Nirvana Top Laner, Reborn Tokyo Girl

Chapter 141, Chapter 138: Camille of Shimamura! (8K update, part 2 of 4)
For Akari Kujo, trusting Yuna Shimamura was a matter of course.

Whether looking at her past experiences or simply at the feelings she had towards Shimamura Yuna, this is the case.

Moreover, there is no need for a reason to believe it.

But that's what I said.
It looks like it'll be 3-0.

I can't figure out how to win.

The difference is indeed quite significant.

Well, getting this far is already pretty good. Just play well from now on.

When she saw these comments, Akari Kujo actually felt a little guilty.

She doesn't understand League of Legends; she doesn't understand the game's content.

But since all the people present who know more about League of Legends and the game than I do say that the game is very lopsided and the game content looks very different.

Therefore, she has some unique thoughts about the audience's comments that are outside the industry.

Is the gap really that big?

'It looks like just one loss, is this already enough to make people predict a complete defeat?'

She felt somewhat worried and anxious about this.

but.
Even after that, I still chose to believe.

'She definitely has the ability to do it.'

Kujo Akari gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

He tried to transmit his willpower to Shimamura Yuna, who was far away on the stage, in this way.

'You have to win, Yuna.'

Meanwhile, at this very moment, the LPL commentators on the main stage had just finished commentating on the first game.

It can be said that his stance was quite clear, and even his voice became a little lower.

"Judging from the first match, Hanwha's strength is truly worthy of being the top team in the LCK. Their performance in the game is indeed impressive in terms of consistency. If CFO wants to beat Hanwha, they may need to perform better in other aspects."

"We absolutely have to deliver an even better performance than we did in this game."

Without a doubt, LPL commentators and viewers alike support CFO more.

On the one hand, it's due to political stance; on the other hand, the underdog triumphing over the strong is a drama that people all over the world have loved to watch since ancient times.

Given that the team's strength was already inferior to the opponent's, women are naturally labeled as "weak" in the public's stereotype.

In this situation, everyone would expect to see Shimamura Yuna overcome the odds and defeat Zeus, who is recognized as the strongest.

In this respect, she has enjoyed some of the benefits of her status in terms of popularity.

Yuna Shimamura has always been very honest and open in admitting that she has enjoyed the benefits of her status, and she is happy to accept the fact that she is where she is today because of her status.

After all, the difference between her past life and her current experience is obvious. She knows perfectly well what kind of stray dog ​​she was in the LPL when she wasn't a girl. At this time, it would be meaningless to insist that "I am a girl".

But in her opinion, since she had already benefited from this, she should naturally go further than in her previous life.

They gained an opportunity they didn't have in their previous life, and stepped onto a stage they had never been on before.

These are two extremely beautiful things that can be combined to make one feel happy.

Her goal is not to become a contestant who, after being given a bunch of qualifiers, is described as someone whose skill level is already top-tier under these conditions.

What she wants to become is the true, undisputed, world's number one player, without any qualifiers.

She wanted those qualifiers to serve as labels that added to her prestige, rather than as the only things she could boast about.

No championship? Poor results?
'But she's a female competitor!'

She was unwilling to accept such a thing.

But
"It's not possible right now."

After the first match today, Shimamura Yuna felt a strong sense of powerlessness.

Sometimes, the gap in team stats and individual player skill cannot be bridged by willpower, morale, or other spiritual attributes.

For example, the CFO has now overcome all obstacles and has undoubtedly reached the peak of the entire team in terms of mental attributes.

Logically speaking, they should not have any issues with their condition or mindset.

Each of them was at the absolute peak of their momentum and confidence.

Under these circumstances, everyone has an unrealistic expectation of the status quo.

They believe that "maybe this time we can really create a miracle."

Even if the training match is not going well.

Even based on previous matches, HLE is stronger than the other team.

However, we are now in high spirits, and it can be said that we are unstoppable.

So what if?
Although they lost every training match they played, the odds were close to 91.

But what if we happen to draw that 10% chance in this BO5 series and keep winning?

After all, the two teams haven't played a scrim for two days since the group stage ended. What if the current CFO has actually changed a lot in just a few days?

It's like amplifying weapons in DNF (Dungeon Fighter Online). What if you get a 22% success rate all the way up to +20? Who can say for sure?

However, after actually playing the game, reality gave the CFOs a harsh slap in the face.

wake up.

The actual gameplay was almost identical to that of a training match.

