CS: The Last Dance, a Dance That Leads to Professional Success

Chapter 86 I'm normal, you Aimu!!! (Bonus Chapter)

After a brief celebration and hugs, the G2 team, led by Nick Fury, headed to the HEROIC booth next door for the post-match handshake.

HEROIC's competition seat.

The man directing the idea had a slightly complicated expression, tinged with an indescribable sense of desolation.

He finally led this team to a strong run to the semifinals of last year's Stockholm Major, shattering the doubts of outsiders that they "can only play online tournaments" and proving that they are a true world-class team.

But today,
As the "defender" of the Legends Group.

However, they were upset by G2, a team that came up from the Challengers Group.

It's not that we absolutely cannot lose.

BO1 matches are full of unpredictability, and it's normal for some slow-starting teams to occasionally pull off upsets.

But they were utterly defeated by the opponent with a score of 16:2, like a roadside dog being kicked to the ground.

What is this ghost?

That kind of thing...

I just can't accept this!
At this point, he didn't simply attribute the loss entirely to Stavn's disastrous performance, even though that guy really did play like a piece of shit today.

But as the commander and captain, the first thing Brother Dianzi reflected on was himself.

—If my on-the-spot command had been more precise, and my tactical arrangements and dynamic defense had been more thorough during that crucial force buy in the first half, I wouldn't have given that Dark player room to perform with his hairdryer treatment…

everything,
Would things be different then?
As he thought this, he fell into deep self-reproach and contemplation, finding it difficult to extricate himself.

As for Stavn, who was standing to the side, he seemed to have lost his soul.

He genuinely felt at first:

What kind of prodigy is this in the challenger group?
Is it a contestant from CN?

What kind of top geniuses can emerge from that kind of CS desert?
In addition, he wanted to support his good friend Jabbi during the interview and suppress the arrogance of the opposing newcomer, so he didn't hold back in his attacks. He also used underhanded tactics like "whipping the dead" at the beginning of the match, all in an attempt to give the opposing newcomer a hard time and break his mentality.

However, he never expected that...
That young guy over there has an insanely good mentality!
Not only did he not get to her mindset, but he actually managed to turn the tables on her!
Stavn was now terrified that one night, when he pulled back the covers, he would find the bed filled with gleaming daggers, and someone would rush at him yelling, "Don't run! Let me stab you! Just once! If you run, I'll kill you!"

Stavn couldn't help but shiver as he thought about it, a chill running down his spine.

Just then, a figure stood in front of him, blocking the light.

Stavn, who was sitting down, subconsciously raised his head and saw Meng Lang.

With his height of 1.9 meters and his smooth, explosive muscle lines, along with his broad shoulders, Meng Lang exuded a subtle sense of pressure simply by standing there.

Stavn involuntarily shuddered and instinctively avoided Meng Lang's gaze.

In fact, apart from those muscular men who also love fitness, most people would feel an invisible pressure in front of someone like Meng Lang who has both height and a strong physique.

There's even a kind of pressure that's unique to dribblers!

It's exactly the same as when he picks up an AK and pushes forward in the game!
However, in reality, Meng Lang's smile at this moment was quite refined and gentle, giving people the first impression that this Eastern boy was easy to get along with, and even a little shy.

When shaking hands, Meng Lang even gave Stavn, who was looking down, a friendly smile.

Unfortunately, Stavn, who had a guilty conscience, felt a chill run down his spine from that smile, and his fingers trembled slightly as he shook hands with her.

Touch it and then leave.

As if afraid of getting burned.

Idea Bro, who had just shaken hands and exchanged a few words with Old Ni, took in the whole scene and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This not only determined the winner on the field, but also the winner off the field.

Sometimes, the psychological aspect of "winning or losing" off the field is even more important.

In the professional CS scene, there are cases where a single match leaves a lasting negative impression, causing players to underperform or even collapse whenever they face a particular player.

The author even expressed some concern that after today's crushing defeat, the ID "Dark" might really become an insurmountable mental obstacle in Stavn's professional career!

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it too much for the time being.

Stavn was someone he had personally trained from the youth academy and on whom he had placed high hopes.

However, some things, especially psychological hurdles, ultimately need to be faced and resolved by the individuals involved themselves.

Turning around, Brother Dianzi composed himself, put on a professional smile again, shook hands firmly with Meng Lang who had walked over, and patted him on the shoulder with great appreciation, saying sincerely, "You played very well! You are indeed an... amazing player! I hope we will have the opportunity to play against each other again in the future."

