Above the mage

Chapter 731 Ace Player

The referee's voice was serious as he slowly announced the rules for the next round.

Every word was clearly amplified through the magical sound-amplifying array and transmitted to the ears of everyone present: "The third round, a gauntlet match."

"Each side must send four players to compete. The list of players must be determined in advance by the team leader and submitted to the referee team for record. No changes or replacements are allowed at the last minute."

"The competition adopts a continuous one-on-one duel format, with only two players facing off in each round."

The loser is completely disqualified from all subsequent matches in this round, while the winner remains on the field to face the next opponent.

"The side that loses all four players on one side wins the round."

At this point, the head referee slowly explained the reason for setting up this match: "In a real battlefield, mages will inevitably encounter the enemy's attrition tactics of attrition."

"The enemy takes turns attacking, depleting our mages' mana and stamina. Once our strength is weakened, they will launch a fatal blow."

Alternatively, our side may need to use a small number of mages to tie down a large portion of the enemy's forces, buying time for the main force to deploy, retreat, or attack.

"This game is simulating this scenario."

"Mages need to control mana consumption during continuous battles, quickly adjust their tactics when facing different types of opponents, and also test the team's player deployment strategy and reasonable arrangement of the order of battle in order to win with minimal losses."

从考验综合协同的3v3夺旗战，到考验双人默契的2v2擂台对决，再到考验续航与策略的4v4车轮战。

Each round of the competition has a completely different format, and the playing style needs to be adjusted accordingly.

It features both the awe-inspiring clash of mages' spells and the exquisite tactical maneuvering.

In terms of visual appeal alone, it's already top-notch.

The audience held their breath, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The referee didn't give everyone much time to think and continued to announce the rules for the next round in a deep voice: "The fourth round is a team deathmatch."

"Each side sends five players to the field. There are no restrictions on the field, and no compliant spells or tactical combinations are prohibited."

The two sides engaged in a direct magical battle until all five members of one side were rendered incapable of fighting.

The referee's tone grew increasingly serious: "This is the most traditional and closest to large-scale battlefield team battles."

In real warfare, mage teams typically consist of groups of five or more, forming basic combat groups, rather than engaging in individual combat.

"In such a combat group, each mage has a clear role: some are responsible for building defenses, some for suppressing enemy forces, and some for sustaining, healing, and supporting their teammates..."

"This game will test each team's ability to coordinate operations, deploy tactics, and develop synergy among its members."

"Only by working together with one heart and one mind and using the same tactics can we defeat our opponents in head-on team battles and win this game."

At this point, the referee deliberately paused for a few breaths, giving the mages present time to digest and understand the rules and significance of this round.

"The fifth round, which is the decisive round, is a one-on-one duel."

"If the first four rounds end in a tie, the final decisive round, i.e., a one-on-one duel, will begin."

"Each side will send out one player to compete in a pure mage duel, and the winning team will advance directly to the next round."

""

"This is not only the ultimate test of the individual strength of the mages in each team, but also more in line with the ultimate direction of real warfare."

"When both sides are evenly matched, the peak combat power of the two sides' mages is often the key to breaking the stalemate and determining the final winner of the entire war."

"A top-tier mage is capable of turning the tide of battle and averting disaster single-handedly."

This round is precisely to select mages who truly possess top-tier individual combat capabilities, and also to provide each team with the final opportunity to showcase their core combat strength.

At this point, the format of all five games has been determined.

Following this, the head referee added a key rule regarding the players on the court: "The list of players on the court for each round shall be submitted to the referee team by the team leader before the start of each round."

The same player can play in multiple consecutive games without mandatory rotation or rest.

"This is both a test of the mage's physical strength and mana endurance, and also to facilitate each team to flexibly formulate tactics and maximize the role of the core members."

"However, in order to encourage tactical diversity and avoid over-reliance on a single unconventional player, and also to protect young mages from injury due to continuous high-intensity combat, there is a rule restricting ace players in this elimination round."

"Specifically, each team can select one mage from the opposing team and declare him as their ace player to the referee panel."

"In the five matches of this round of elimination, the mage who is declared as the ace player can only participate in a maximum of two matches and cannot appear more than twice."

"This clause applies to all rounds of this knockout stage, and the status of an ace player cannot be changed or revoked after the declaration."

