League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 231 Run!

On the very night the announcement was made, the members of QG Club sat in the clubhouse, looking at the data, and were slightly worried.

Chen Dongqing frowned, looking at the schedule sent by the organizers, and said, "The GPL group stage starts at 1 PM, and the LPL matches start at 5 PM. I can't possibly finish all of this!"

His original schedule was quite good, with LPL and GPL not interfering with each other, but this change has caused a lot of trouble.

The GPL group stage format is a single round-robin BO3 format with 12 players, which means each player has 11 matches, played over three days. Chen Dongqing has three BO3 matches to play on the 24th, from 1 pm to 7 pm.

Chen Dongqing's first match that day started at 1:45, which was normal, but the second match started at 4:00, and the last match was scheduled for 7:00.

"The LPL match starts at 5 o'clock, but you have to be at the venue by 4:30 at the latest, and the journey there takes another half hour," Linko added from the side. "You can only play at the base until 4 o'clock at most, and then you have to leave. If you are late, it will be considered a violation and you will be fined."

"Isn't it already sent? I can only play one game at most on the first day?" Chen Dongqing looked at the group stage schedule sent by the GPL official and had a slight headache.

The group stage is based on a points system. If he has a record of 1-2 on the first day, it will be difficult for him to advance.

"Actually, there's another way." Linko thought for a moment and came up with an idea.

Time quickly came to March 24th, around noon.

Chen Dongqing, Park Yunlong, and Linko arrived at an internet cafe in Zhengda Plaza and booked a private room for three people.

"It's just a short walk upstairs from here to the LPL arena," Linko said. "You can play until almost 4:30 before going to the arena, that way you can play at least one more game, is that alright?"

Fortunately, the group stage is still an online competition, so Chen Dongqing has the freedom to choose where to play.

Chen Dongqing: ".walking".

Although it was a bit abstract, it was indeed a solution. Chen Dongqing could only nod helplessly, turn on his computer, plug in his spare peripherals, and then start playing StarCraft to warm up, waiting for his match to begin.

Meanwhile, the chat room in the official GPL tournament broadcast was already buzzing with excitement.

The appearance of the ID ilex led to an exceptionally high level of popularity in the GPL tournament livestream!

Chen Dongqing, a world champion in League of Legends, has crossed over into the StarCraft community. He was recently involved in a farce involving a suspected AI, which drew in countless people from outside the StarCraft community. He is now undoubtedly the center of attention in the StarCraft community.

According to data from previous years, a live stream with over one million views would be considered a success. But today, the live stream had already surpassed two million views even before the competition started!

To the uninformed, one might think that interstellar travel is about to become a hit.

Inside NetEase's Shanghai branch, everyone in the department responsible for organizing the GPL tournament gathered in front of a computer, watching the live stream data on the screen.

Countless people couldn't stop smiling as they watched the popularity continue to grow and the barrage of comments fill the screen.

The popularity that Ilex generates is ridiculously high!

This man's participation raised the overall popularity of the event to a whole new level.

Moreover, this level of popularity has not yet reached its true peak.

The match started quickly at one o'clock.

The first match is a battle between iAsonu and TIME.

TIME's real name is Li Peinan. Born in 00, he is already in his second year playing professional StarCraft and is still a newcomer. His nickname is "Idiot Emperor". Although he has always been portrayed as a comedian, he has always been regarded by StarCraft fans as the next generation leader of Chinese StarCraft.

And he and his opponent also have some history and connections.

IA, from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, has been a well-known figure in the StarCraft community for many years. In last year's competition, he defeated Time multiple times. So the two can be considered old rivals.

In today's match, IA continued their ruthless tactics, eliminating Time once again and maintaining their 100% win rate against him.

Although this competition was held online, the organizers still required the players to connect to a camera. In the player's camera feed, it could be seen that Li Peinan, who lost to his father again, was not discouraged and was already preparing for the next match.

He will win it back in the future.

Of course, what he didn't know was that IA's undefeated record against Time would continue until 2018. So at that time, fans jokingly called IA Time's father.

