We are tired of winning championships, and we still need youth training?

Chapter 180 IG Fans: Tears in My Eyes, Family

At the front of the venue, spectators have already begun to enter.

Today, quite a few local university students came with their friends.

Ji Bochang is like that.

He started his journey at noon and made his way to the scene.

Because it is still in the early stages of the lockdown, local audiences will be allowed to attend the event from time to time.

However, this only applies if both teams are based locally.

That's why today's competition is being held offline.

Even so, almost everyone going out now wears a mask, and special testing points have been set up at the entrances.

Fun fact: Shanghai was the last city to implement a lockdown.

It wasn't until July of this year that a complete lockdown was implemented.

"Can IG win today...?"

He muttered to himself as he anxiously awaited the start of the match.

His friend next to him heard his muttering and chuckled.

"It's hard to say, I also think TES is very strong."

"They're all pretty much the same. There's a high chance we'll be playing the full game today."

Ji Bochang shrugged. "Playing all five games would be fine, at least we could watch five games. But I'm an IG fan, and I don't want to see IG play all five games and still lose."

That would be an utter waste of time and a prolonged, unbearable ordeal.

"I don't know, I'm a fan of RNG."

My friend pushed up his black-rimmed glasses.

Although RNG no longer has the dominance it once had, Gala joined early enough, and Bin has also joined the team.

Therefore, RNG fans do not feel that RNG has given up; they still have high hopes for RNG in the Summer Split.

“That’s very life-like.”

Ji Bochang gave a thumbs up.

He used to be a fan of RNG.

—Until RNG lost that best-of-five series against G2.

He can accept being eliminated because he is not good enough, but he cannot accept losing a game he could have won because of arrogance.

At that time, he believed that RNG could definitely beat G2, because even though they were clearly in poor form, they still managed to go to the fifth game.

As a result, RNG lost.

He has been a fan of IG ever since.

Just as the two were chatting, the screen in front of the game lit up.

His friend nudged him.

"Are we about to start?"

"No, it should be a pre-match promotional video or interview."

Ji Bochang spoke with some uncertainty.

As he said, what appeared next to everyone was the pre-match promotional video.

Under a sky full of stars, Rookie stood under a spotlight, his eyes slightly raised, gazing into the distance.

"IG has a lot of problems in the new season."

"We lost the Demacia Cup. We couldn't gain an advantage against many teams, and we were often at a disadvantage in team fights."

"Many people say that IG has lost its former dominance, and I am well aware of that."

"But IG hasn't left the stage yet."

He stared at the camera expressionlessly, his eyes focused and serious.

"Now, it's still our present."

The scene shifts, and the rising sun casts a golden glow on TES's mid-laner Knight's face.

Bathed in the bright morning sun, the camera has quietly switched to behind him.

The ID 【KNIGHT】 was tinged with a golden light in the image.

"When I got to S10, it felt different from before."

"This year is a year I feel very hopeful for. I will definitely seize the opportunity and lead Top Esports to new heights."

"Many people say that TES is actually a fake strong team, but that's unreasonable because we have already beaten many strong teams."

"But it doesn't matter. As long as we win in the end, other people's opinions can't judge us."

"I will help Top Esports win everything."

In the video, Knight's expression is resolute and calm as he slowly extends his left hand towards the camera, as if he has grasped the future and glory.

As original players for IG and TES, Rookie and Knight were among those who arrived earlier than the other core player.

So there's absolutely no problem putting it at the beginning of a promotional video.

The reactions of the viewers in the live chat at this time also illustrate this point.

Wow, what a cool chicken!

【You're so beautiful, chicken!】

Are there little black cats here too? Do they eat fried dough sticks?

[That left hand pose is so badass, isn't it? What does "golden left hand" even mean? (Tactical lean back)]

[Is it different from before? Does it mean TES will make it to Worlds this year?]

Although Tencent Games has always been inhumane in its inhumane practices, it is at least more humane than the former Wang Gongzi's Banana Entertainment.

After all, Tencent Games really wants to make money.

Therefore, the investment in the promotional video was considerable, and the resulting effect was quite good, showing that a lot of effort was put into it.

The scene switched again, this time showing the top laners on both sides.

