Chapter 309: Suggestions for Tyloo

"Why don't we go back to the Tyloo base cafeteria." Danking sat in the car and sighed, "I've been in Hangzhou for so long, and the most I've eaten is the yellow-braised chicken downstairs in the club. There is too little food in this place."

Hangzhou is not a place without food, but by comparison, there are not many specialties, and the level of catering fluctuates greatly, which makes other cuisines stand out.

Xiaogui looked at Tie Dan with disgust: "If you don't understand, you still don't believe it. Although there are few specialties in this place, there are really good things."

He felt that Danking was just listening to the wind and rain, and really took those things on the internet seriously.

He considered it and modified the final destination on his mobile phone.

Lost the solo before, agreed to treat Xu Beifang to dinner, and he recognized it.

It's just that at first, Xiaogui didn't intend to go to that kind of authentic shop, preparing to just find some hot pot to eat.

He is not a person who lacks money, but if the place is too expensive, it would be bad to make his teammates feel pressure.

But listening to Tie Dan say this, he had to maintain the face of the Hangzhou local.

Xu Beifang continued: "It seems that there is a good meal to eat today."

Tie Dan immediately said: "No, Beifang, don't you love me anymore? I'll take you with a small bull electric scooter!"

"I would rather laugh in the passenger seat of Xiaogui's Porsche 911 than cry on your small bull electric scooter." Xu Beifang decisively chose to refuse.

Xu Beifang saw Xiaogui's Porsche 911 in the parking lot and couldn't help but say: "I didn't expect that among so many of us, you are the one who hides the deepest. Where did you get such a high salary?"

"This car is not expensive." Xiaogui smiled, "I remember it was about 2.3 million down?"

"Good guy, not expensive?" Xu Beifang said, "Can sell 1000 small bulls of Tie Dan."

Xu Beifang has been playing professionally for a year, and his achievements are considered quite good. Excluding this huge live streaming signing income, other bonuses, wages, sticker shares, etc., add up to a little over 3 million and less than 4 million.

He also finally understood why everyone teased Xiaogui as the richest man in Hangzhou.

"No way, fully rely on father." Xiaogui explained, "I have been playing professionally for so many years, and I have never spent a penny of my own money."

Xu Beifang almost didn't hold it. 【309-2

"Come on, let me pick a song!"

Xu Beifang tapped on the car's infotainment screen and selected "I Love It."

The high-energy music got Xiaogui fired up: "Good man, Need for Speed 17, right? Just listening to this makes me feel tense."

Xiaogui put the top down and quickly drove out of the underground garage, though they couldn't go too fast in the city, so the "Fast and Furious" experience they wanted didn't quite happen.

As the car drove along, Xu Beifang leaned back against the headrest, gently feeling the soft breeze blowing past.

His attention, however, was focused on the treasure chests in his system space.

Just now, because he had actively stirred up trouble and "tortured" Tyloo, he had earned one C-grade treasure chest and one D-grade treasure chest.

In a good mood, he prepared to open a chest to liven things up.

He decided to skip the D-grade chest, and Xu Beifang let his thoughts stir.

【Open C-grade treasure chest?】

"Yes."

【C-grade treasure chest is opening...】

【Congratulations to the host, Listen-to-Advice Value +1120.】

【Congratulations to the host for obtaining Intermediate Map Making Ability. Description: With this ability, you can create your favorite Workshop maps. PS: Even if you stop playing professionally, you'll have a chance to join Valve and start your vacation chapter.】

Map Making Ability?

Xu Beifang was past the point of getting all excited just because a newly acquired ability appeared on him.

Back when he first obtained the Language Learning Skill, Xu Beifang had also been dismissive, thinking it wouldn't play any role in his life.

But early in his professional career, quickly learning Polish and French played a huge role in his future.

Being on good terms with most foreign players at this stage was also because he could use most of the languages on the market.

People are always closer to those who can use the same language as them.

Xu Beifang was able to get along well with most players, partly because he was a social powerhouse; he wasn't shy about making friends and could come up with interesting things without going overboard.

Personality was one aspect, but his proficiency in the native languages of most players also made it easy for others to accept him.