After 2018, Time, who had finally grown up, finally defeated IA for the first time in the Gold Series Finals. Since then, Time has never lost again.

On February 13, 2023, Time changed his name to Oliveira and won the 2023 StarCraft World Championship, becoming the Emperor of the World!

But that's a story for another time.

After the first match ended, Chen Dongqing quickly followed the event organizer's instructions and entered the password to join a designated room.

Since we can only play two matches on the first day, we have to win both of them!

Upon entering the room, he saw the name of his first opponent—Jim.

This is a Protoss player known for his comprehensive playstyle and diverse tactics, with his specialty being bunker construction.

Chen Dongqing had encountered this ID multiple times in ranked matches, so he had a vague recollection of it, and he couldn't help but become a bit more serious.

It must be said that his win rate against the Protoss has never been high.

The two-ship infantry tactic is primarily used against the Zerg, relying on the infantry's combat power to suppress the Zerg's development, and then followed by four more ships to defeat them in one fell swoop.

Since Chen Dongqing mastered the two-ship troop tactic, he has never lost a battle against the Zerg in the ladder.

However, it's not very effective against the Protoss.

Both the Hunting Rider and the Phoenix Colossus are highly effective means of defending against two ships of soldiers.

Chen Dongqing's win rate against the Protoss was a pitiful 80%.

Of course, restraint is not absolute; it depends on the skill level of both sides.

And soon, the first game began.

Chen Dongqing started with two ships and soldiers, while also conducting reconnaissance.

The greatest benefit that Master-level awareness brought to Chen Dongqing was that it gave him almost invincible reconnaissance ability. Chen Dongqing could usually figure out what tactics the other side was using very quickly.

And right from the start, they figured out the opponent's strategy.

At the same time, in Douyu CSboy's live stream room, Huang Xudong and Sun Yifeng were already eagerly watching this crucial match.

Although it was just a group stage match, the level of excitement surrounding today's game was almost on par with the year-end finals of previous years!

Everyone crowded into the live stream room just to see how amazing this so-called "savior of CN StarCraft" really was!

Watching the game from a bird's-eye view, Huang Xudong commented, "In the first game of the group stage, Jim still chose his signature bunker-building strategy!"

Sun Yifeng then spoke up, "This tactic is very simple to play: suppress the enemy at the start, drag the workers to the enemy's base, and build the Photon Cannon. This is a defensive building with a very long attack range, capable of attacking both ground and air targets."

"But when this kind of defensive building is placed right in front of the enemy's base, it no longer serves a defensive purpose. The suppressive power of the Photon Cannon can greatly affect the enemy's development; it's very powerful!"

"Then build a portal on the front line to continuously send troops to maintain pressure, and finally destroy the opponent with the population advantage created by the pressure."

Huang Xudong continued, "But this tactic still has a drawback: even if it's discovered, it's actually quite difficult to execute perfectly. This is where Ilex's reconnaissance skills come into play. If he fails to discover it, his two-ship tactic might not be able to be effectively implemented!"

Chen Dongqing reacted quickly. Although he only had one sword, he was familiar with all kinds of swords in the world. He quickly pulled five farmers over to defend!

It takes four peasants working together to destroy the bunker; fewer than four won't be enough. So, four are needed to destroy it, and then one more is used to chase down the Protoss peasants.

If defenses are well-prepared, the bunker-building strategy is difficult to implement.

However, after dragging out the workers, it can be seen that the enemy's bunker seems to be quite well-constructed. The enemy uses the terrain and the location of the mine to block the enemy, which means that Chen Dongqing can only attack the crystal with two or three workers at most, and cannot destroy it at all.

Chen Dongqing reacted quickly to this situation.

One bunker is no big deal. Chen Dongqing quickly manipulated his own peasants to chase down the enemy peasants and prevent them from building a second one.

Meanwhile, Jim seemed determined to fight to the death, constantly pulling in farmers and soldiers to forcibly protect the farmers and build bunkers!

