Valorant: I Am Still the World's Best

As a rookie, Su Ming had another reason to be confident that EDG had taken the wrong path.

—A recollection of t3xture.

After learning that he was going to join EDG, Su Ming made a special trip back to his old haunts yesterday, chatting with the GenG players and learning a lot of information about EDG.

At the Madrid Masters early next year, EDG hit rock bottom, delivering their worst performance in history, including a legendary 5-26 defeat against Loud. Even at the Shanghai Masters, they failed to win a single game after being guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, ending up eliminated on home soil.

The upcoming Los Angeles Championship seems to have relied on internal battles to reach the top six.

In the recollection of that unknown North American duel, EDG had just won the 2024 Seoul Championship.

From the Shanghai Masters to the Seoul Championship, in just two months, they went from a bottom-tier team that hadn't won a single game in world championships to world champions...

Su Ming could only say it was an exaggeration.

EDG's victory undoubtedly proves the players' potential, and there's no need to doubt their individual abilities.

The reason they're struggling so much right now can only be something else.

After pondering for a moment, Su Ming spoke:

"Coach, can I play Ryze in Neon Town (map 1)?"

"Oh? Are you sure?"

After frowned, instantly understanding Su Ming's meaning. He immediately felt that this kid was being a bit too arrogant, so he advised, "Letting Zheng Yongkang play Jetwind will certainly make his game more comfortable, but isn't the pressure on you to get into the finals too much? This isn't ranked play."

Su Ming still insisted:

"Let me give it a try."

"OK."

After is also happy to give him a chance to try and fail. New players don't actually need to win during tryouts; they just need to put on a show that impresses everyone.

He also knew that many gifted young people had their own arrogance and wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall.

After the review, it was time for a practice match against T1.

Su Ming sat down in front of Zhang Zhao's computer, logged into his Asian server account, and changed the peripherals he had brought.

Once everything was ready, Su Ming saw Zhang Zhao walk up to him and offer him a cigarette.

Do you smoke?

"No, I don't have that habit."

"Not smoking is a good thing."

Zhang Zhao nodded, put away his cigarette, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and patted Su Ming on the shoulder, whispering, "Don't be nervous playing against T1. That guy Carpe is the weak point. Sayaplayer is T1's leader, but he gets anxious when they're at a disadvantage and puts pressure on his teammates..."

He gave a detailed account of his understanding of the T1 players before leaving with a "Good luck" and heading outside the training room to smoke.

Sitting to the side, Zheng Yongkang leaned over and laughed, "How about it? Didn't expect that, did you? Zhang Zhao is the kind of person who looks cold but is warm-hearted. His gaming style is actually the most team-oriented among us. Hehe, he's the one who most often gives me the sniper rifle in the team..."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Su Ming was soon pulled into a custom room.

The two sides greeted each other, and the training match began.

Map: Neon Town.

Attacking team EDG: Zmjjkk, Raven, Nobody, CHICHOO, Haodong.

Defenders T1: Rez (SayaPlayer), Carpe (Sky), xeta (Iron Wall), Ban (Shadow), Munchkin (Viper).

The game has officially begun.

Haodong, who was in charge, said, "Su Ming, you're the main duelist this time. Just say what you're thinking and don't feel pressured."

There was no special treatment; when Smoggy was present to preside over the duel, his opinion was taken into consideration as well.

"I don't have any ideas, I'll just follow orders." Su Ming decided to play it safe for the time being.

"Okay." Haodong nodded. "We won't play complicated pistol rounds, let's go straight to it, mute and grab a B. Zheng Yongkang, you go first this round, Su Ming, you go for the follow-up. Qiu'er, you play in mid by yourself."

Although Su Ming's Ryze is the main duel hero, the lineup is by no means such a rigid thing.

In a pistol round where equipment is incomplete, it's naturally better to use Jetwind to enter the point.

"OK." No one had any objections.

The countdown ended, and the light curtain disappeared.

