Battle against Navi

Chapter 140 Battle against Navi

Krakow, match day.

A large number of spectators had already gathered in the plaza outside the venue, holding up various support signs.

Tianlu's team flag stood out in the crowd, and several young men held up light boards with "g0d" written on them.

When Tang saw the sign through the car window, his fingers unconsciously tapped twice on his knee. It wasn't nervousness, but an indescribable feeling—like being weighed down by expectation, yet also pushed forward by expectation.

The vehicle slowly drove into the athletes' passage, and the cheers of the crowd became distant and indistinct through the soundproof glass.

"Are you ready?" Ling Feng sat down next to him and turned his head to look at him.

Tang took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's go."

Five people carrying peripheral bags walked through the contestant passage like fish.

The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with IEM Krakow promotional posters, lights lined up overhead, and footsteps echoed in the narrow space.

They've made it to the loser's bracket, and they can't afford to lose any more games.

The door to the lounge opened, and Zhong Weijie was already waiting inside. A tactical notebook lay open on the table, covered in dense markings.

NAVI's defensive habits and offensive tactics in recent matches.

"Everyone's here." He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the five people. "Sit down."

The five people each found a seat and sat down.

Zhong Weijie didn't rush to speak. Instead, he unscrewed a bottle of water, took a sip, and then opened his mouth.

"You've all seen NAVI's data. Their default system is very well-developed, Aleksib's command is very stable, and their team discipline is terrifying. Moreover, they just came down from the first round of the lower bracket, so their morale should be pretty good."

He paused.

"But their weaknesses are also obvious. They rely too much on defaults and are too dependent on information. Once their initial information gathering is disrupted, their mid-term decision-making will be problematic."

"So today's strategy is simple: grab points early and disrupt their rhythm."

Zhong Weijie looked at the hamburger: "What's the first picture?"

Hamburg opened his tactics notebook, which was marked with the results of the BP simulation.

"Based on pre-match analysis, NAVI will most likely ban Town first. Their win rate on that map is not high, and our performance on Town will definitely make them wary."

Chung Wei-chieh nodded: "In the first round, we'll ban Overpass, then Anubis, and try to pick some champions that we need."

Maps where direct gunfights are the norm, Nuke and his team will most likely pick them.

"But we have Tang Ye and Ling Feng, we're not afraid to fight anyone in a marksmanship contest. Do you all understand?"

The five people looked at each other and then nodded at the same time.

Zhong Weijie stood at the back, watching the group of young people, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"Go ahead," he said. "Let NAVI see what CNCS is all about."

Inside the venue, the lights were focused on the main stage.

Ten computers were arranged back to back, the CS2 interface already loaded on the screens. NAVI's five players were in position, with Aleksib sitting in the middle, his expression calm.

Aleksib's fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard, a habit he developed before matches, a habit he couldn't break since his Ence days.

The monitor has been tested and adjusted; I've checked every parameter twice, including refresh rate, brightness, and aspect ratio. The keyboard feels fine, the mouse DPI is correct, and the chair height is just right.

But he still felt something was wrong.

Aleksib turned his head to the side, looking through the lights in the center of the stage at the battle area opposite.

The five members of Tianlu were sitting there, and the young man named g0d was adjusting his mouse, his expression calm.

Like a newcomer participating in an S-level competition for the first time.

Aleksib recalled the match replay he watched last night. Inferno, a 1v4 clutch, defuse the bomb in 0.02 seconds. That young man, wielding an AWP, peeked out from the CT spawn, one shot through the wall killing apEX, then turned and one-shot mezii, before switching to a Desert Eagle and headshot ropz.

Every step has been calculated.

Aleksib has been a conductor for so many years and has seen countless talented young people. Some are short-lived, some fade into obscurity, and some truly grow into powerful figures.

This "g0d" reminded him of "zywoo".

But he shook his head.

Zywoo's playstyle is agile, fluid, and unpredictable. G0D's playstyle is direct, violent, and unreasonable.

You pull him out, he sees you, he shoots, you die. No unnecessary movements, just a frighteningly fast positioning and firing. As unreasonable as Donk's breakthrough.

This highly entertaining sniping spectacle, coupled with the ultimate flick shot, is more like s1mple.

"What are you thinking about?"

iM's voice came from the side, interrupting Aleksib's thoughts.

Aleksib looked away and shook his head: "Nothing. Has all the equipment been checked?"

"Okay." M flexed his fingers. "My hands are still a bit cold though; the air conditioning in the venue was too strong."