Seeing this, Chen Dongqing tugged at the water for a while, then simply stopped resisting.

Because he doesn't need to completely block the opponent's tactics, he just needs to buy time.

And now it's almost time.

During this time, his hand speed was incredibly fast. While chasing down the opposing peasants, he also kept building structures at his own base without stopping for a moment.

Soon, the spearmen were spawned, and Chen Dongqing led them into battle, quickly clearing out the bunkers and then slaughtering the Protoss peasants.

Farmers are the foundation of a race, and when your number of farmers decreases significantly, it means your development has stalled.

Chen Dongqing's development, however, was not delayed for even a second.

The economic disparity was created easily, and Chen Dongqing quickly won the game!

Many viewers were surprised to see the first game won so easily.

"What's going on?" Huang Xudong asked. "Was it won so easily?"

"It's mainly because Ilex's micro-management is just too amazing, you know!" Sun Yifeng said. "I don't know if you noticed, but his APM never dropped below 400 throughout the entire game! Jim shouldn't have tried to out-manage him!"

Once the Protoss bunker-building tactic is exposed, if they choose to send reinforcements to continue building, they are basically determined to outmaneuver you and exploit your mistakes.

But it's clear that Chen Dongqing, with his master-level skills and proficiency, is least afraid of competing in terms of skill.

Jim chose the wrong strategy, so what awaited him was a complete collapse.

After winning the first game, Chen Dongqing glanced at the time and nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, Linko and Park Unyong also pushed open the door to the private room and walked in.

Linko, holding a phone that was showing a GPL live stream, exclaimed approvingly, "Amazing! Amazing!"

Linko is a veteran in the esports scene. He used to work as a reporter and editor for a StarCraft-related website called RN, so he has a good understanding of the game and can understand the matches.

The halftime break was only five minutes long. Park Un-yong didn't have much to say about the previous match, but he praised Chen Dongqing's performance and then talked about the precautions for the next game. The match quickly resumed.

In the second game, Chen Dongqing finally felt the pressure.

He still used the standard two-ship opening, but this opening was not very effective against the Protoss.

For example, in this game, the opponent chose to start with a Stargate and then produce a Prophet.

The Prophet can provide mobile reconnaissance and anti-stealth capabilities for the army, and can kill peasants very quickly. If Chen Dongqing goes all-in with two ships, the Prophet can easily sneak into the base and kill peasants.

After discovering this information, Chen Dongqing could only slow down his troop deployment to avoid being slaughtered by the prophet.

However, this delay in his attack gave the Protoss room to develop, and their subsequent Phoenix + Colossus attack, no longer afraid of the Marine threat, completely disrupted Chen Dongqing's two-ship army process.

Colossi are high-tier Protoss combat units with extremely long range and area-of-effect (AOE) capabilities, allowing them to easily counter Terran Marines.

With the added cover of Phoenix fighters, clearing out the riflemen is a breeze.

Just like in the previous game, after his tactics were disrupted, Chen Dongqing was no longer able to fight back and ultimately had to call GG.

This was Chen Dongqing's first defeat in his professional career. He couldn't help but frown and think about the reasons for his previous loss.

The reason for the loss is actually quite obvious.

The main problem is that his moves are too predictable, and he's also very famous.

He used the two-ship troop tactic to climb all the way to the top of the national server rankings. Who doesn't know him?

Huang Xudong said something similar: "Everyone in China knows he can use two ships of soldiers, and the other side isn't stupid, they can't possibly not take advantage of it."

JIM's strategy clearly shows that he's convinced he can only use two ships, so he chose a targeted approach: starting with the Prophet to restrict the ships' movement, followed by the Phoenix and Colossus attacking, making it impossible for the two-ship army to function effectively.

This kind of match is like a normal match in League of Legends. Even though it's a blind pick, you know the enemy mid laner will pick Twisted Fate, so you'll definitely pick Fizz for a fun game.

Meanwhile, the chat room was buzzing with excitement.