The first to appear was IG's top laner, Flandre.

Like Rookie, his background was a starry night sky.

But unlike Rookie, he stood on the riverbank, with the constantly rolling waves in front of him.

Saint Gun stood there quietly, gazing into the distance.

"Actually, when I first joined IG, it was just because IG had Galaxy, and I thought he was very strong."

"But I later found out that my teammates were actually quite strong."

"Even if it's just to avoid holding them back, I'm fully prepared."

"Snake Team is the team I've been with the longest."

"I think if we can go all the way with IG, it would be equivalent to winning the championship with a part of Snake Esports."

"369 is a very strong top laner, but I'm sorry."

"I have no reason to lose."

"Because I carry both the past and the future within me."

The lines in this promotional video weren't actually provided by Tencent Esports; they were all the players' own reflections.

Saint Gun's words were delivered with complete sincerity, without a trace of falsehood.

Therefore, it sounds particularly sincere.

Some of the audience members who had previously liked the Snake team were moved to tears at the scene.

On the live chat, most of Snake Esports' remaining fans have now become general LPL fans.

At this moment, he was also deeply immersed in it.

[Waaaaah, my precious gun!]

[A Vietnamese person was livestreaming, and I just heard Flandre say this, and his expression was so serious.]

The people on the old Snake team are also very nice; SaoFan's Chinese is probably better than ZuoShou's.

[Pfft, isn't it a bit much that it's better than the left hand?]

[Just look at the Top Esports post-game microphones to see; they're definitely better than the left-handed one.]

Following Flandre, TES's top laner 369 naturally took the stage.

At this moment, 369 leaned against a railing, gazing into the distance through a white mist, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

The yellow sun rose quietly through the fog.

This is a wondrous sight that only appears around six or seven in the morning.

"I want to play better than before."

"I feel like I'm not mature enough yet, and I need my teammates' help. To be honest, I feel a little embarrassed, but I will try my best."

"I don't think I'm that great, but I want to be the best top laner."

"Flandre is very strong. I don't think I'll stand a good chance against him, but I definitely want to win. I hope to put on a great match against him."

"Top Esports' future depends on the hard work of Knight and JackeyLove. I just need to give them a push from behind." "I'm not TheShy or Nuguri, but one day I will become like them."

"This is me."

369's remarks were very characteristic of him during this period.

Although confident, he is not arrogant and has a clear understanding of himself.

His only problem right now is that he gets easily excited.

However, this is a common problem among players who love playing warrior top laners.

Yes, early 369 was a warrior fanatic.

Although he's currently best at playing front-line champions, he still has a carry mentality.

In the famous scene of "You're playing Jayce like this, and you're doing team fights like this?!", 369 was playing Jayce, a warrior.

Just recently, he was bombarded by TheShy's fans.

Because after TES faced off against SN, 369 controlled Aatrox to achieve a tower dive solo kill on TheShy.

After the match, he posted a Weibo post with a picture of his dinner and a caption of just two words:

"happy."

Then TheShy's female fans instantly went wild.

No? What do you mean?
You won, so what? Why do you have to post on Weibo to seek attention?
Then he started yelling and cursing at 369, scaring him half to death.

She quickly posted another message, stating that she had always been a fan of TheShy, and this time she was happy to be able to play against TheShy.

This finally calmed the dispute down.

This incident clearly demonstrates just how famous TheShy was at that time.

—Because similar incidents have happened before.

After JDG eliminated RNG in a best-of-five playoff series in S9, top laner Zoom posted a Weibo post.

The accompanying picture is of the group of them going out to eat, and the caption is also very simple:
"Let's have dinner together if we win."

—Then it was attacked by the royal bastards.

It might seem a bit outrageous now, but back then...

It's actually quite outrageous.

This left Zoom speechless when they subsequently issued a statement.
"Dude, now that the game is over, we can't even eat? I'm not really a celebrity. Is it a problem to post a picture of myself eating on Weibo?"

He treats Weibo like a personal social media space, and it's truly speechless that he still got attacked for it.

TheShy's fans now are probably about the same as RNG's fans back then.

But it's what he deserves.

A two-time champion top laner certainly deserves this treatment.