Almost none of the problems that arose during the training matches have been resolved.

The expected burst of form from everyone didn't materialize, and the gap between them and the online players wasn't closed.

The overall performance of both sides in team fights was so overwhelming that it left no hope.

Every time the CFO manages to gain a small advantage on the sidelines, they quickly lose in a larger team fight, giving everything back.

HLE is a stronger team.

They are stronger in laning, team fighting, and macro play; the individual skill of the players is also stronger.

It is stronger in every respect.

Therefore, losing is to be expected.

Everything was the same as always, even boring.

This result was like a bucket of cold water being poured over the CFO team, who were initially full of confidence.

"We felt we made a mistake in execution last game. For example, in this fight, shouldn't we have engaged in that team fight? At that point, our fighting strength wasn't sufficient. I mentioned this before the game; we should avoid fights when necessary."

After the game, the CFO's coach, as always, conducted a post-game analysis.

But at this moment, everyone's mood was a little low, and they were all somewhat unable to listen to what was being said.

The reaction in the training room wasn't exactly lifeless, but morale was far from collapsing.

But all I can say is that everyone has been somewhat awakened by this experience.

Realizing that victory is not so easy.

The disillusionment of waking from a dream.

The pain of recognizing reality.

These feelings are not so easily accepted.

Yuna Shimamura noticed the atmosphere within the team.

She also realized that this was a mindset caused by the sudden disillusionment of the team members after having too high expectations.

She was very familiar with this mentality.

She also had a phase when she first joined the LPL, where she felt she could quickly rival TheShy, or even surpass Letme.

She had a period of youthful arrogance, believing that she could quickly achieve success in the LPL and become famous.

But the result was that she soon discovered that even Letme, whom she thought was "just a blue-collar player" when he first debuted, was not as easy as she had imagined to perform at the same level.

There aren't many top-tier teams in the LPL.

As pieces of a top-tier team, each member has their own reason for being in that position.

As viewers, we can criticize Letme for being incompetent, a blue-collar worker, and lacking guts.

But for a professional player to have such thoughts before actually surpassing his performance is undoubtedly arrogant and conceited.

After being hit hard by reality, Yuna Shimamura has now learned to lower her expectations and calm her mind.

Just like now.

Although she might feel a little disappointed after the game ended, thinking "I knew it," she mostly felt that it was just something she expected.

But for the other players on the team, especially young players like HongQ in the mid lane, the illusion was shattered right before their eyes, which obviously had a negative impact on their mentality.

Yuna Shimamura is not actually 17 years old.

But HongQ is actually a 17-year-old kid.

Thinking about this, she felt it necessary to say something, at least to stabilize morale.

Generally speaking, Shimamura Yuna is not considered a player with a strong mental attitude within the team.

It could even be said that it has no spiritual attributes at all.

She rarely offered emotional support to her teammates.

He has never acted like a team leader, stepping forward to encourage or inspire others.

But now, she feels she has a duty to do so.

"Um, everyone, listen to me."

Yuna Shimamura's voice is soft and gentle, making it difficult to perceive any authority in it.

Despite the noise, she managed to stop everyone in the lounge with the strongest possible tone.

She rarely speaks up like this.

Therefore, everyone was somewhat surprised by her statement at this moment.

Everyone fell silent, turning their heads to look at Shimamura Yuna, curious about what she wanted to say.

After confirming that everyone's attention was on her, Shimamura Yuna took a deep breath.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, she said, "Well... actually, we've come this far, so we can say we have no regrets, right?"

"As a team that was not favored in this competition, we achieved a perfect record in the group stage except against HLE, and even defeated the representative of LPL, becoming the representative team of the second region, or you could say the temporary 'second in the world'."

“I understand everyone’s desire to take things further. However, expecting results that far exceed our expectations, harboring unrealistic fantasies, and then succumbing to disappointment and silence after those fantasies are shattered—that’s clearly not going to work, is it?”

Shimamura Yuna did not say who she was referring to.

But HongQ, the kid in the middle lane, felt like she was stabbing him in the back and cursing him.

This made him a little uneasy, and his eyes became somewhat evasive.

Shimamura Yuna ignored him and continued, "I'm the kind of person who has the highest expectations for the future while also having the worst expectations for the outcome."

"In my opinion, the will to win is essential. No matter how strong the opponent is, if you don't expect to win, you don't deserve to be a professional player. If you think you're going to lose from the start, then why go on the field?"