Ilex's talent is undeniable; he can go toe-to-toe with Jim, but that's probably about it.

The main problem is that he hasn't played for long enough; he's only played for a total of two months. It's going to be quite difficult for him to compete in the GPL.

Indeed, if Ilex could train seriously for a year or two, I think he has a real chance, but right now he's still a bit short.

[What nonsense are you talking about? When has my Brother Tree ever needed to practice? Just watch how he wins the third game!]

In the live chat, many people expressed their pessimism about Chen Dongqing, which is understandable, since in the eyes of the audience, Chen Dongqing's weakness of only being able to use one tactic was too obvious.

If you can't solve it, then you're just waiting to lose.

But how could this be resolved in just one or two days?

Of course, Chen Dongqing was not without precautions.

At that moment, Park Unryong walked in again and said, "You should still remember how the two ships of soldiers dealt with the Phoenix Colossus, right?"

"I remember." Chen Dongqing nodded and sighed, "But by the time I discovered it in the last bureau, it was too late to use it."

"It's okay, relax." Park Yunlong patted Chen Dongqing on the shoulder: "I've already figured out their skill level, I think you should be fine."

Chen Dongqing grinned and said, "I think so too."

The third game began quickly.

This time, Chen Dongqing still started with two ships and soldiers, and he also generously scouted the enemy.

Midway through, his searchlight soldier Reaper also discovered the opponent's opening strategy, which was still the same opening stargate, clearly indicating that the opponent did not intend to change their tactics.

Upon seeing this, Chen Dongqing's lips curled slightly, and he immediately changed his playing style.

Instead of mindlessly massing Marines, he slowed down his resource management.

If the opponent opens a stargate, the pace of the game is destined to be slow. He will produce a few marines for defense, and then start producing tank marines and bald men, and then simultaneously produce transport ships.

He developed his forces significantly this time, accumulating a large number of troops. He first launched a large-scale frontal assault, while at home he still had two ships of soldiers officially loaded onto the ships and set sail in the darkness!

Seeing the human race unleash a powerful punch, the opposing Protoss race dared not delay and quickly deployed their Phoenix Colossus to meet the attack head-on!

This time, the human army included more than just riflemen, but these units were still somewhat lacking in the face of the colossi.

The two sides clashed head-on, and Chen Dongqing's operation was still perfect. He spread out his spearmen to output damage and avoid being wiped out by the colossus. With his close operation, he managed to fight a back-and-forth battle!

But at that moment, something unexpected happened. Jim's reconnaissance was not perfect; he was unaware that Chen Dongqing's two ships of soldiers had already reached their destination from the darkness on the flank.

This is actually quite normal. StarCraft players always have to manage multiple tasks simultaneously: controlling units, building structures, and controlling scouting. They need to switch between screens constantly, and maintaining perfect scouting in this kind of pace is inherently difficult.

That's why people say StarCraft players have bad eyesight.

In the midst of the tense maneuver, two ships of soldiers landed at the Protoss base!

"Damn it! When did these two ships of soldiers arrive?!" Even Sun Yifeng, with his god-like perspective, couldn't see when these two ships of his comrades set off.

Because the focus was always on the front, and the operation was only from the front, Sun Yifeng was already amazed. But he never expected that Ilex would have time to raid the house separately amidst such complicated operations!

Sixteen brothers descended from the sky, wielding machine guns and slaughtering all the Protoss peasants. After killing the peasants, they turned their fire on the crystal tower!

Farmers are essential to the Protoss economy, while crystal towers render Protoss buildings ineffective.

After both were completely destroyed, the Protoss's subsequent firepower was rendered useless. The most ridiculous thing was that the Protoss couldn't win a head-on battle either, and there was no hope of victory left.

Feeling disheartened, Jim typed "GG," ending the game, and he felt slightly down.

He devised a whole set of procedures against the two ships' crew, but in the end he still died at their hands.

This guy can hold his own against me with sixteen spearmen in a head-on fight? What's going on?

