CS: A young talent from Peking University, you want me to play professionally?

"Give another flashbang, then we'll head to the bomb site."

Although we didn't see any of the opposing team's players returning to their rooms at A site, nor did we obtain any obvious information, judging from the props alone, the fact that the opposing team provided such a barrier clearly indicates that the players at A site realized that they were going to speed up the narrow passage, so they wanted to take remedial measures and create a cross-pass defense.

It has to be said that regardless of their previous strength on paper and performance, SQ showed their style and confidence in their first match against NA at the I em World Championship.

While they didn't have anything particularly outstanding or brilliant, for a second-tier team to perform this well on the Dust2 map, where CT is already at a disadvantage, is actually quite unexpected.

From a gameplay perspective, whether from Li Mo's or the commentators' point of view, SQ's most impressive aspect from the start until now has been their consistently calm and composed approach to assessing the situation. As for Ge, although they deployed a very expensive tactic at the beginning...

However, as time went on, they did not blindly believe that their tactics would be effective in the long run. Instead, after realizing the possible changes in the battlefield situation, they made adjustments very decisively.

It's important to understand that even many top-tier teams are no longer able to remain completely calm and make accurate judgments about the changing situation when facing strong or equally matched teams.

In fact, before SQ came to participate in the World Championship this time, their team roster underwent a major overhaul, with changes to the coaching staff and the commander, which completely gave the team the strength to rise to the top second tier. Especially in terms of the commander and coach, they could even be said to have reached the level of the bottom of the first tier.

Therefore, having such a commander and coach means that they can achieve a very good level in terms of tactics and on-the-spot reactions during the game.

"The enemy doesn't have time to rotate anymore. We shouldn't give them an opening. We just need to replenish our defensive items and prevent them from directly breaking through the front point. Then we can wear them down. In this way, with time running out, our players at point B and in the middle can gradually gain advantageous positions. This will put them in a very passive position."

It can be said that for the defending SQ, once they realized that Na would choose to speed up the small path when there wasn't much information on either side, it meant that the situation on the field was at least not too biased towards Na, and it could even be said that the defending side had a slight advantage if they didn't make any mistakes.

Because all four members of NA are currently pinned down in the narrow passage, unable to make a proper breakthrough, this situation actually gives SQ's other players a good opportunity to rotate back and defend.

Therefore, although NA seems to have a great advantage on the map and is only one step away from the A bomb site, they were actually unable to completely control the A bomb site in the first place, thus forcing the A site's sQ to position themselves and preventing them from forming crossfire lines.

Therefore, under these circumstances, NA is not in a position of advantage, because they are unable to utilize their crucial mid-lane position for flanking maneuvers. This is because SQ has a player ganking the mid-lane, completely blocking NA's opportunities to flank and create crossfire.

"We can't delay any longer. We need to act decisively. We must rely on four people to take down the people at the bomb site and then clear out A site. Otherwise, if the enemy teams flank around the middle and the CTs return to defend, our current situation will become very difficult."

For NA, the opportunity to rotate to another position had already been lost in this round, as time constraints prevented them from doing so. More importantly, SQ currently maintains control of the mid lane, completely eliminating any chance for NA to rotate.

Therefore, after a simple thought, Li Mo was very clear that the only option in this round was to bite the bullet and speed things up. So, after a brief exchange and command, his team used their last wave of items.

Although they have a strong economy and plenty of items, they've already used up a lot of items since the start of the game, so they're now quite low on them. For the attacking team, running out of items is a terrifying situation in the late game, as the defending team can fully utilize their advantageous gun positions.

"Just fire directly, then bomb the point. Don't let anyone slip through. As long as you don't give them any opportunities, they'll be in a very difficult position. Because they don't have many items left to clear points. We at A will provide you with a lot of help. If they try to break through, it's actually quite easy for us to set up gun positions and give them a wipeout."

Time was ticking away, but SQ had no reason to rush. As the defenders, their only goal was to stall for time and limit NA's tactical options, which would give them a significant advantage. Furthermore, NA's options were very limited. SQ could already predict NA's next move.

"Great! Just keep holding the guns; they shouldn't have many more chances to break through this round."

After SQ successfully eliminated two players at the front point of NA with a burst of flashbangs, including Li Mo who was positioned second in line, SQ's commander was undoubtedly in high spirits upon seeing this.

They will take out the two bandits hiding in the first place, which means that even if the other side no longer has a numerical advantage, it will be difficult for them to carry out any further operations.