"However, the so-called will to win does not mean that you become complacent and arrogant when you receive a little feedback, thinking that you are invincible. Then, once you suffer a setback, you immediately become dejected, feel hopeless, and lose the will to work hard."

"Be humble yet assertive, have reasonable and normal expectations for the future, and then give it your all. Isn't that the right thing to do?"

Although Shimamura Yuna's words did not explicitly refer to anyone.

But almost every word he said was aimed at his own team's mid-laner, HongQ.

Along with his teammates, they were more or less astounded by what he had said.

Coach Chawy was slightly surprised after hearing these words.

Yuna Shimamura rarely communicates with her teammates, which means that even though a whole season has passed, people don't know much about her.

All I know is that she is a somewhat timid and sensitive young girl.

All I know is that she is a very focused and dedicated person.

However, today, the coach saw a side of her that was unusually mature, completely different from her usual silent demeanor.

'Is she really not even 18 yet?'

The coach was even somewhat incredulous about it.

However, now is not the time to discuss this issue.

After Shimamura Yuna spoke up, the coach immediately echoed, "I think Shimamura is absolutely right. Everyone needs to calm down. We are indeed the weaker side, that's how others see it, and perhaps that's true."

"However, although it is normal to lose, there is never a reason why the weaker side is guaranteed to lose."

"The probability may be very low, but everyone needs to maintain the best mindset in order to strive for a relatively high probability of winning on this inherently low probability."

"We can't give up on ourselves, right?"

The atmosphere in the lounge didn't liven up quickly.

However, that lifeless feeling has indeed begun to change.

“Everyone, come on!”

"Alright, let's get back at them next time!"

"Come on, come on! We're just lowly dogs, and as Shimamura-nee said, we shouldn't feel any pressure. Giving it our all and leaving no regrets, that's enough!"

The atmosphere in the lounge was not cheerful; it remained subdued.

But at least under Shimamura Yuna's guidance, everyone was no longer listless, but consciously wanted to get out of this state and move in a better direction.

And this may be a prerequisite for seizing that "negligible possibility of victory".

Despite Shimamura Yuna verbally encouraging and cheering on the other contestants.

But in reality, her anxiety was no less than anyone else's.

After the previous BO5 series in the semifinals, the team has basically confirmed that her stamina is insufficient to sustain a full BO5. In fact, if the game goes on for longer, her performance will start to show numerous mistakes by the third game.

She might feel a little dizzy and think that her brain isn't quite up to the task.

It was a physical deficiency that was even more disheartening than a lack of skill or technique.

Yesterday, just by playing against KC, their shortcomings almost caused them to lose the third game.

So, when facing HLE today, and facing this even more intense match, it goes without saying.

It's easy to imagine that if she were to play all five rounds against HLE, it would basically be the end of her.

Unless HLE plays very fast, speedrunning each game in 20 minutes.

But in that case, there's no need to consider the third game and beyond.

Yuna Shimamura didn't want to be stubborn.

The current plan proposed by coach Chawy is that after the second match, if Shimamura Yuna starts to feel a significant decline in her performance, she should rest for one game and let REST come in to play.

Let Shimamura Yuna play in the next match.

On the one hand, the CFO originally planned to rotate Rest and Shimamura as the top laners, so that Shimamura Yuna, whose champion pool was relatively limited, could play more comfortably.

Unexpectedly, with the arrival of the Pioneer Tournament version, the version changed drastically. Shimamura Yuna, whose hero pool seemed relatively unbalanced before, has now become the one whose hero pool is more adapted to the version and whose individual strength is stronger.

If we consider Driver and Rest as a top lane duo whose individual skill levels are somewhat comparable, then...
When Shimamura appeared, the question of who was the best top laner on the CFO team became objectively irrelevant.

It must be Shimamura Yuna.

Visible star potential, extremely high stats.

This is a skill that the other two top laners on the team do not possess.

The only possibility for Driver and Rest to replace Shimamura is Shimamura's hero pool problem.

However, with the updates to the game version addressing the issue of Shimamura Yuna's limited hero pool, this is no longer a significant problem.

As a result, REST has never played a single match so far. Many people who started watching the games from the World Championship may not even know that CFO has such a substitute top laner.

It's not arrogance.

Yuna Shimamura simply felt objectively that the intensity of the CFO role would definitely decrease significantly without her.

However, if you want to maintain your form for a longer period of time, it is necessary to take a break in the middle of the game.