It feels like you picked Fizz to lane against Twisted Fate, but because you auto-attacked a minion once, you lost the game, and you don't even know why you lost.

"Wow!" Huang Xudong exclaimed, "Awesome!" and then exclaimed, "That move is absolutely unbeatable!"

At this point, the comments section also fell silent.

They all felt that Ilex was really a bit of a pervert.

So what if you target my two ships of soldiers? I can still take you down with a slight change in tactics!

In the first match, Chen Dongqing won 2-1. He stood up and greeted the coach and manager outside.

"Let's go!" Chen Dongqing said cheerfully.

"Where are you going?" Linko asked, somewhat surprised.

"Let's go eat!" Chen Dongqing said matter-of-factly, "I'm starving."

The next match is at four o'clock, giving him plenty of time.

As for the outcome of the next match, he is not worried at all.

Because the next opponent is the Zerg.

Time quickly came to four o'clock. Facing the Zerg player named Yifeng, Chen Dongqing made swift and decisive moves, winning both matches in less than ten minutes each, maintaining his 100% undefeated record against Zerg!

"This was pure skill-based domination! His two-ship infantry combo always came out precisely at 4 minutes and 35 seconds, it's insane!" Sun Yifeng couldn't help but shake his head. "This guy is a monster! Why didn't he come to play StarCraft sooner?"

However, as his gaze fell upon the man in the camera, he saw that the handsome man in the camera moved very quickly. He had already rolled up his mouse and keyboard, waved to the audience, and left the screen like the wind.

It's already 4:25, and there are only five minutes left until the deadline to enter. He has to run quickly.

[They ran away?]

【This is?】

[Going to play in the LPL, hahaha]

So, the next match is off?

[I'm definitely not playing anymore. The next game is at 7 PM, I'll definitely be too late.]

[They crushed WE in two hours? That's really difficult!]

Linko and Park Yun-ryong weren't in a hurry to go to the scene. They each held a scallion pancake and watched Chen Dongqing run past them, slightly dazed.

Linko, realizing something, quickly asked, "Um, do we need to unplug the computer?"

"Don't go! You might be able to come back later!" Chen Dongqing said before disappearing from sight, leaving the two of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

Will you return it later?

Meanwhile, on the ninth floor of Zhengda Plaza.

Banbazi glanced at his watch, looking slightly anxious.

As the tactical coach for the League of Legends division, Banbazi has never really supported Chen Dongqing's foray into StarCraft.

After all, in his view, the QGlol division was developing steadily and positively, and there was no need to play these tricks. Winning all the championships they could was the right way to go.

To him, playing a StarCraft match and then coming over to play a League of Legends match like today is utter nonsense.

Two games, both in high-level professional leagues, can you switch your mindset?

Banbazi felt uneasy and glanced at his watch again.

It's already 4:29, and there's only one minute left before the last entry time.

It's highly likely I won't make it.

Although the competition doesn't start until 5 o'clock, being a few minutes late would at most result in a fine, but the public opinion impact it brings is really bad.

"ilex's participation in the StarCraft competition caused delays in the LPL matches."

Banbazi is almost afraid to imagine the negative public opinion that would be attracted if this kind of momentum were to be released.

If they lose both the StarCraft and League of Legends matches in the end, that would be an absolute knockout.

StarCraft doesn't really matter, but we can't afford to lose in League of Legends.

Just as Banbazi was lost in thought, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the lounge.

The door to the lounge was immediately pushed open, and a handsome young man stood in the doorway, panting, and said, "You're not late, are you?"

"Not late, just in time!" Banbazi breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "How was the StarCraft match?"

Chen Dongqing held up two fingers, grinned, and said, "Two consecutive wins, easy win!"

Only then did Banbazi finally relax and say with a smile, "Then let's hurry up and get ready, the match here is about to start!"

Today's content focuses more on StarCraft. I've tried my best to consider readers who haven't played StarCraft before. The content is written in a very simple style, and the writing style is quite enjoyable, so everyone should be able to understand it.

(End of this chapter)