Faced with this situation, Na had no other options. They knew very well that SQ's flanking man would arrive soon, and if they delayed any longer, they would face an even more terrifying situation than being attacked from both sides—a three-way crossfire. Therefore, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and push forward. Although they eventually managed to kill two SQ players at the A bombsite, they were quickly eliminated by the A main team.

"Today's match was truly spectacular. Before the match, we were probably more focused on NA's terrifying dominance on this map, and I'm being honest. I think most people felt the same way."

However, in this particular round of the match, we could clearly see that SQ not only didn't show any panic when facing na, but also became increasingly composed as the game progressed into tense and exciting endgame stages. While this composure prevented them from creating many opportunities, it also demonstrated their great resilience.

"Actually, as everyone can see, NA did not have any problems in this round, from the initial deployment to the acceleration and subsequent tactical arrangements and coordination. Moreover, we must say that their judgment and tactical arrangements after facing SQ's unconventional push at the beginning were very calm, composed and effective."

However, the defense's judgment was ultimately very accurate. They anticipated the opponent's intentions and reacted in advance, which made it very difficult for the attacking team, NA, in the latter part of this possession.

In fact, when the two commentators were analyzing and reviewing this round, they were also somewhat incredulous. After all, SQ's performance in this match was beyond what could be described as exciting; it completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

They not only executed some very good unconventional tactics, but more importantly, they knew how to avoid their own weaknesses and play to their strengths, even when there was a huge difference in individual abilities. They also knew very well how to avoid direct confrontation.

It's important to understand that the map Shal's is characterized by numerous open areas, meaning NA has ample opportunities to engage. Given the significant skill gap between individual players, SQ should theoretically be able to easily gain a numerical advantage over NA, potentially even being forced into a direct confrontation with the Underworld faction early on, leading to a series of unforeseen events.

However, in the many rounds that have gone by since the beginning of the game, SQ has rarely made such basic mistakes. They have maintained a strong sense of discipline throughout, and they have also been able to make some judgments in response to NA's tactical adjustments, which is quite unexpected.

"In that case, we can feel that this game is actually quite close, because as CT, SQ is currently maintaining a balanced score, which in some ways can even be said to be an advantageous situation for them."

"You can't say that. After all, while there's a general fit between sides, I think NA is definitely an exception. In previous matches, NA didn't create a significant gap with their opponents when they were on the offensive side, which should have been their advantage. However, when they were on the defensive side, which should have been their disadvantage, they gave their opponents no chance to breathe from start to finish, ultimately dominating the second half and sealing a very large score difference."

After listening to the former professional player's words, the commentators nodded frequently, because this was indeed a very realistic situation. Although everyone can now clearly see that SQ will definitely not be considered a second-tier or even third-tier team like before participating in the World Championship.

However, you should know that NA is a team that you can never judge with common sense. They can always make you realize that all your previous ideas were very simple and completely superficial, just when you think you can judge and understand them.

"Go ahead, today's match is going to be a very exciting one, and it's obvious that both sides will give us a visual feast."

For the audience at the venue, today's match was definitely worth the ticket price. The match already generated a lot of buzz and discussion due to NA's presence, and it was also the first match of the Swiss round.

To be honest, before this match, people thought that although NA was involved, it would be a one-sided affair with little to offer any interesting points. However, SQ completely captivated the audience with their strength, making the match full of suspense and excitement.

Since the start of the match, the number of viewers in the CN live stream has skyrocketed from over 80 to 600 million.

This is an incredibly dramatic increase in viewership. Many people initially thought the match would be uninteresting because it was a one-sided stomp. However, once you click in, you'll be glued to the screen, because no one would have imagined that a team of this caliber could perform like this.

"Well done, guys. From now on, let's stick to our previous strategy and principles. Don't rush. As CTs, we just need to do our job step by step. And we must remember the principle we mentioned before: try to avoid gunfights as much as possible."

To be honest, everyone knows our marksmanship can't compare to theirs, so we need to play to our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. We should utilize our defensive advantages in positioning, as well as our use of items and tactical coordination, to score as many points as possible on the defensive end.

SQ, judging from today's performance, is indeed a formidable dark horse. Regardless of wins or losses, they maintained exceptional self-discipline throughout the game, and the players' performance and team spirit were outstanding. It's important to understand that for professional teams, team atmosphere is a crucial variable that can influence player performance and even their potential ceiling.

(End of this chapter)