"It'll get hot once we start fighting," Aleksib said.

He had said this countless times, to his teammates at ENCE and to his teammates at NAVI. But when he said it today, even he himself didn't quite believe it.

"You've all seen the data on TyLoo." Aleksib's voice was low, but every word was clear. "Their core is g0d and Feng. Their coordinated defense is the lifeblood of their defense. g0d's AWP gathers information at the front, while Feng's M4 provides cover fire from the back. If you take one down, the other will definitely follow."

"So what we need to do is not to confront them head-on, but to stall them," Aleksib said. "Use gadgets to force G0D back, then attack Feng. Without G0D's cover, Feng will be much less of a threat."

makazze listened and nodded.

He had watched G0D's match replays. That sniper's reaction speed was indeed incredibly fast, almost inhuman. But he was also confident in himself; he believed he could win a head-on gunfight against anyone.

"One more thing." Aleksib's speech quickened a bit. "Tycoon is in such good form on the small town map. The fact that they beat Bees 13-3 shows that their understanding and teamwork on this map are excellent. We will ban this map first. Once we remove their strongest map, we will have an absolute advantage in terms of map depth."

B1ad3 stood at the back, clutching his tactics notebook, and remained silent. He knew Aleksib was right. The rise of TyLoo.

They're moving too fast, but their map depth can't catch up with top-tier teams in a short time. This is their chance.

On the big screen, the BP interface finally lit up.

The man sat up straight in the live stream room, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Here we go, brothers! TyLoo vs. Na'Vi, a do-or-die match in the loser's bracket! The draft phase has officially begun!"

The comments section was flooded with messages.

Navi's nukes are tough to beat.

Trust g0d!

On the big screen, NAVI's first ban picks were displayed. The cursor jumped across the seven maps a few times before finally stopping on Inferno.

"As expected! NAVI has banned Town!" The voice playing the game console rose in pitch. "Tycoon crushed NAVI 13-3 on Town. It's no surprise that NAVI didn't dare release this map!"

TyLoo's ban slot followed closely behind. The cursor bounced around the little bee a few times before finally stopping on 0verpass.

TyLoo banned 0verpass! This is the map TyLoo has practiced the least, and it's also one of NAVI's strongest maps. This ban...

Choosing this option was very smart; it proactively avoided addressing one's weaknesses.

NAVI's image selection rights. The cursor starts jumping.

The person playing with the machine started breathing rapidly.

"What will NAVI choose? Nuclear crisis? Or Anubis?"

The cursor stopped on the nuclear crisis.

"Nuclear Crisis! NAVI has picked Nuclear Crisis!" The voice playing the bot was tense. "This is NAVI's absolute strongest map; their win rate on Nuclear Crisis is over 70%! TyLoo's win rate on this map is only slightly over 40%! NAVI is determined to win this map!"

Aleksib's lips curled up slightly.

Nuclear Crisis, a map they'd practiced countless times. Every utility point, every defensive position, every timing for rotations—it was etched into their muscle memory. He believed his team could win on this map.

Tianlu's right to select images.

He sat up straight while playing with the machine.

"What will Tianlu choose? The town has been banned, but the Lost City is still there, the ruins are still there, and Anubis is still there."

The cursor stopped on the desert city.

"Mirage! TyLoo has chosen Mirage! This is TyLoo's strongest map, and one of the maps where g0d's AWP performs best! On Mirage, g0d's VIP sniping, archway support, and CT spawn counter-attacks are all executed flawlessly! TyLoo must take this map!"

Hamburger nodded.

The Mirage City is the map they practice on the most and are most confident in. Whether attacking or defending, they have ample tactical reserves. And Tang Ye's sniper rifle is incredibly effective on Mirage City.

The second round of bans and picks.

The NAVI ban cursor started jumping. A few seconds later, it stopped on Anubis.

"NAVI banned Dust2! That's interesting. Dust2 is one of TyLoo's strong maps, and also one of the maps where g0d performs best with his AWP. NAVI's decision to ban Dust2 shows that they don't want to compete with TyLoo in gunplay on Dust2. This ban/pick is smart; they've deliberately avoided TyLoo's comfort zone."

The last ban slot for Tianlu.

Hamburger took a deep breath and said in the voice chat, "Ban Anubis, preserve the ancient ruins."

"Tianlu has banned Anubis!" Wanji nodded. "The final map is out too, Ancient Ruins!"

'

"The first round of drafting is over! The first map is Nuke, chosen by Na'Vi; the second is Miracle, chosen by TyLoo; and the deciding map is Ancient Ruins!"