And even the "Split-Second Multitasking" skill that Xu Beifang had always thought was useless—didn't he use it today? And the response was quite good.

So Xu Beifang wouldn't think this skill was useless; he just hadn't found its exact use at this stage.

"Ye Ma?"

After arriving at the location, Xu Beifang raised an eyebrow as he looked at the sign overhead.

"As a Hangzhou local, I really can't argue when outsiders call Hangzhou a culinary desert; there really aren't many delicious things in this place," Xiaogui said. "But if you say Hangzhou has no signature cuisine, that's just malicious slander."

"But the price of something delicious is that there are too many people, and you have to queue."

They waited for nearly an hour before their number was called.

As the wealthy patron, Xiaogui was in charge of this lunch and ordered everything on the menu.

The restaurant served food quickly, and before long, all the dishes were on the table.

Xu Beifang had been hungry for a while, so he started eating right away.

The first dish was "Aged Ham Steamed Earth Duck." Xu Beifang used a spoon to get some broth, then picked up a few slices of ham and duck meat to start eating.

Xu Beifang took a bite of the duck meat, and his eyes lit up instantly.

The outside of the duck meat was very tender and succulent; the first bite was like eating tiger-skin chicken feet, sucking the duck skin right in. But after the tenderness, the duck meat inside was still firm, and the overall texture of the duck was quite good.

Xu Beifang took another sip of the broth; it had an overall fresh and salty flavor that really whetted the appetite.

Xu Beifang gave Xiaogui a thumbs up: "As expected of a Hangzhou rich kid, you really know how to eat."

Tie Dan didn't say anything; he was already busy munching away.

Everyone found that the food here was indeed quite good, with no major drawbacks other than the price.

After eating a little to pad their stomachs, everyone sat around and started chatting.

"Xiao Xu, I actually envy you quite a bit," Xiaogui said to Xu Beifang while leaning back in his chair. "In just one year, you've already made a name for yourself abroad."

He lit a cigarette, and behind the drifting smoke, his confused eyes were hidden: "We still don't know what the situation will be later."

Most professional players have a basic understanding of their own and their team's strength.

At last year's London Major, they felt they had already touched the edge of a Tier 1 team.

Major Legends Stage, HLTV world ranking 10th—that was the best answer they could give.

But MO's form declined, and he chose to retire at his peak, while DD and XCC also chose to leave one after another.

Of last year's roster, only Xiaogui and Dage remained, and as for the other members, Cy1 and Baicai were acquaintances, so he knew their specific strength.

Danking officially became Tyloo's sniper as a newcomer.

Looking at this new roster on paper, there was actually no problem.

Yet Xiaogui could clearly feel that the team's strength wasn't as strong as before, even though they achieved a 2-3 record at the StarSeries in late March and won two matches.

But he could still give this answer: their current strength was not as good as last year's.

Coming from a well-off family since childhood, he had always been an idealist.

Xiaogui really wanted to carve out a path in the world of CSGO, but some recent problems within the team had left him feeling a bit lost.

Today, Xu Beifang came over to play with them, and even if it was just a 1v1 duel, it was a huge blow to them.

In the past, when Tyloo lost matches, people would always praise them for "losing with honor."

They would say they just hadn't kept up with the main force tactically, that their tactics and systems were lacking, but their overall gunplay was still very strong.

But today, after dueling with Xu Beifang, the huge disparity tore away the fig leaf of their "good gunplay."

The Tyloo members in the room fell silent.

Xu Beifang didn't feel great hearing this either: "Didn't you have good results last year? Just some minor fluctuations in the first half, and you're already overthinking things?"

As an "outsider," he didn't know the specific situation of Tyloo, but he could guess some of it.

Vitality had actually experienced a similar situation; when NBK and RPK were on the team, they had argued several times due to results and performance issues.

Later, it was because Xu Beifang and Zywoo were strong enough, and the results were on an upward trend, that the team's problems were covered up.

And Tyloo's results were not as eye-catching as before.

Internal gelling problems, and the pressure brought by the rise of VG externally.