After the top laners on both sides made their appearances, the next teams to play were the bottom laners.

In fact, according to the general logic of promotional video shooting, the order of appearance is usually: core - jungler - top and bottom lanes - support - core.

However, this order does not apply to IG.

Because Xu Xinghe is the jungler, and he is also the core player.

Rookie opened the show, so naturally, he, as the other core member, had to be the one to wrap things up.

Viper was the first to appear.

Viper, who appeared in the shot, quietly took a few steps forward.

As he walked, the countless stars in the sky gradually dimmed, and the horizon began to lighten, heralding the arrival of dawn.

As the sun and moon revolved, the camera shifted to Viper's over-the-shoulder perspective.

His ID and profile appeared in the shot almost simultaneously.

In the blank space of the image, Missing appears quietly.

Not far away, Missing, the support player, stood with her hands in her pockets and gave him a cool smile.

This image is very clever; you can immediately appreciate the beauty of its composition.

Missing didn't just wait in place; instead, she walked towards him in sync.

Viper extends her left hand, and Missing extends her right hand.

Their hands were clasped tightly together, and above their arms, the rising sun hung high in the sky, its brilliant rays illuminating their radiant smiles.

Viper also spoke some somewhat broken Chinese:
"I'm so glad I came to IG. I love IG now."

"Missing is a very good support player, and I am very happy to work with him."

"I don't know what the outcome will be this year, but I want to win the championship and help IG win a title."

"Maybe I can do it, maybe I can't."

"But I have no fear."

"Because, no matter how many times I fail, I want to get back up."

And following Viper's voice came Missing's words:

"Actually, it was a bit of a surprise that I came to IG, because I never thought about it at the beginning."

"But at the time, JDG's manager told me, 'How will you know where your path lies if you don't go out and experience it yourself?'"

“He took the initiative to help me contact IG, which is why I am who I am today. I am very grateful to him.”

"Perhaps I will fail, perhaps I will accomplish nothing this year."

"But I don't regret it."

"Because I have different goals and expectations on IG."

What they said to the bot lane duo was equally sincere.

Viper is a player from South Korea, and although IG's training is tiring, it's not to the point where he can't handle it.

As he watched IG improve, he gradually came to appreciate IG's appeal.

I genuinely love this team and want to work hard for it.

Not to mention Missing.

He was actually a bit lost and confused when he was with WE.

After all, WE's performance has really not been good.

But after joining JDG, the JDG manager really helped him a lot.

He also had a reason to continue, simply to live up to the expectations of his mentor and friend.

【Ahhhhh, I'm totally swooning!】

The comments section was filled with the classic battle cry of "sisters".

There's no way around it; the bot lane has always been a place where couples in their eyes easily emerge.

Like Ah Shui and Bao Lan, Liu Qingsong and Lin Weixiang, and even Bang and Wolf from other regions.

And Imp and Deft (not).

Seeing the scene of the two shaking hands in the promotional video has made female fans exclaim that they're totally shipping them.

But in reality, it's just brotherhood.

Both Viper and Missing are heterosexual.

There is a saying that goes well:
Trying to do anything will only harm you.

Then the scene shifts, and next up is TES's bot lane duo.

Ah Shui on the screen appears to be getting ready to go out.

He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, had his shoelaces tied, and then picked up a TES team uniform jacket from the bed.

After putting on his coat with practiced ease, he opened the bedside table, took out a silver necklace, and put it on without hesitation.

The image was zoomed in to allow viewers to see the pendant clearly.

—That was a necklace that the six members of IG ordered together after they won the championship.

TheShy plays Fiora.

Rookie plays LeBlanc.

Ning is the Blue Steel Shadow.

The sapphire blue one is Luo, and it's now been thrown into the sewers of Madrid.

What belongs to Ah Shui is Kasha's necklace.

They all chose their champion skin heroes.

Ah Shui pushed open the door and looked ahead.

The audience then realized that it was actually a house by the river.

On the riverbank not far away, the other TES players seemed to have heard the commotion and turned around to look in the direction of the camera.

The camera then pans to Ah Shui, who is all smiles and waving to them.

This one scene alone brought tears to the eyes of countless IG fans!

(End of this chapter)