Since he wanted the second-bomb option, Su Ming naturally purchased the Ghost Bomb plus a single explosive charge.

He took the lead, going to the first gun position to investigate the B tunnel.

The highly mechanical, segmented aiming caused After and Muggle, who could see his perspective, to immediately stand at attention.

"No matter how many times I watch it, it's unbelievable. Is this really the work of a newbie?" After shook his head and sighed.

"Huh?" Muggle frowned and looked to the other side, his lips slightly parted, "B-channel hasn't been activated yet, it's too early to touch the ball."

From the enemy's perspective, Viper activated the Mid Lane's "Misty Cloud," with spherical poisonous smoke covering the entire pass.

Qiuqiu was originally setting up his gun and observing from the sewer. When he saw the smoke rising from the other side, he couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation and took two steps forward to get closer to the box.

But the next second, the [Misty Cloud] in the middle lane suddenly closed, and three more figures appeared in Qiuqiu's vision.

Rez, Ironwall, Viper: "Hello, hello!"

Qiuqiu died naturally.

"Holy crap!!! Three in the mid lane!"

Qiuqiu, still shaken, called out the points.

In this map, the default carry is Phantom Assassin, with Ryze, Iron Wall, and Viper in the mid lane... so Skye is standing at point A!

They must have already used the [Guiding Falcon] to retrieve information from outside A by now!

"Speed ​​up!"

Haodong decisively issued the order.

The explosive items are ready immediately.

Skye [Tiger of the Forest] cleared the way, and Star Tunnel delivered a celestial object at the dead point, unleashing a shockwave.

Kang Kang Jiefeng used his usual combo to get close, and Su Ming unleashed a [Surprise Flip], which bounced him into his teammate's [Instant Cloud].

T1 reacted quickly, with Shadow immediately using the classic B-tunnel anti-rush combo of pushing the black and sealing the smoke.

This [Nightmare Invasion] covers the entire B-line, which is why point B on this map best matches the Shadow.

Driven away by the blacklist, Nobody and Haodong on B-channel are temporarily unable to enter the point.

With this delay, three T1 players in the middle lane had already reached the bomb site. After Sayaplayer's Ryze threw another grenade at the B tunnel entrance, the four of them together held off the [Instant Cloud].

Once the [Instant Cloud] dissipates, Raz and Jetwind inside will face four lines of gunfire and will surely die!

At this point, any team that reacts even slightly slower will have to give up the point.

But Haodong's brilliant idea came in: based on the information Qiuqiu had, the positions of the five T1 players were very clear.

There's no one in the direction of the police station!

He naturally wouldn't give the police and the second-floor smoke bombs in a formulaic way; he only gave the second-floor smoke bomb one.

He still had a star in his hand, which he immediately placed at the feet of Su Ming and Kang Kang, instantly activating it and deploying a protective smoke screen.

The grenades at the entrance to B tunnel finally ran out, and Nobody immediately shouted:

"I'll give you a bird that won't explode! Let's pull together!"

"Here you go!"

"Watch out for Iron Wall Flash!"

"Zheng Yongkang, let's both pull left!"

The voice instantly transformed into a noisy and chaotic market, with everyone shouting and trying to drown out the previous voice.

Strangely enough, despite the chaotic speech, everyone understood what they were supposed to do.

Currently, Nobody's position has been exposed. Given the reaction speed of professional players, it's almost impossible for a bird with information to instantly teleport to him.

Therefore, it must be an unconventional prop!

next second.

In the sight of everyone in T1, a bright green bird suddenly flew out from the B tunnel entrance and soared towards the left side of the map outside the B tunnel!

Some people instinctively backstep, while others' crosshairs sway...

In an instant, the four gun lines that T1 had set up were completely thrown into chaos.

Four EDG players suddenly emerged from the smoke, and the two sides engaged in a fierce firefight.

Kang Kang was instantly killed by the smoke, and Su Ming helped him avenge himself by taking down the enemy's Raz, but was immediately finished off by Viper.