At this time, if there were external channels and a few formal major tournaments ahead, they might be able to hold their breath and perform well in the matches, just like last year.

"It's a new roster, we haven't achieved results yet, and the domestic audience is watching us. How can we not be under pressure?" Cy1 picked up a piece of duck meat; influenced by his worries, even his appetite had dropped a bit.

Tie Dan was still quite young, and he didn't really understand his teammates' anxious feelings.

Although he occasionally saw Xu Beifang shining in those top-tier tournaments and felt a sense of disparity, he felt that as long as he persisted, there would definitely be a day when he could stand on that kind of stage in the future.

But looking at his teammates' terrible expressions, Tie Dan smiled and said to Xu Beifang: "Beifang, what do you say? You ask others for advice every day; why don't you give us some advice today?"

【Beep!】

【Suggestion Mission: Give Tyloo advice to help them walk out of their confusion. Suggestion difficulty: 6 stars. Upon completion, you can obtain a B-grade treasure chest.】

Although the Tyloo members didn't speak, their eyes were all on Xu Beifang.

In their eyes, Xu Beifang was no longer the older high-ranked pub player from before, but a top-tier genius rifleman in Europe!

He was a standout figure in the entire circle!

Xu Beifang had been to Europe, so his perspective might be very broad, and the things he came into contact with might be different from theirs. Perhaps he could give them some advice from a more special angle to help them walk out of this period of confusion.

Xu Beifang smiled; he still wanted to decline this kind of thing. Even if the reward was good, it was thankless work.

"What advice could I have? I'm still working hard to grow myself."

As Xu Beifang's good buddy, Tie Dan saw through Xu Beifang's worries at a glance and immediately spoke up: "We're serious. Don't be afraid of anything. Just say what you think we should do now, and we'll take it into consideration."

Once Tie Dan said that, Xu Beifang had no reason to refuse anymore.

Back when they were queuing in the ladder, Xu Beifang and Tie Dan had agreed to play "Brother CS" together, but due to various reasons, they ultimately didn't end up on the same team.

He still really wanted to give his brother a hand.

But for some things, if Tie Dan didn't bring it up himself, it wouldn't be appropriate for Xu Beifang to give them advice.

Although he had a good relationship with Tyloo, he was not a member of the team after all.

Only when Tyloo spoke up themselves would Xu Beifang have the opportunity to help them.

"Think carefully, what are you confused about right now?"

Xu Haowen spread his hands: "The results aren't as good as before, Tyloo has more fans, we're under a lot of pressure, and there are even many fans comparing us to you, which is heartbreaking. And because of issues like playstyle, we often argue within the team, which has been very annoying lately."

"Then improve the results and solve the gelling issues," Xu Beifang gave the answer.

Baicai smiled helplessly: "How is this any different from saying nothing?"

Danking, who seemed foolish but was actually wise, sensed something: "Let Xiao Xu continue."

"Why are the results bad? Is it a gunplay issue or a tactical issue?" Xu Beifang opened the second question.

Xiaogui said somewhat awkwardly: "I thought it was a tactical issue before, but after dueling with you today, I think it's half and half."

"Since there are problems with both gunplay and tactics, then just find a way to practice them up, and that's it." Xu Beifang was guiding Tyloo toward the core issues.

Cy1 ate a bite of food and said: "In terms of training, we mainly can't find training opponents right now. In China, because we often face each other, VG won't schedule training matches with us."

Teams in the same region with similar map pools face each other very frequently in tournaments, and at such times, neither side wants to expose their tactics and playstyle to the opponent.

After all, if your tactics and playstyle are exposed, you might be sweating bullets when you're targeted in the next match.

And if you hide some formulaic tactics, then there's no great need for training.

"Are there no teams in Southeast Asia willing to train with you?"

"There are, and quite a few," CY1 continued. "The main thing is that the level of teams in Southeast Asia isn't high enough; they can't put any pressure on us at all, so training doesn't have any effect."

Tyloo's ranking on HLTV was still quite good; at the very least, they were one of the best in all of Asia. Those professional teams in Southeast Asia were all scrambling to find Tyloo for training.

