—— Fly & Generation Gaming
Quad kept telling me the day before the quarterfinals that he was full of confidence and would defeat GEN to advance to the semifinals. In the end, they really played well; Fly 's competitive level was impressive, not just in the quarterfinals, but from the beginning.
——Semifinals vs Generation Gaming
After the quarterfinals, Team WE reviewed our performance. Starting from the preparation for the semifinals, Team WE worked hard on our review and gained confidence in lane swaps, believing that the only team that could put us at a disadvantage through lane swaps was GEN. So Team WE really put in a lot of effort to prepare for the match against GEN.
After the quarterfinals, during practice matches, Team WE felt that besides GEN, there was no team that could catch up with us through lane swaps. But since our opponent was GEN, that thought was meaningless because GEN is inherently good at lane swaps.
Team WE prepared our draft strategy, which was to pick Renata in the first three picks; this was crucial.
Every team prepares differently; for example, what Team WE play well. Team WE think picking Renata in the first three picks is better for many reasons, which I won't go into detail about. Basically, no teams play Renata; even if they do, it's usually in the last two picks, so GEN probably didn't expect us to pick Renata in the first three picks, or maybe they considered it but thought it was fine.
——Game 1 of the Semifinals
The reason for banning the robot is clear when you watch the finals.
I believe our draft strategy in Game 1 was advantageous, but GEN played very well with a draft strategy that I find difficult to counter, and they have been playing well all year, regardless of what they play.
In this game, it was crucial for Zeus to defend against the dive. So why didn't Team WE dive the crocodile? Were Team WE too nervous? During the time Zeus was playing so well, why didn't Team WE dive? What was I thinking at that moment? I can't remember.
At this point, our opinions diverged; the opponent had invested too many resources in the top lane. After Team WE secured the 5 bugs, Team WE could have retreated downwards and applied pressure on mid and bot. During the retreat, someone suggested Team WE engage, and that led to problems. This was a time when the opponent was stronger. Team WE lost out in this engagement. Team WE should have stolen the bugs and retreated, but instead, Team WE went up to fight and lost. If Team WE hadn't fought, Team WE would have been the ones applying tower pressure.
At this point, Team WE were very likely doing the Baron; the opponent's vision saw us and saw us doing the Baron. It felt like the opponent made a mistake; our composition can take Baron quickly. Team WE just didn't want them to take the dragon, so Team WE went for the Baron, but they were busy taking the dragon, so Team WE secured the Baron quickly. Overall, it was great; Team WE gained a lot from this play.
——Game 2 of the Semifinals
Team WE anticipated all compositions with ourselves on the red side and the opponent on the blue side. I believe our composition countered the opponent, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. Let's skip to the second game.
——Game 3 of the Semifinals
Team WE chose Renata, and the opponent had a dive composition, so it felt comfortable. In fact, when Team WE secured the second wave of bugs, the game was essentially over. Then Team WE grouped up to push the bot lane, with four people in the bot lane and one in the mid lane, pushing both lanes together. Then Team WE grouped up to push mid, and then up again. It was a version of grouped pushing, taking down both the top and bot tier twos.
——Game 4 of the Semifinals
Team WE prepared our draft strategy for the red side; the draft strategy in the second game was actually our secret weapon, but it failed, so Team WE felt Team WE couldn't use the composition from the second game anymore. Team WE anticipated that the opponent would play Tristana and Nidalee, so Team WE chose our Plan B.
When preparing the draft strategy for the finals, Pyke was always the core. When the last two picks weren't banned, picking Pyke worked out well. I said Pyke was great, and then Tom said, “Didn't I say Pyke was great too?” He had previously said Pyke wasn't that good, but suddenly changed his mind.
Team WE also guessed that the opponent would play Alistar support; tank supports really struggle against Alistar. I said Team WE could use Pyke to teach Alistar a lesson; at this point, Team WE had to play Pyke; playing other supports would be very difficult. Fortunately, my teammates agreed with my thoughts; I felt Team WE couldn't win with Renata, picking Renata against Nidalee, Tristana, Ashe, and Alistar was crazy.
When choosing Pyke, I was worried about the opponent invading our bot jungle; Scorpion cannot stop Nidalee, and if the bot lane gets dove, that's it. While struggling with whether to swap lanes, Team WE decided not to swap, and I went back to the bot lane. I was thinking about what to do if the opponent invaded our jungle; to be honest, if they really invade our bot jungle, that would be a disaster. While considering countermeasures, through some intense mind games, I scanned and suddenly saw them; no matter who I hooked, it was a win because the bot lane wouldn't be dove anymore. Hooking Ashe was especially profitable, as it prevented the opponent's bot lane from pushing, and Nidalee was somewhat restricted. When Nidalee came to help the opponent's bot lane to prevent our dive, it felt like their plan was already ruined.
At this point, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat; I suddenly had PTSD. At this moment, I was even thinking, “If I had known, I would have built Mercury's Treads.” I regretted not building Mercury's Treads, and that thought made me feel quite speechless.
Actually, I didn't cry after the semifinals; everyone said I cried.