He was eager to see what surprises this young man would bring next time they met.

Upon hearing this, Meng Lang's smile remained unchanged, and he said with clear and earnest eyes, "I'm looking forward to it."

He was genuinely looking forward to it.

Although he spent every night in the system's simulation training space battling FAZE on the map Mirage, and was exposed to his older brother Karrigan's various imaginative tactics, he felt that his understanding of the map had deepened considerably.

But today, cadiaN's flexible, highly aggressive dynamic defensive system still impressed him greatly!

I experienced the charm of a top-notch conductor in a different style.

Unfortunately, even the best tactics require top-notch players to execute them perfectly.

HEROIC was clearly out of form today, especially Stavn... which meant that although he won by a large margin, to be honest, his touch wasn't quite there yet.

It's like you've just finished warming up.
The game ended, but the excitement was still palpable.

To put it bluntly, it's like they haven't even had their fill of the game yet.

When Dianzi heard Meng Lang say "I'm really looking forward to it," and combined it with the other man's eager look, he was immediately struck by Meng Lang's words.

Unexpectedly, he could clearly sense that Meng Lang's words were sincere from the bottom of his heart.

Moreover, he could vaguely sense it.
The reason the other party was looking forward to it was that they felt they hadn't had enough fun playing today!

The idea guy was taken aback, and a bitter smile welled up in his heart.

These young people nowadays...

They really are all "internet addicts".

In their eyes, CS might simply be a thrilling and exciting "game" that requires all their passion to conquer.

It's a game.
That's definitely going to be a lot of fun!

We had a great time!
That way you won't feel like you haven't had enough.

He was actually like that when he was young and just starting out as a professional gamer. All he could think about was gunfights, killing people, and winning matches. It was simple and fun.

But when what he loved became his profession, especially as the team commander, he needed to spend a lot of mental energy every day to study tactics, analyze opponents, and coordinate team members. It was no longer possible for him to treat CS as a "game" to enjoy the process, as he used to.

This involves too much responsibility, pressure, and calculation of winning or losing.

After shaking hands with Meng Lang, he turned around and easily left the studio with Leonardo DiCaprio. Dianzi glanced at Stavn, who was still somewhat lost and dejected, and Jabbi, who was equally silent, and a feeling of regret welled up in his heart.

Why……

Why can't he encounter a pure player like Dark during his professional career, someone with top-notch talent, a strong mentality, and a passion for the game?
For a commander known for his tactics and nurturing new talent, what a rewarding and fortunate thing it would be to encounter such a promising young talent during the prime of his career, and to guide him through his growth with his own careful guidance and tactical system, watching him transform from a rising star into a superstar step by step...

At that moment, watching the G2 players leave, Dianzi suddenly felt a little envious of Leonardo DiCaprio.

……

6657 live broadcast room.

"It's over! Look at how the snake was dodging and avoiding eye contact when it shook hands with Dark. I feel like this guy is really going to be driven crazy by Dark."

Watching the handshake shot cut to by the director, Wanji laughed so hard he slapped his stomach, saying, "I doubt even Dark himself expected this before the match."

He then glanced at the barrage of comments spamming "Look at the stats" and said with a smile, "Look at the stats? Okay, with a score of 16:2 today, and I remember Dark didn't die once in the second half, these stats... must be a bit exaggerated, right?"

While playing with the machine, he skillfully opened HLTV's official post-match statistics page.

ID: G2-Dark
K/D (Kills/Deaths): 34 / 4
ADR (Average Damage Per Turn): 155.1
Rating (Overall Score): 2.54
Upon seeing this dazzlingly impressive data while working on the machine, I couldn't help but gasp, my voice rising an octave:

"Holy crap!!! What insane data is this?!"

"Dark has once again achieved a rating of over 2.5, just like last time in Sand City 2! 2.54! This guy is insane! This is practically smurfing data in ranked matches!"

"What other data do you want to see in the live chat? Matchup data? Who's up against whom?"

"Oh! You mean Dark and Jabbi? I remember now, before the match, Stavn strongly supported his good friend Jabbi, saying that Jabbi was better than Dark. Both of them are currently free agents in the team, so it's definitely worth comparing them."

"But! Before I look at the data, there's something I must say first,"

The analyst tried to remain objective, saying, "I'm not trying to defend anyone. This head-to-head data doesn't fully represent the skill gap between two liberos. You have to look at who's attacking and who's defending, and what their tactical priorities are. Besides, HEROIC lost today, right? His overall stats were poor, so it's normal for Jabbi's stats to be slightly worse than Dark's..."