However, this creates a problem.
If we lose this game now, the score will be 2-0.

Although I don't want to say 'without me, the CFO would have had no chance of beating HLE'.

But without Shimamura Yuna, the win rate would definitely drop significantly.

This will lead to one result.
If the score of this match is 2-0 and Shimamura Yuna leaves the court, it's very likely that she won't see the fourth game, and there's no need to consider resting before returning to the court.

Instead, they can simply pack up and prepare to fly back to Taiwan.

If she chooses to tough it out for three games, not only will her performance in the third game likely be very poor, but it will also be very difficult for her to win.

Even if she survives the third game and wins it, she definitely won't be able to play in the fourth and fifth games; she'll probably be completely out of commission.

Because playing a game while exhausted can consume more energy than the previous two games combined.

Ultimately, the best approach is to try and win this game if possible.

By tying the score at 1-1, we can give the CFO some leeway and allow Shimamura Yuna to rest for one game before preparing for the next two possible games, thus keeping a glimmer of hope for victory alive.

To put it bluntly, we have to win this round, otherwise we'll be in a very awkward situation.

This put immense pressure on Shimamura Yuna.

The competition had barely begun when she started showing off the energy drink on the table.

In fact, based on her experience, drinking energy drinks doesn't improve her condition, and it's unlikely to really give her an energy boost.

But she just wanted to give herself a psychological boost through this method.

'I drank a beverage that increases concentration, and my concentration improved.'

It may not be useful.

But at least it provides an extra layer of psychological protection.

Soon, the match officially entered the draft phase.

Based on previous experience, the CFO's side is now inclined to believe that "choosing a big core is unlikely to beat HLE."

Because a strong core means weak early-game fighting power, which means the top laner can't do anything in the early game.

This means that the CFO will be gradually outmaneuvered by HLE, while the team's only senior member can only watch helplessly as everything unfolds.

However, as the only player on the team with relatively strong individual skills, Shimamura Yuna needs to contribute to the team.

Therefore, the CFO changed their strategy.

They stopped letting Shimamura Yuna always pick tanky, late-game heroes and tried to play her in the very late game to turn the tide.

Instead, they directly had Shimamura Yuna pick a warrior hero, to fight Zeus head-on, to pursue early laning dominance and small-scale team fight impact, and to try to make Shimamura Yuna's impact spread earlier.

Will playing like this be effective?
The CFO himself didn't know either.

Shimamura Yuna was also unsure.

But now that things have come to this, they have to give it a try.

There is no point in peacefully drowning in the ocean of your comfort zone.

The unfamiliar system, coupled with the necessity of winning, put Shimamura under immense psychological pressure even before the match began.

At that moment, she subconsciously took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She tried.
Calm yourself down.

At this very moment, Akari Kujo is watching the live stream enter the BP (Ban/Pick) phase.

At this moment, the audience is discussing how the CFO can win, and how to achieve victory given the huge gap in strength between the CFO and HLE.

However, only Akari Kujo, who was more familiar with Yuna Shimamura, noticed that her expression was a bit unusual through the camera lens provided by the director.

His face was dark and somber, his expression tense, and he would occasionally close his eyes and sigh.

Based on her understanding of Shimamura, she knew that this was a condition he exhibited when under significant psychological pressure.

Since Shimamura started playing, Akari Kujo hasn't watched every single match live, but she has watched all the recorded matches.

She had never seen Shimamura make that expression during a match.

In other words, no match to date has ever put her under such psychological pressure as this one.

She couldn't understand the game, but she could understand Shimamura Yuna's emotions.

So, she subconsciously started to get nervous along with Shimamura Yuna, and even lost the will to make witty remarks to the audience.

He focused all his attention on the game.

Meanwhile, the camera focused on Zeus on the other side, who looked relaxed and smiled as he turned to talk to his teammates.

'This feeling is bad.'

Given the starkly different atmospheres between the two sides, the draft picks for this game were quickly decided.

Zeus picked Gnar first.

As for the hero that Shimamura Yuna came up with later, it was a little unexpected.

It's Camille
The moment the hero was picked, the viewers in the chat seemed a little incredulous.

【Huh? Camille?】

Holy crap, Shimamura has unleashed her power!

Is it real? Camille?

Is this really a case of leaving no regrets?

[Has Shimamura-san ever played Camille? I don't recall ever doing so?]