Fortunately, Haodong was accurate this time, deflecting Iron Wall's flashbang and getting three headshots in a row, securing a triple kill.

Although Nobody Skye didn't get a single kill and only took a beating, he managed to survive with a sliver of health. After planting a safe bomb, he cleverly threw a bird into B tunnel and got information that the enemy Skye was flanking him.

The two players, in a double-team setup, easily won the pistol round.

"Nice!!"

In the second round, Kang Kang immediately equipped a fully armored Flying General and advanced to the second floor of A.

T1 had just recently provided Kang Kang with a highlight reel of a quad kill in the Tokyo Masters, so they knew his firing habits in ECO rounds and managed to stay in the back without missing a single shot.

The opposing team didn't give them any opportunities, so EDG stopped pretending to hold their positions and let KangKang hold the second floor of A while the other four grouped up and rushed the bomb site.

Using their superior firearms, they secured the point.

In the crucial third round, Su Ming felt he had figured out the opponent's defensive strategy and gradually loosened up his play. He took the initiative to say, "Can you send me a Warmog's Armor? I want to use Mute to make a push on point A."

Su Ming was saying this to Nobody; only he could wield a long spear.

As a forward, you need to buy all the items. You don't have the right to eco round like a special forces soldier. Nobody didn't buy a gun in the last round and just kept playing the Ghostly style passed down from the pistol round.

"Sure, feel free to improvise!"

Nobody took the Fang from Su Ming and gave him a Berserker.

"Let's make some noise in the mid lane to draw Su Ming's attention. But be careful of the enemy counter-clearing in the mid lane, don't give them any space," Haodong added, giving instructions. "Zheng Yongkang, you directly block B tunnel."

The round begins.

In this image, the Viper's smoke screen on the attacking side is also given to A by default, forming a path that leads to the elevator building and passes over the smoke screen.

Following the smoke wall rising from the sphere, Su Ming made his way to the second floor of Building A.

Throughout the process, he meticulously planned each segment, concentrating intently without letting his guard down for a moment.

Suddenly, the opponent timed it perfectly, and a [Guiding Falcon] flew out from the bomb site and exploded in Hall A.

The clear chirping of birds told T1 that someone was here.

But no one knows exactly how many people there were or where they went.

Munchkin immediately raised a smoke screen at point A, blocking the entrance to the second floor of A and preventing the enemy from emptying the elevator building. He frowned and said, "I can't move. There are at least three of them on the other side!"

"I'll fix it! Help me massage the vibration."

Sayaplayer, from behind the A bomb site, silently hops back to defend the second floor.

He stood behind the second floor of A, jumped onto the boxes, and released the [Float Parade] skill in the direction of the front.

As soon as the little robot emerged from the smoke wall, an alarm sounded, and it rushed straight toward the detected enemy.

Bang bang bang!

The robot was destroyed, and Sayaplayer paused upon hearing the gunshot.

"Has a madman appeared?"

Before he could say anything, a grenade came hurtling straight toward his position, trying to force him back.

Sayaplayer naturally refused to retreat, giving up his gun position and the timing for the enemy to sneak into the elevator building. He moved to the left, close to the window, and aimed his crosshair directly at the smoke wall.

The next moment.

A brownish-yellow figure suddenly emerged from the smoke wall, his body bearing the 'corrosive' poison effect. The enemy, Rez, seemed to have anticipated his presence, his gun fixed intently on that spot.

Sayaplayer jerked back, swiping the mouse frantically, but before he could even fire, he was headshot and killed.

The gunfight was too short, and the [Avalanche] that Iron Wall was holding only managed to shake out from B2 and reach the enemy's Razor.

"what?"

The star player, who had switched from Overwatch, put his hands behind his head and leaned back, looking utterly bewildered.

"How dare he do something like that?"

No one answered his question, and with the first kill, the situation on the field changed dramatically in an instant.