While he was still laying the groundwork, he had already opened the detailed matchup statistics between the two players.

[Dark vs. Jabbi - 12:1]

The next second, the sound of the machine stopped abruptly, his eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed with all his might:
"Holy crap!!! 12:1!!! I'm totally out of control!!!"

"Dude! Even if the gap is huge, how could it be this big?! This Jabbi got completely destroyed by Dark, okay?! Are they even in the same league as a free agent?!"

"The difference is just too big!!! This isn't even on the same level anymore!!"

"I'm stunned, guys! These stats are brutal!" "That's it! Oh! That's it! That snake had the nerve to say before the match, 'I find it hard to agree that Dark is the strongest rookie; in my opinion, Jabbi is the better one!'"

"You say that, and then look at these appalling matchup stats today. Do you even feel ashamed?"

"Wait! It's not a guy!"

Playing with the machine was like suddenly discovering some earth-shattering secret; his voice abruptly lengthened:
"Snake—! You're not a mixed breed snake, are you?!"

The live stream chat was immediately flooded with comments about this imaginative interpretation of playing with machines!
"Don't say it! Don't say it!"

"This snake-shaped iron string is definitely real!"

"Appearing supportive on the surface, but actually betraying us!"

"Hilarious! They really are just fair-weather friends!"

"."

At the same time, while domestic live streaming rooms were buzzing with discussions about exaggerated data and quirky commentary on machine manipulation,

In the dressing room of the Antwerp studio.

The FAZE team, who were waiting for their match to begin in the Legends Group with a score of 0-1, also watched the crushing defeat of G2 and HEROIC.

"16:2? Looking at it this way... our loss yesterday seems pretty 'respectable'?"

Broky smacked his lips and couldn't help but say, with a somewhat complicated tone, "G2's momentum in this Major is amazing! They're like a completely different team compared to their performance at IEM Katowice this year!"

What's the difference?
Karrigan, the older cousin behind him, and Rain, the Rain God, exchanged a glance and saw the same answer in each other's eyes.

What else?

Isn't it just that their original support player JackZ was demoted and replaced by a young Chinese player named Dark?
But this Dark... is really a bit different.

My older cousin's expression turned a little strange whenever he thought about this.

After a detailed review last night, he discovered an even more alarming fact.

This Dark has an incredibly high individual firepower, which is one thing? In FPS games, which prodigy wasn't a top-tier gunner when they first started out?

The key thing is that this guy seems to really understand FAZE's playstyle and habits.

This led to his meticulously designed tactics being interpreted by the enemy in advance during the nuclear crisis, causing him to doubt whether his commands were too formulaic.

He even absurdly suspected that someone had sneaked into his room and copied his USB drive full of tactics.

But of course, that's a joke.

He can steal his USB drive, but he can't possibly crawl into ROPZ's head to see what this world-class free agent is thinking, can he?

But in fact, he is one of the world's top free agents!

Yesterday, ROPZ was indeed repeatedly predicted and targeted by the opponent in the nuclear field.

That kind of interpretation,

It's not the kind of passive response where you just react to whatever I do.

Instead, it evokes a terrifying sense of déjà vu, as if "I've already anticipated your predictions before you've even done anything."

The older cousin turned to look at ROPZ beside him, who was still deep in thought, his chin resting on his hands. He couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Alright." The older cousin glanced at the time his team was about to play; today they were playing against the 0-1 BNE.

He clapped his hands, drawing the team's attention. "G2's easy and decisive victory over HEROIC today proves at least one thing—"

He paused, looked around at the team members, and said seriously, "The problem isn't with FAZE itself, that we're not strong enough! It's that every opponent in the Antwerp Major Legends Group is very strong. Even a team like G2, which came up from the Challengers Group, has the ability to upset any strong team!"

"So what we need to do is become stronger than them! We need to adjust ourselves and prepare for every battle!"

At this point, the older brother's gaze involuntarily drifted to the live stream, where the G2 players were packing up their peripherals and leaving, chatting and laughing.

"Now that we know how strange Dark is, if we meet again in the championship group, we will be fully prepared and definitely be able to win!"

Will the champions meet?

At this, the eyes of everyone in FAZE immediately sharpened, and their fighting spirit was rekindled!
To be honest, I was surprised to lose to G2 in the BO1 yesterday, a team that I had easily defeated 3-0 in the IEM Katowice finals.

In FAZE, the team with the original Cato cast, who doesn't harbor resentment and unwillingness?
If they really have the chance to meet again in the championship group, in that single-elimination stage where it's either you or me, it will undoubtedly be their best stage for revenge.