No, I don't play in competitions, I only occasionally play in ranked matches.

Holy crap, this game was really good.

Undoubtedly, for most people, Shimamura Yuna's choice of Camille was somewhat beyond their expectations.

Although Yuna Shimamura is very popular now, even her most loyal fans have to admit one thing: she is a player whose laning phase is not very entertaining.

She is a contestant with a very conservative style, making it difficult for people to like her based on her style alone.

To put it in high emotional intelligence terms, she was incredibly slick, to the point of being disgusting.

To put it bluntly, it's either a long-range player fighting a short-range player, or they're just playing like turtles in lane.

In short, there is very rarely a bayonet-fighting segment like this.

I don't play heavy armor and tanks, that's fine.

The problem is that she almost never plays traditional top lane light fighter characters like Camille, Irelia, and Fiora.

This is related to the player's personal style, and everyone has gotten used to it over time.

I feel that each player has their own personality and playstyle, and some things can't be forced.

However, no one would have expected that in this crucial BO5 against HLE, Shimamura Yuna would not choose her signature vampire or characters like Gwent.

She chose Camille, a brand she almost never used.

From the perspective of roster composition alone, there's nothing unreasonable about it.

In Shimamura's understanding, Camille's matchup against Gnar, while generally a game that depends on the player's skill, does have some advantages in certain aspects.

Secondly, CFO directly locked in a complete Camille + Galio top-mid system, which is a highly effective and well-known classic system.

Whether you look at the laning phase alone or the overall team composition, there's nothing wrong with Camille.

As long as you play well enough.

Therefore, there is now only one problem.

Does Shimamura know how to play Camille?

This question was the subject of numerous comments on the screen.

While Camille isn't completely unplayable in the current version, she's definitely not a popular pick either.

Numerically, this character is relatively low without equipment boosts, requiring extreme proficiency in the laning phase to achieve comparable or similar results to other characters.

The aggressive initiation mechanic allows this hero to consistently deliver satisfactory results when equipped.

The numbers are a bit low, but the mechanics are perfect.

This makes this character, in the current version, largely a special pick that only skilled players choose in certain specific scenarios.

Provided that you have enough laning proficiency to maintain stable development, this hero is indeed useful.

But does Shimamura Yuna have proficiency with Camille?

Or rather, does Shimamura Yuna really understand how to play a lightly armed warrior?

Her sudden choice of this hero not only left the audience curious and confused, but even Zeus, her opponent, found it somewhat unexpected and unbelievable.

Seeing that the comments were full of doubts, Akari Kujo, as Shimamura Yuna's "direct relative", immediately tried to calm everyone down in the live stream.

"Don't say things like 'Did she play well?' or 'Did she understand how to play?'"

"Everyone should trust Yuna. There's no role Yuna can't play well. Since she chose her, she must know how to play it!"

"She definitely can do it!"

"Don't say discouraging things like 'I don't know how to play' or 'I'm bad at playing'!"

She even tried to imitate a Chinese meme, saying in broken Chinese: "One person, one sentence, how awesome is that!"

Seeing that even Akari Kujo had said so, the negative comments in the live chat immediately stopped.

Instead, everyone actually spammed the live stream with the phrase "You're awesome!"

The atmosphere in the bullet comments became very cheerful for a moment.

Of course, whether Camille is played well or not is not something that can be determined by the comments.

Ultimately, only Shimamura Yuna, the operator, can provide the answer through her own gameplay.

And at least in this moment, she has complete confidence in herself.

Camille has no proficiency?

You haven't played this in competitions?
She wouldn't simply deny such a statement outright.

Indeed, compared to Vampire, Yone, and other heroes she has played countless times, her Camille is relatively less skilled.

But
Even so, that's enough.

She doesn't actually have any particularly outstanding qualities.

The outside world is talking about a 17-year-old prodigy girl who can become a professional League of Legends player after only playing for a few months.

This statement is false.

That is incorrect.

In fact, she had been playing this game since her previous life, and had genuinely played it for half her life.

For her, what she is most proud of has never been her so-called talent, but rather the amount of training she receives compared to the average person.

Even with Camille, a champion she doesn't play very often, she's confident that she's second to none in terms of proficiency.

Even if the opponent is Zeus.

She was determined to win and put that determination into her actions.

Not long after entering the game, Zeus felt an unprecedented pressure.

As he played, he muttered to himself, "This guy plays Camille like a completely different person."

(End of this chapter)