EDG immediately used a smoke grenade to target the partition on B2, and then used the item to take over the elevator room.

This move signaled that the enemy's main force could reach the second floor of A from the middle lane, greatly increasing the pressure on Skye inside the A bomb site and leaving her completely isolated and helpless.

"How am I supposed to play this?"

Carpe was speechless, feeling that timing was everywhere and someone could pop up anywhere.

The remaining three members of T1 could only retreat to the police base as a group, only to find a [Miasma] blocking the entrance to the second floor of A.

The smoke was impossible to pass through, so the three of them could only wait for the poisonous fog to dissipate.

They could wait, but Carpe inside the bun shop couldn't.

Five seconds later, [Tiger of the Forest] pinpointed the enemy's location. Su Ming made two consecutive jumps from the second floor of A to the GG sign, and with the help of Xing Yuan's bomb site utility, he caught and killed the enemy Skye.

The energy generator has been installed.

The smoke finally dissipated, and the T1 team rushed back to defend, but they had no idea that a Jetwind player with a flying general had already sneaked up behind them from point B.

"Come here! I have the whole ass!"

Zheng Yongkang was extremely excited and licked his lips like a lovesick fool.

boom!

He was caught in the flashing metal wall and got shot in the head with a scope.

With the bolt pulled, he instantly sniped the Viper, then used a [Cloud Shot] to protect himself.

The Shadow was attacked from both sides and panicked, and was easily taken down by Ball with a powerful pull!

This bonus round was a 0-for-5 exchange.

EDG's five players upgraded their weapons without spending a penny, each now wielding a long gun.

All of this is thanks to Su Ming's first kill.

"What the hell?! How dare you drag him out like that?"

Haodong, as the commander, kept an eye on the minimap throughout the game and could roughly imagine how Su Ming was operating the game.

But he didn't understand either, and asked the same question as Sayaplayer.

"You guys made such a big commotion in the mid lane, there's a high chance that the enemy has at least two people pushing mid." Su Ming explained his thinking: "Youying must be playing B tunnel, Skye gave the raptor at A bomb site. Rezi threw the vehicle to get my information, but he also missed his own information, so I threw a grenade to force his position."

"How do you know he'll pull it towards the window?"

"Just guessing." Su Ming smiled. "Sayaplayer is the senior player on the T1 team, so he probably won't be willing to play the gunner position."

Zheng Yongkang, who is also the eldest member of the team, deeply agrees with this sentiment.

If it were him, he definitely wouldn't have left that gun position. Not only would it give the enemy the timing to rush the elevator building, but retreating to the CT's base might also put him in a difficult position, causing him to lose the initiative on the second floor of A.

It's nothing more than the responsibility of being the eldest brother.

Sayaplayer's choice was absolutely right, but...

"You're still more accurate than him!" Zheng Yongkang said. "Marksmanship speaks for itself."

Even if all the previous ideas are correct, in the end, it is the gunfight in milliseconds that decides everything.

"Such fast information processing capabilities." Nobody and Haodong exchanged a glance, both feeling like they had struck gold.

"Wow, that's awesome, bro! You've got real guts!"

Qiuqiu said admiringly.

He mainly plays the sentry position, so theoretically he should be responsible for the 'sideline' duties.

However, his ability to move independently as a 'sideline' player is only mediocre.

He had a good strategy and good marksmanship, but he lacked a bit of recklessness.

Qiuqiu asked herself, even if she had read the opponent's position, she wouldn't dare to go out and engage in gunfights like Su Ming, with a bunch of debuffs, and silently make contact with others.

After listened to their conversation and laughed.

Su Ming's move was like a mirror, showing the different aspects that EDG players should focus on.

After looked up at Zhang Zhao, who was sitting next to her watching the game, and asked curiously:

"Zhang Zhao, what do you think?"

"Well……"

Zhang Zhao blinked in confusion, then pointed to himself:

"Do I need to understand all of this?"

"..."

After shook his head repeatedly and said nothing more.