"If the nominated ace player withdraws from the competition due to injury, depletion of mana, or other reasons, the team may not designate a new ace player."

"In subsequent matches, the team essentially relinquished its right to restrict the opponent's star player."

As soon as the referee finished speaking, a commotion erupted on the field.

Both the diversity of competition formats and the somewhat strange ace player clause are highly topical.

Silver Dragon's Nest.

After the event, the entire Golden Flower Dynasty mage team gathered here to discuss their tactical arrangements for the knockout stage.

"Mage Fritz, why is there a clause for this ace player? This is so unreasonable."

Before the mage Fritz, who was leading the group, could speak, Feng Lin frowned and offered her opinion.

"Competitions are about skill, so why limit the number of times top players can play?"

She never expected that the competition would suddenly add such a seemingly fair but actually highly targeted rule.

"I also sensed something was wrong, so after the rules were announced, I went to investigate the inside story." Mage Fritz spread his hands, his tone tinged with helplessness, and slowly said, "This rule was jointly proposed by the Holy Empire and Linhai City, and it was only finalized after some back and forth."

"Their reason was to comprehensively test the overall quality of the mage team and avoid the competition becoming a showcase of individual heroism, thus ignoring the team's overall combat strength."

"That sounds nice, but isn't it just targeting us and Princess Liuying?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in Feng Lin's eyes, her tone was impolite, and her voice rose slightly.

"They were afraid of Princess Liuying, afraid that she could crush them with her own power, so they went to great lengths to design this rule."

"Limiting the captain's appearances is an attempt to disrupt our plans."

Everyone assumed that as long as Liu Ying was there, they didn't need to worry about losing the game.

But things became complicated once this ace player clause was introduced.

"Feng Lin makes a good point, but what I'm more puzzled about is why the Dynasty would agree to terms that are clearly targeting us?"

Cedric frowned, his gaze falling on the mage Fritz, grasping the crux of the problem, his tone full of confusion.

"We were initially vehemently opposed," Master Fritz sighed.

"But first of all, the Holy Empire, together with Linhai City, put pressure on us, and the reasons they gave were all high-sounding, such as to improve the entertainment value and suspense of the game and to encourage tactical diversity."

"Furthermore, news of this magic competition has spread throughout the entire continent, and mages and forces from various countries have gathered in Mithril City."

""

"If we forcefully refuse, causing problems in the competition, it will inevitably affect the dynasty's image, give them ammunition for criticism, and harm the dynasty's reputation."

"On the other hand, we also weighed the pros and cons. This rule only limits ace players to a maximum of two games."

"With Liu Ying's strength, a victory is almost guaranteed as long as she plays. Two matches mean we've already secured two points."

"There are still three matches left. The rest of our team members are all the most outstanding genius mages of our time. Even without Liu Ying's participation, we shouldn't be unable to win even one match."

"So this restriction, while having an impact, is not unacceptable."

"After a heated struggle and argument, the dynasty finally agreed to the terms, which can be considered a compromise."

"As compensation, the Holy Empire offered to raise the champion's reward to a higher level, with funding provided by them."

"How hypocritical. If you're scared, just admit it, and come up with all these high-sounding reasons." Evan curled his lip in disdain, his tone full of sarcasm.

"I really thought the Holy Empire was so powerful, but it turns out they only know how to use these underhanded methods and don't dare to compete with us openly."

"They call it compensation, but if we don't win the championship, the reward will still end up in their hands." Evan saw through the flaw in their argument.

"Therefore, you must win this Magic Fighting Tournament," said Mage Fritz solemnly.

"That's true. Even without the captain, it's hard to say whether we can win all three remaining games, but we should at least be able to secure one victory," Gareth said in a deep voice, his tone full of confidence.

They were all genius mages selected by the dynasty, just not as good as Liu Ying. They had enough confidence to face mages of the same age from other countries.

The other team members nodded in agreement.

Even without Liu Ying, this team actually has the strength to win the championship.

"The rules have been set, and no matter how many opinions we have, it won't change anything. Instead of complaining, we should focus on discussing the next tactical arrangements. That's the most important thing." Mage Fritz clapped his hands, setting the tone.

