets one first, A site is instantly overrun, Zywoo is still on his way from CT Spawn, and only Little Xu is left holding the line!"

"Little Xu failed to catch stewie2K, but with a flick of his hand, he instantly killed Elige who was crossing!"

Xu Beifang flicked and killed Elige who was crossing, but instantly saw stewie2K at the Short Box constantly peeking and engaging him.

Xu Beifang's focus is highly concentrated; at this moment, his train of thought is also very clear.

As the only Terrorist who has taken control of the Bomb Site, although stewie2K likes not to play by the rules, he still pursues basic logic.

His constant peeking state is more like he is also pulling.

Coupled with the Jungle Smoke they gave at the start, Xu Beifang's train of thought gradually becomes clear in his mind.

stewie2K is clearly peeking and pulling, but Xu Beifang has clearly taken the bait!

He knows stewie2K's idea, but he wants to take stewie2K down even more; only if he can make a play in this wave can he solve the problem.

And even if he didn't know, the image that had just formed in his mind told him—

"Twistzz has already snuck to Under Platform, NAF has also arrived below the Archway; this time Little Xu is completely surrounded!"

"A Bomb Site is about to be occupied by the Terrorists, Little Xu is trying hard to stall, he has to wait for his teammates to arrive for the Retake, but how long can he stall?"

Xu Beifang constantly peeks and engages with stewie2K, and stewie2K is also controlling his positioning while firing.

As Professional Players, their Positioning Control is very outstanding; it looks like two Professional Players, each firing a burst at the other, but in the end, neither could kill the opponent.

Xu Beifang has already deduced the opponent's general idea in his mind, so his attention has been dispersed to the right side of the Jump Platform.

When a head pops up from Under Platform, Xu Beifang instantly turns his crosshair over.

"Bang!"

【Nice used a USP to get a Headshot kill on Twistzz】

Twistzz had just popped his head out when he was instantly killed by Xu Beifang.

"Jump Platform, Jump Platform!!" Twistzz shouts out the position in the voice chat.

NAF at the Archway rushes up to Trade Kill.

Xu Beifang had long been on guard for the Sewer, and with the footsteps coming from the Archway, he turned his crosshair almost instantly.

NAF snuck up from the Archway, thinking he could steal a big backstab, but didn't expect a CT to be holding the angle from the front on the Jump Platform.

This caused him to panic, and he missed his first shot.

Before he could fire a second shot, he saw the CT in his field of view move to the left.

"Bang!"

【Nice used a USP to get a Headshot kill on NAF】

"Twistzz was killed, NAF rushed up from the Archway to Trade Kill, but what is up with this Nice?? He realized there was someone behind him, turned around, and held NAF dead!"

The cheers at the venue exploded instantly; listening to these shouts, Wanjiqi felt his whole body boiling with blood.

But the scene on the screen made him shout even more passionately.

"After Nice took down NAF, he turned around to gather information again, and with one shot, he took down stewie2K at the Short Box!!"

"Standing alone on the Jump Platform, he instantly got a Four Kill. Could it be that a Five Kill will appear right at the start of the final today??"

The moment Xu Beifang turned to take down stewie2K, his blood surged, and he shouted ferociously in the voice chat: "Five Kill, give me the Five Kill!!"

Zywoo shouted: "At A1, I tapped him twice, he's low health!"

Hearing this, Xu Beifang immediately peeked and strafed out to the right.

He didn't see anyone at first, but soon heard footsteps from the A1 Jump Platform, and Xu Beifang jumped directly forward.

nitr0 peeked instantly, holding his Glock and firing rapid taps.

But the problem was, he had no Armor this round; after being hit once by the opponent, his muzzle couldn't stop rising.

The sound of the USP rang out continuously, finally accompanied by a crisp and clean Headshot sound.

【Nice used USP to Headshot kill nitr0】

【Match MVP: Nice eliminated the most enemies and is playing his MVP victory song!】

【Ace! Nice used precise aiming to eliminate the entire team】

Amidst the cheers inside the arena, Xu Beifang spread his arms, enjoying the highlight moment that belonged to him.

……

Looking at that guy who made the whole arena cheer.

The finals had only just begun, yet he pulled off an ace right out of the gate.

Did it have to be this exaggerated?

Their hearts were all a bit unsettled now, watching the Vitality team members cheering.

They were all bewildered.

Could it be that they had to call a timeout to adjust right at the start?

……

Happy New Year everyone, I hope everyone's dreams come true next year; I'm writing while attending a classmate's wedding.