The man playing with the machine sped up his speech: "Ancient Ruins, this map has a relatively simple structure, with many opportunities for gunfights. TyLoo's win rate on this map isn't high, but NAVI's win rate on this map is also average. Neither side has an absolute advantage; it all comes down to gun skill and on-the-spot performance."

Aleksib frowned slightly as he looked at the finalized map pool on the big screen.

Nuclear crisis, desert city, ancient ruins.

Although the draft result was within his expectations, the actual performance still depends a lot on the players' form.

In short, they must win the first Nuke, otherwise they will face a lot of pressure later on, because TyLoo's tactical reserves on Mirage and Ancient Relic are not bad either.

The map on the screen has finished loading, and the countdown numbers are ticking.

3, 2, 1—

Game start.

The man sat up straight in the live stream room, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Here they come, brothers! First map, Nuka-Crisis! TyLoo starts as defenders, Na'Vi starts as attackers!"

"Let's get into the game!"

"Pistol round, standard default," Hamburger's voice came through the voice chat, carrying the calm and collected demeanor of a commander. "Mo Siyu and I will guard the inner area. Tang Ye and Ling Feng will go to Tieban Xiaoju to cover the outer area at the main entrance. Listen carefully to the information, and don't rush forward."

The five people quickly rushed out of the police station.

The Nuclear Crisis map has a complex structure with three layers, giving defenders a lot to watch out for and attackers a lot of options. In the pistol round, the most important thing for defense is to maintain composure and avoid being overwhelmed by a single push.

In NAVI's voice channel, Aleksib's voice was very low, but every word was clear.

"Gather information slowly, probe the outer area first, then immediately go back and fire the bombs inside."

"receive."

Aleksib's opening setup was standard. In the pistol round of Nuke, information is paramount for the attacking side. First, control the outer area, observe the CT's defensive distribution, and then decide which side to attack.

Five people set off from the bandit's house and stealthily made their way to the outer area.

makazze walked at the front, holding a Glock rifle, the muzzle pointed towards the main entrance. iM was behind him, ready to provide backup at any moment.

The two arrived at the red box, where they were spotted by Xiao Ju, who was in charge of the main entrance.

Xiao Ju crouched behind the container and heard an extremely faint sound of footsteps. It wasn't just one person's footsteps; it was at least two.

"There are people outside," Xiao Ju said in a low voice, "at least two, towards the red box."

"Xiao Ju, peek again and see how many of them there are," Hamburger whispered.

Xiao Ju peeked out from behind the cover, only half of her body showing. Makazze also happened to peek out from around the corner of the red box.

The two people met face to face.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two gunshots rang out almost simultaneously.

Makazze's Glock bullet grazed past Xiaoju's ear, and Xiaoju's USP bullet also went off-target.

The two of them shrank back at the same time.

"There are at least two main entrances, maybe more," Xiao Ju said urgently. "They saw me; my location has been exposed."

Xiao Ju fired a few shots tentatively, reducing Makazze's health by some, but then Navi threw a smoke grenade at the main entrance, obscuring Xiao Ju's vision.

Aleksib's lips curled up slightly.

He had a general idea of ​​the CT's positioning, which was most likely 2 iron plates, 2 inner field, 1 main gate, and 1 outer field.

Aleksib had makazze continue leading the team outside, checking the information on the third floor and the locker room to make sure no CTs were pulled out to check. The remaining three slowly returned to the terrorist room to meet up with w0nderful, who had been bringing up the rear there.

Navi's plan was simple: block the main entrance with smoke to isolate the gun line, and then have Makazze ensure that no one on the third floor or in the locker room got Navi's information, so that TyLoo wouldn't know whether Navi had left K1.

Then they can return to the inner field to detonate bombs, while Makazze at the main gate coordinates with flashbang attacks to initiate the main gate attack.

The sounds of people playing with machines filled the live stream room.

"NAVI's attacking rhythm has changed! After Xiao Ju made a brief encounter with them on the outer field, they immediately moved quietly to the inner field!"

This looks like they're about to launch a full-scale attack on the inside!

He took a deep breath, and his speech became faster and faster.

"NAVI's rotation is incredibly fast! NAVI's bomb has been activated! The Yellow House fire and the bomb ignition are coming at the same time, and Xiao Ju, Hamburger, and Mo Siyu are currently guarding the inner field! But the main players Tang Ye and Ling Feng are not here!"

"The main gate, yellow building, and iron gate are activated at 3 PM! Navi has assembled a five-man squad inside!"