He swept his gaze across the crowd, finally settling on Liu Ying, and slowly said, "Without a doubt, Liu Ying will definitely be telegraphed as the ace player by the opponent."

Therefore, we must consider your match schedule in advance; we cannot decide on the spot. Otherwise, we will only find ourselves in a passive position.

"Considering the characteristics of each game, the mana consumption, and the tactical requirements, my idea is that the best time for Flowing Fire to appear is mainly in the gauntlet battle of the third game and the team deathmatch of the fourth game." Mage Fritz paused, slowly stating his plan and explaining his reasons.

"In a five-game match, the interval between each game will not exceed ten minutes. Even without the restriction of ace players, it is often impossible to play in every game."

"After all, a mage's mana depletion is inevitable. Ten minutes is simply not enough time for a mage to recover a large amount of mana, unless they completely overwhelm their opponent and do not need to consume too much mana."

"In the five games, the team deathmatch and the gauntlet battle were the two games that consumed the most mana."

"The wheel battle requires continuous combat and demands extremely high endurance; the team deathmatch is a full-scale battle of all five members, with intense magical clashes and a huge consumption of mana."

"Having Liu Ying play in these two rounds will maximize her strength and also conserve the mana of our other team members as much as possible."

"Especially in the third round of the gauntlet, when Liu Ying comes on stage, there is a high probability that she can clear the round by herself and defeat all four of the opposing players."

"It's like turning this 4v4 battle into a 1v4 battle. This way, our team members who have lost mana or been injured in the first two rounds can use this time to receive timely treatment and recover their mana, so they can fully prepare for the upcoming team battle and create a positive cycle."

"Mage Fritz, I have a question." Evan frowned, raised his hand, and asked with a puzzled tone, "The captain is the strongest individually, so why doesn't he participate in the one-on-one duel that most requires individual strength?"

"Assuming victory can be guaranteed by the captain's appearance, the least suitable match for Your Highness is precisely the final one-on-one duel." Before Fritz could explain the reason, Cedric had already figured it out and took the initiative to enlighten Evan.

"Think about it, if Your Highness chooses to make one of the matches a one-on-one duel, the Empire, if prepared, can simply choose to forfeit the match."

"They're putting their own star players in crucial matches like gauntlet battles and team deathmatches, so the game never goes to the fifth inning."

"As for the gauntlet battle and the team deathmatch, one requires four players to fight and the other requires five. No matter how the opponent arranges it, they will most likely send their ace players to the field, at least in one match," Feng Lin continued, her logic clear.

"We put our captain in these two games so that he could face off against the opponent's ace player and break down their core strength."

"This way, we can not only win these two games, but also reduce the number of games played by the opponent's ace player, clearing the way for our subsequent games. That way, it won't be a loss."

Feng Lin and Cedric's words instantly jolted Evan awake, and he smiled sheepishly, "I hadn't thought of that."

Liu Ying stood quietly to the side, her expression calm and indifferent.

Only then did she speak to Fritz, saying, "I have no objections. We'll do as Mage Fritz arranges. No matter which two matches I play, I will make sure to win."

Seeing Liu Ying nod, the matter was considered temporarily settled.

"Our first opponent is the Blackrock Principality's mage team."

"The level of this match is about the group stage. Their players are mostly third-ring mages. The only thing worth noting is that their captain is an early fourth-ring mage."

"However, during the group stage, they were grouped with the Holy Empire. Knowing they were no match for the Holy Empire, they did not let him play in order to conserve their strength."

"The knockout stage is a direct life-or-death situation, so they will definitely go all out. We need to be a little more careful, but that's about it."

"This match is just a practice session at best, so we should focus on conserving our strength. Cedric, Gareth, and Streaming should stay out of the game."

"For the first capture-the-flag game, Gao De, Aria, and Evan, the three of you will play."

"Gorde and Aria will definitely crush the other third-ring mages on the other side. Evan, you're in charge of ensuring their safety. If the other side sends out their captain in this match, then you'll be responsible for dealing with him."

"In the second 2v2 match, Gao De and Evan took to the court."

"In the third round of the all-in-one tournament, Gao De, Evan, Ailiya, and Feng Lin took to the court."

"Let's arrange it like this for now and aim for a quick 3-0 victory."

"No problem," the four who weren't called on immediately replied.

>