If they can redeem themselves in that kind of competition and send G2 home, then the ultimate winner of this Antwerp Major will undoubtedly be their super team, FAZE!

Thinking of this, everyone felt a surge of excitement!
……

At the same time, in the main stage area of ​​the studio.

On the NAVI stage, NAVI, who had just easily defeated the German team BIG in the 1-0 group stage, also ended their match.

16:4, a score that is acceptable to everyone, considering NAVI's normal performance.

But against a team like BIG, if they concede even one more point, the NAVI players will likely feel it's their mistake and need to go back and thoroughly review the game.

After all, as "born winners," they created a breathtaking "black gold dynasty" for NAVI last year!
What is black gold?

That's the iconic, imposing black and gold color scheme of the NAVI team's uniforms.

A dynasty, on the other hand, is built upon solid, overwhelming military achievements!
Throughout the past year, this team has demonstrated astonishing dominance, sweeping almost all the top tournaments they have participated in, including the prestigious PGL Stockholm Major, IEM Cologne, and ESL Pro League Season 14, among other heavyweight titles.

The team not only boasts outstanding individual abilities, but also demonstrates world-class tactical execution and teamwork.

Its absolute core player, s1mple, has returned to his peak. With his impeccable performance, he personally broke the team's reign as the number one player on the HLTV TOP1 list and once again reached the pinnacle of individual CS skill!
"That team that just passed by... was it G2?"

At this moment, s1mple, who had just recovered from the not-too-tiring match, took off his headphones and was about to get up to shake hands with BIG when he caught a glimpse of the G2 group, who were chatting and laughing and were about to leave the studio.

He vaguely remembered that the opposing team, like their NAVI, was also in the 1-0 group today.

Judging from their relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, they must have won the game.

And...it seems to have been even faster than when NAVI beat BIG?
Seeing that even s1mple, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, was actually giving G2 a slightly concerned look, B1t suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but laugh and say:

Did you see that interview too?

"What interview?"

s1mple didn't react immediately and asked casually.

B1t winked, a teasing smile on his face, and reminded him, "It's Dark, that rookie from CN on G2. He said it in an interview after advancing from the Challengers Group. He said... his goal for this year's Major is to become TOP1."

ElectroNic, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. He nudged s1mple lightly with his elbow and teased, "Did you hear that? Someone's challenging your throne. This guy... won't that affect your chances of getting TOP1 this year?"

Upon hearing this, s1mple lazily raised his eyelids, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"So you were talking about that interview? Haha, I saw it, but getting the top spot isn't something you can just talk about."

A rifleman vying for the top spot of the year?
s1mple felt that worrying for even a second was unnecessary.

He didn't even care about the cargo, so why would he worry about a rookie rifleman?

Coach B1ad3 looked at s1mple's unwavering, seemingly innate confidence and arrogance, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

This domineering aura of "I am the only one who matters" and "I am the only one who matters"!

Without a doubt, this is the core competitiveness and spirit of the NAVI team.

With such a core leader, how could the dynasty not continue?

It seems that this year,

It's going to be another "misfortune" year!

If s1mple can successfully take the TOP1 title this year, he will occupy an extremely advantageous position in the discussion of the "GOat" in CSGO history with an absolute lead of "three-time TOP1".

The "Senzai War," which has lasted for several years, seems to be coming to a temporary end.

As for Dark, the young man from the East who declared in an interview that his goal is to be number 1 this year?

Sorry, but in coach B1ad3's opinion, he absolutely does not believe that he is qualified to snipe s1mple for the TOP1 spot, nor is he a stumbling block for NAVI to continue their dynasty this year.

Yes, he studied G2's matches on the first day of the Challengers and Legends groups and watched some of Menglang's POVs.

He admitted that Meng Lang's marksmanship was very accurate and fast.

It exudes that explosive power unique to those dark horse young players that we see every year!
But he always believed that CSGO was not the kind of game where you just rush out and kill people.

Such players might be able to dominate in favorable situations and against weaker teams, which seems quite frightening.

However, once they encounter a truly top-tier team with a well-developed system and extensive experience!
Faced with extremely high tactical discipline and teamwork...

The faster you rush,

Then he will lose even faster.

Thinking of this, B1ad3 suddenly shook his head self-deprecatingly.

I feel like I've wasted some of my energy.

How could the dynasty's foundation belonging to NAVI be shaken by a newly emerged gunner?
(End of this chapter)