Chapter 434: Oscar Night (Part II)

That answer on Zhihu didn't spell things out completely, but many people already figured it out.

After the VG vs WE match ended, there was still a final showdown, namely QG versus EDG; based on this match's result, the final points situation in Group B could unfold in one of three ways.

1. If QG beats EDG, EDG gets 11 points and finishes second in the group; QG gets 10 points and third; WE gets 9 points and fourth. According to this ranking for playoff qualification, second-place EDG and fourth-place WE go into the same half as the Group A top seed RNG, while third-place QG goes into the same half as VG.

2. If QG loses to EDG in the final showdown, there are two possibilities.

One: QG loses 0-2; then EDG gets 11 points and finishes second; WE gets 9 points and third; QG also gets 9 points, tying WE in head-to-head and total points but having one fewer secondary point, so WE ends up third and QG fourth; consequently WE goes into the same playoff half as VG, while EDG and QG go to the other half.

The other: QG wins at least one game against EDG, losing 1-2; then they and WE would have equal total points, tied head-to-head, and equal secondary points, forming a miraculous situation requiring a tiebreaker match to decide their final ranking.

By this point it's clear: WE played poorly against VG simply because they never intended to win.

Whether WE beats VG or not, they cannot overtake EDG for second place; but if they do beat VG, they lock in third place, which means being tied to VG in the same playoff half, and even winning just one game would greatly increase their chance of locking in third, since expecting QG to beat EDG is not very realistic.

However, after losing to VG, WE actually has a greater chance of being placed in the other playoff half.

Being in the same playoff half as VG likely means losing any chance to reach the finals altogether; even if one doesn't care about the domestic league title's prestige, the ranking is tied to Global Finals points, and if they miss out by just twenty or thirty points on qualifying for this year's Global Finals held at the Bird's Nest, they would regret it forever.

Therefore, avoiding being placed in the same playoff half as VG is the optimal strategy for WE, which is why this tiger-head-snake-tail showdown occurred.

After netizens reached this conclusion, their reactions varied.

【Holy shit, it's actually Oscar Night!】

【Who would have thought, such a small regular match actually has so many twists!】

【The waters of the esports circle are too deep, Mom I want to go home T_T】

【Fuck your mother, refund my money!】

【Thinking back now, I felt something was off when WE played QG that day, but I only realized just now—damn, they were all acting!】

【So the question is, will QG also be acting?】

【They're already acting, go watch the match…】

【Good news: QG is also acting. Bad news: EDG is acting too!】

【WE quietly told EDG: 'Good brother, it's all up to you, waa waa waa】

【Unbelievable, there are still masters!】

【Every team fears meeting VG—should we say VG is awesome or WE is trash? I lit the first cigarette of summer with mixed feelings, finally figured it out……】

【Whether the LPL is good or bad is none of my business—VG is awesome! Let's go, damn it!】

Yes, at this very moment on the battlefield, QG and EDG are also hamming it up wildly.

QG is fighting for themselves.

EDG is fighting for WE—after all, Sky personally called A Bu's phone, so this favor still needs to be returned.

As for whether this destroys the fairness of competition—

Opinions are divided.

"Liang Yan, what do you think?"

VG members had already returned to the base; in the training room, Fu Lan Duo propped her feet on the table, turned her head with a playful expression to ask Liang Yan, and for once did not call him 'little foot brother'.

Liang Yan shrugged and didn't answer.

Any so-called competition tied to actual interests is inherently brutal—basketball, football, table tennis… are all the same, and esports is naturally no exception.

Today's performance is merely the tip of the iceberg showing its true face above the sea; there's still much more that hasn't been shown to the public.

Xiao Duan suddenly let out a 'Wuhu' sound, jumped up from his chair, tossed his headset onto the keyboard, and greeted everyone:

"Brothers, the bonus has arrived! Ma Ge is treating!"

"Holy shit, Ma Ge is awesome!"

……

Instead of going to the little western-style building for dinner today, we went to a barbecue restaurant that often broadcasts esports matches.

When everyone arrived at the restaurant, the QG vs EDG match had just finished its second game, and the loudspeaker on the wall transmitted the commentators' excited voices:

"Congratulations to QG for winning back a game!"

"This puts them one step closer to third place in Group B—come on, QG! If they can pull off a reverse sweep, third place is theirs!"

However, when the camera cut to the players' bench, the reaction of QG's absolute core, mid lane big brother Doinb, was somewhat subtle: he looked displeased, and when he took off his headset he almost couldn't resist smashing it onto the keyboard, but he restrained himself, finally jumping up and shouting something, looking very angry.

Even without lip-reading, one can tell what Doinb's mouth shape is saying.

The bullet comments immediately gave the answer:

【Fuck?】

【Fuck!】

【Hahahahaha】

【We won, but also lost……】

【Doinb: Fuck! Why make me win!】

【Or is EDG's acting just a notch higher?】

Xiao Duan also let out a 'holy shit', saying EDG is awesome, and the other customers burst into laughter, filling the barbecue restaurant with a cheerful atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the WE members back at the base, seeing this result, also breathed a sigh of relief—at least they get to play a tiebreaker match.

But EDG couldn't overdo the act either; seeing QG stubbornly refuse to win the third game, if they kept acting they'd risk punishment, so they ultimately had to grudgingly win the match.

The final showdown ended with the score EDG 2-1 QG.

Thus, Group B ended up with two teams having equal total and secondary points, with no way to break the tie via head-to-head, forcing WE and QG to play a tiebreaker match to decide third and fourth place.

Netizens worldwide watched a spectacular drama and exclaimed how satisfying it was.

Soon after the match, #Second Oscar Night# topped the hot search lists on all major platforms.

【Awesome, both matches today are acting!】

【I announce that the ultimate winner of Second Oscar Night is! WE!】

【What? The award has already been given?】

【QG: I haven't lost yet! There's still a rematch! I will come back!】

【EDG: WE's cute brothers, I can only help you this far.】

This wave of public opinion's heat is really too high, it startled the Oscar official account, dazedly ran out and posted a Weibo:'

【What happened?】