Chapter 4: Ah, I'm playing against Theshy? We'll win!

"Is this too coincidental?"

Uzi couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like this is fate!"

"Back then, this guy was insanely perverted, you know? Our mid-jungle was also a rookie pair, and we got completely stunned when we went up against him..."

"Thinking about it now, it feels ridiculous. This guy's hands were too heavy back then, leaving me with huge trauma."

Beishang seemed to recall some unbearable past, his tone carrying a bit of misery.

It was everyone's first time playing in the LPL, and yet the mid-jungle duo combined couldn't even beat one person... "My bad."

Su Xing coughed a few times. "I really did play too hard when I first joined the LPL."

"It's fine. Thinking that the guy who blasted me back then is going to play in the Old Man Cup with me, I feel strangely relieved."

Beishang's personality seemed pretty good; he didn't take the past to heart but instead openly teased himself.

Everyone:... This mindset is invincible.

"By the way, Su Xing."

Uzi saw that everyone had gotten to know each other, so he went straight to the point and asked, "Where have you been these past two or three years? I haven't seen you stream. Did you go to be a paid companion in private?"

Logically speaking, there weren't many paths for retired pro players.

Either they go to stream like Uzi and AJ, or they go to play high-rank boosting or flex queue like Beishang, or at worst, they go back to the club to be an assistant coach or analyst.

But there was no news about Su Xing at all. If it weren't for the official Huya announcement that someone like him would participate in the Legend Cup, even Uzi would have almost forgotten who Su Xing was.

"I went to do some meaningful things."

Su Xing smiled slightly. "To be honest, for these past few years, let alone games, I haven't even touched a computer keyboard. If Huya hadn't come looking for me, I'd probably still be stuck in some mountain somewhere."

"It's fine. The Legend Cup is just a bunch of old guys getting together for fun, so don't feel any pressure."

Uzi and the others weren't too surprised. They had just learned about Su Xing not playing games for the past few years. However, in Uzi's view, as the former LPL Best Rookie, even if Su Xing hadn't played in a long time, his fundamentals must still be there.

As long as he was given some time to do some rehabilitation training, he might not be qualified to play professionally again, but playing in an entertainment tournament should be enough.

"By the way, Su Xing, have you started streaming?"

Uzi seemed to remember something and asked, "They've all started streaming, why don't you start one too?"

"Forget it, no need."

Su Xing thought for a moment and politely declined. "I'll probably go back after this Legend Cup is over. There's no point in starting one."

"I see... alright."

Seeing this, Uzi didn't insist. Instead, he said, "There's some prize money for this Legend Cup. What place we'll get is still unknown, but when we get the prize money, you guys can just split my share."

Huya's original intention for the Legend Cup was to support some retired players. However, as one of the biggest traffic magnets in the LPL, Uzi didn't care about that bit of prize money, so he was willing to take it out for others to split.

After all, he knew a little bit about the situations of these teammates. Not to mention AJ, a retired League of Legends player who went to do outdoor streaming.

Jungler Beishang didn't stream but did boosting to make a living, and support Xiao Duan was even more miserable; for most viewers, he was basically non-existent.

As for Su Xing, Uzi didn't know what he had experienced in these years, but as long as he wasn't some rich second-generation heir, the situation of an average retired pro player wouldn't be much better.

"Holy crap, thanks Gou Ye!"

AJ was like he had been injected with adrenaline upon hearing this. You have to know the Legend Cup champion had a 1 million prize! "As expected of a God!" Beishang and Xiao Duan agreed, but Su Xing appeared very calm, his emotions not seeming as excited as the others.

"Now, let's talk about the training schedule for this period."

Uzi cleared his throat and said, "Recently, there's the MSI tournament. Sometimes if we need to commentate, we'll start finding other Legend Cup teams to play BO3 Global Ban/Pick training matches after the games are over."

"In most cases, we should play two training matches a day. As for which team we play against each day, I'll be responsible for communicating with the other captains."

"If you have any personal matters during this time that prevent you from attending the training matches, just let me know in advance, and I'll find someone else to fill in for the day."

"No problem!"

AJ and the others expressed that this arrangement was perfectly fine, but Su Xing asked a question after a few seconds of silence.

"Um... what is Global Ban/Pick?"

Facing Su Xing's question, Uzi gave a very straightforward answer.

"Global Ban/Pick means that in a BO3 or BO5 match, the heroes you've used cannot be picked again, but you can pick the heroes the opponent has used."

Uzi explained patiently, "For example, if you used Orianna in the first game and the opponent used Syndra, then in the second game, you can't use Orianna, and they can't use Syndra. But conversely, they can use Orianna, and you can use Syndra."

"In this case, once we reach the third game, then for both teams, whether it's Syndra or Orianna, they are defaulted as banned and cannot be picked again."

"Holy crap, Honor of Kings!"

Hearing this, Su Xing blurted out. He remembered—isn't this the tournament mode for the mobile game next door?

"Uh... you could understand it that way."

Uzi laughed out loud. "It's just forcing everyone to expand their hero pool, so they can't keep using the same heroes to play matches."

"Is the professional league like this now too?"

Su Xing felt a slight stir in his heart. If this Global Ban/Pick rule were promoted to the LPL and even major regions around the world, it would actually be quite fun.

"It seems the LPL will implement it in the Summer Split."

AJ chimed in, "They're probably watching the effect in our region. Once it works, it will be promoted globally next year, and in the end, even the World Championship will have to be held according to the Global Ban/Pick rules."

"It's a good thing for the viewers, but for many pro players, they might have to suffer quite a bit."

As a former pro player, Su Xing naturally saw through the pros and cons of this rule at a glance. There was no doubt it could greatly improve the viewers' experience.

Canceling the Mythic Equipment System and introducing the Global Ban/Pick rule—it looked like he wasn't wrong back then. The appearance of the Mythic Equipment System was slowly killing the game.

But fortunately, Riot knew how to correct their mistakes. "Alright, that's enough."

Uzi clapped his hands. "How about this, let's play a BO5 against Ning's team tonight, how about that?"

"Ah, I... I'm playing against Theshy?"

AJ was immediately covered in sweat. Playing against Theshy in the first training match was a bit too scary, right?

"It's fine, we'll win!"

Uzi said so.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 5 =====