In those training match groups, Tyloo could pick and choose which teams to play.

But those Southeast Asian teams couldn't put pressure on Tyloo.

Without pressure, they couldn't get stronger, and their training was meaningless, serving at most as a way to practice tactics.

Xu Beifang asked with a smile: "Then why not find European teams to train with?"

"We're in Asia," Baicai explained. "It's too troublesome to train with European teams. We only find European teams to practice with during annual training camps or when we go abroad for tournaments."

Xu Beifang clapped his hands and then looked at the Tyloo members with a smile: "Look, the result is already out."

"You actually know the answer. Training with European teams is very effective, but you're mainly afraid of the trouble. This just shows that your desire to get stronger isn't enough."

Xu Beifang's words made the few Tyloo members feel a bit angry.

Xiaogui said seriously: "Desire to get stronger isn't enough? Every day, besides eating and sleeping, I spend the rest of my time training at the base. Is that not enough desire to get stronger?"

"You weren't there last year, but I also once had a trial at Tyloo. I couldn't stay that time, and later, no teams in China were willing to take me," Xu Beifang spoke of his past. "I was forced to set my goals abroad. I worked hard to learn English, started using an accelerator, and played Faceit with a ping of over 100. That was the effort I put in for a single trial spot back then."

"And what about you now? You can't even manage training matches with high ping, and you still want to talk about getting stronger? Whose efforts are you looking down on?" Xu Beifang also became serious.

"I'm telling you very seriously: right now, the CSGO playstyle in China, and even in all of Asia, is already disconnected."

Baicai chimed in: "But VG's few matches were played quite well, weren't they? At the StarSeries, they even beat FNC."

"FNC is just a Tier 1 gatekeeper; you really shouldn't think they're very strong," Xu Beifang laughed. "And VG's success was more because foreign teams hadn't seen this playstyle before, plus they practiced a map called Overpass and caught several teams off guard in the StarSeries group stage using an unpopular map."

"After their three-hit combo was finished, everyone understood their strength. Look at this IEM Sydney; VG was eliminated in last place."

This left Tyloo unable to refute, because it really hit home.

"The tactical revolution brought by Astralis is much more outrageous than you imagine. Through half a year of adjustments, European teams have already learned the Astralis system and playstyle and are modifying it according to their own characteristics, while you haven't even entered the door. You've already fallen a big step behind, and I'm anxious for you."

Xu Beifang took a sip of water to moisten his throat: "You asked me for advice before. Fine, I'll tell you now: whether you make up your mind to go abroad for a training camp for a period of time, or endure high latency, you must find every way to get in sync with the European playstyle and face strong teams. This is the only path to becoming stronger."

"Otherwise, I really doubt whether Tyloo will still be able to appear in major tournaments a year from now."

The people in the room were silent for a long time.

If Xu Beifang had been wrong about anything, they could have argued for a while.

But Xu Beifang had indeed given them very real and feasible advice.

What to do if training matches in Asia don't work?

Run off to play against European teams—does this training method work?

They knew very well: it does!

Renegades deciding to base themselves in North America was the beginning of their takeoff.

Taking themselves as an example, as the veteran of the team, Xiaogui could clearly feel that the gap was becoming more and more obvious after several training camps abroad playing against European teams.

The opponents' playstyle was becoming more formulaic and systematic, but their understanding of the Astralis system was still quite shallow, making every training session very painful.

But every time they practiced, they really could learn things, unlike when they played training matches in Asia, where they would just dry-peek after a while.

Because the opponents couldn't put any pressure on them at all, their formulaic tactics would unfold very smoothly due to the opponents' poor level.

Often, when they brought it back to a tournament and encountered those skilled European teams, it would be countered, and many times the tactics couldn't even be deployed.

But training with European teams...

Xiaogui sighed and then turned to look at his teammates.

Xu Beifang had already pointed out a path for them to get stronger.

Once they decided to embark on this path, all kinds of problems might arise.

But if they didn't embark on this path, they would definitely be treading water, or even regressing in level.

Now that the road was in front of them, where should they go?

Taking a short break, I'll write more tomorrow.