From Pokémon to The International, Dota 2

"Next up is YYF, our beloved Da Feng Ge! The Storm Spirit who charged in and out seven times, the Brewmaster who single-handedly saved the day with three lives—welcome our Stone Buddha, YYF!"

The camera pans to Feng Ge's live stream, where Feng Ge's signature big head appears before the viewers.

"Hello everyone, I'm YYF."

With a calm tone and confident eyes, this is the demeanor of the top Knife-themed streamer.

"Welcome, Brother Feng. Brother Feng is also a veteran captain of the Immortal Cup. Moreover, Brother Feng seems to be particularly good at turning adversity into victory. For example, in the first Immortal Cup, Brother Feng's team was the least favored at the beginning, but in the end, they made it to the offline finals."

So, Feng-ge, do you have a clear plan for building your team this time? Do you think you can continue your ability to turn adversity into victory?

After listening attentively to the host's remarks, Brother Feng approached the microphone and began to speak:

"Actually, I don't think I'm particularly good at turning the tide in adversity. Although we weren't favored at the beginning of the first tournament, our team performed quite well in the second tournament. I remember we were second in the group stage and made it into the winners' bracket. This time, I've made ample preparations and have a mental price to offer for each player."

"So, will you spend 720,000 to buy leather shoes again this time?"

The host asked a question that was somewhat sarcastic.

"Of course I have a price range for leather shoes, but I definitely won't reveal it here. You'll see my offer when they appear."

Feng's answer was watertight—that's Feng's style. As the top streamer in the Dota 2 section, his biggest characteristic is stability. On the one hand, he doesn't need to be unconventional to attract fans; on the other hand, his size is what it is. Some things that might be minor issues for smaller streamers become major issues for Feng.

Stone Buddha YYF, truly deserving of the title.

After exchanging a few polite words with Brother Feng, the host moved on to the next team leader.

"The next team leader to connect is our ZHOU. There's no team he's afraid to take on. Patience from ZHOU—welcome our god ZHOU!"

Brother Diao waved slightly, greeting the viewers in the live stream.

"Hello, I'm ZHOU."

"ZHOU God has left a deep impression on all the viewers of our Immortal Cup. In the first Immortal Cup, he led the team to a 3-0 sweep to win the championship. Many viewers have repeatedly savored the famous scene of Zhou Vision winning the championship with four teams and two players. However, in the second Immortal Cup, they failed to win in the group stage. So this time, Zhou God has come to the Immortal Cup again. What experience can you summarize or what bidding strategies can you share?"

Upon hearing this, Brother Diao's expression became slightly awkward, but he still calmly replied:

"I feel that the auction is a very crucial part. In the first one, I used a low price to acquire several strong competitors, and we performed very well, so we won the championship."

"My strategy faltered during the second auction, resulting in a poorly assembled team. Coupled with my own lackluster performance, I didn't even make it to the offline finals. This time, I've made ample preparations, secretly inquiring about the recent form of each participant. I'm confident I'll definitely qualify for the offline finals this time!"

At this moment, in AXX's live stream room.

"Brother Diao's words make perfect sense. Actually, Brother Diao just picked the right players in the first season, so he played a little better and won the championship. He shouldn't have spent so much money to buy a center in the second season."

This game still revolves around the top players. If he had secured another strong top spot in the second season, he wouldn't have been beaten so badly. Sigh, Brother Tai, you need to step up your game this season. I don't want my "Legendary Tail Catcher" title to become something without real value.

"I've already secretly told Brother Diao about a few players who are really strong in solo queue recently. It's up to Brother Diao to choose."

In the main live stream room, the host and Brother Diao exchanged a few more compliments before moving on to the next streamer.

"Next up is Xie Bin DD, the king of ideas in the Dota 2 scene, the world's number one Enigma player. He's back in the Immortal Cup, what kind of top-tier strategic battle will he bring us? Let's welcome—Xie Bin DD!"

The familiar little room of Brother Nai appeared before the audience.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xie Bin DD."

A familiar voice rang out; it was Mandarin with a slight Hunan accent.

"Hey Milk Bro, you're a veteran captain of our Immortal Cup. I remember in the first Immortal Cup, your team was eliminated in the first round, and in the second, you lost almost all your scrims. But in the knockout stage, you surprisingly defeated the top team in your group to enter the winners' bracket finals, and eventually won the S2 championship. Your results have been getting better and better. So, what are your expectations for this Immortal Cup, Milk Bro? Do you want to win the championship again?"

Milk Brother leaned closer to the microphone, his voice slightly hoarse:

"Well, actually I feel that my first auction was indeed the pinnacle of strategic battles. It's just that we got a bit cocky after winning so many training matches, and some players missed some training because they needed to play in the competition. In the end, we were eliminated in the rush to participate in the competition."

In the second tournament, my brother Longshen and I had a good strategy for drafting the right players, but we had a slight problem with the budget – we hadn't considered the salary cap. This time, I've learned from the experiences of the previous tournaments and will definitely choose the most ideal lineup to help my brothers go further.

At this moment, in Yanzi's live stream:

"Xie Bin is putting on an act again. Every time he bids, his IQ gets completely outmatched, but he still insists on being the best at strategizing. I can only hope he doesn't pick me this time. I was a bit tired after leading him to victory last time."

After wishing Brother Nai good results, the host began the final live broadcast of the day.

"The last captain to connect is our ZSMJ, the Phantom Lancer with 3800 damage in seven minutes, the Holy Sword Medusa with the World Tree at her back—let's welcome ZSMJ!"

Brother Jia appeared in the live stream with a shaved head.

"Hello everyone, I am Spider's Clues."

"Hello, Brother Jia. Although you've participated in several Immortal Cup tournaments, you've mostly participated as a team member or a co-captain. This is your first time participating in our Immortal Cup as an independent captain. So, Brother Jia, how are your preparations for today's auction going? Have you decided on the roster for your upcoming team?"

Brother Jia touched his bald head and said:

"I'm definitely prepared. I watched a Bilibili video where a content creator did a price analysis of the contestants, and then I made some adjustments and set my own target price for each contestant. I also have some contestants that I want to bid for, but I can't tell you yet. You'll find out when the auction starts."

[Brother Jia seems to be bragging. He didn't make any adjustments of his own; it feels like he just copied that video verbatim.]

[I think everyone has seen that video, I've seen it too, and it makes a lot of sense.]

[Brother Jia feels like his IQ is about to explode. He's never been good at these kinds of brain-teasing things, so his future looks bleak!]

Despite the barrage of negative comments, Brother Jia remained confident.

After the last contestant finished connecting, the host switched the screen to the bidding rules for the first round of open auction. Once the audience had a basic understanding of the rules, the bidding for the first contestant began.