Looking at the glaring halftime score frozen on the screen—11:4.
Ropz shifted his gaze away, his expression somewhat unnatural.
That last round… how had they lost it?
He was used to appearing and disappearing like a ghost, delivering fatal blows from the shadows. He had never imagined that in the final crucial clutch of the half, he would be toyed with so completely by the other side.
To put it bluntly, the opponent had practically been waiting at A site for him to stick his head out and die.
Honestly, it felt pretty awful!
And he kept having the illusion that that person seemed to understand him very, very well.
So well that it was even a little frightening!
What was going on?
Over at FAZE’s player seats, the others’ expressions were similarly unpleasant.
Aside from rain and broky, who had not really gone head-to-head with Meng Lang much and thus looked slightly better.
Karrigan, the in-game leader who had called several proud tactics in the first half only for Meng Lang to mercilessly destroy them with individual ability, and Twistzz, who had wanted to put on a “fastest legend outside” performance only to be shot out of midair by Meng Lang’s Desert Eagle the moment he took off—
Both their faces alternated between green and purple.
At this moment, Karrigan also had that same feeling—that the opponent seemed very familiar with his tactics. Every response did not feel like adapting move for move!
Instead…
Instead, it felt like practiced ease from having drilled the same problem set a thousand times!
But was that possible?
The two sides clearly had never had many chances to face each other before.
Karrigan was a little lost.
Only after a good while
did Karrigan, as the soul and commander of the team, forcefully steady his somewhat fluctuating emotions. He clapped his hands hard, trying to dispel the low mood hanging over the team, and said in his unique, slightly exaggeratedly optimistic tone:
“All right, boys! Listen, I think we played an excellent first half! Think about it—on Nuke, a map everyone knows is heavily CT-sided, we got a full 4 rounds as the attacking side! That is absolutely a huge advantage!”
Beside him, rain nearly could not hold back a dry cough when he heard that!
Huge?
4 rounds to 11—this advantage… how huge was it?
He was starting to doubt his ears.
Karrigan, however, did not feel awkward in the slightest. Without so much as a blush or a skipped heartbeat, he continued his great “team-unifying” endeavor:
“Believe me, I have a strong premonition that these precious 4 rounds will become the crucial foundation and starting point for our comeback in the second half! Of course, I must admit that today we did indeed… mm, underestimate this old opponent who fought their way up from the Challengers Stage, especially that rookie on their team, Dark!”
He paused, his tone turning a little more serious. “This guy has truly carried over, even surpassed, the explosive form he had in the Challengers Stage! And we seriously misjudged his proficiency and adaptability on Nuke! But—”
His tone shifted. His volume rose, confidence returning to his voice. “But none of that matters! Boys, remember this: on Nuke, what you need to do as the CT defenders is relatively simple. They have the advantage of map control from the very start. But in the second half, once we switch sides and it’s their turn to attack, that is when a player’s comprehensive ability and map understanding are truly tested!”
“Whether he’s really that good at Nuke—when the time comes, everything will be revealed!”
After hearing Karrigan’s words, which at least analyzed the problem, the gloom on the faces of FAZE’s players finally dispersed somewhat, and a bit of fighting spirit returned.
That was right. Nuke’s T side was the real touchstone!
At the same time, over at G2’s player seats, the atmosphere was completely different.
After being kicked to death by the other side at Katowice!
And with the hierarchy in this year’s Legends Stage so rigid!
For them, who were challenging those above them from below, to achieve this kind of result in the first half on Nuke truly delighted everyone beyond expectation!
Coach XTQZZZ looked extremely excited. He walked behind Meng Lang and gave his shoulders several heavy massages, his face blooming with a smile. “Meng! Well played! Fucking well played! Your Nuke really is insanely strong!”
Thinking back to the tactical adjustment in the first half,
ever since nexa had moved Meng Lang to that flexible support position on the third floor, in the following rounds, Meng Lang had truly been like a firefighter, rotating first to wherever danger appeared and defusing FAZE’s sharp attacks multiple times.
What did it mean to be the missing piece!
This was what a true championship puzzle piece looked like!
Those who could only be fixed to one position—
weak as hell, all right!
Niko also cut in with an amused smile. “Karrigan’s probably feeling pretty uncomfortable this map. He actually called a few very good tactics, and the ideas were very clear, but Dark wiped them all out with unreasonable aim and awareness. I’m thinking that the next time he runs into us, he’s probably going to remember this youngster on our team very, very clearly.”
Hearing this, everyone on G2 could not help laughing.
That pre-match interview where Karrigan had not taken Dark seriously had happened not far from them. At the time, none of them had been wearing noise-canceling headsets, so they had heard it perfectly clearly.
Thinking of how Karrigan had been laughing and talking then, looking like victory was already in his grasp, and then comparing it to his probably slightly green face when the first half ended, they could not help wanting to laugh just from imagining it.
At the same time, in the 6657 livestream room.
Wanjiqi was analyzing and summarizing: “G2 started as CT, and on Nuke, this heavily CT-sided map, they managed to take 11 rounds in the first half. This is a very big advantage. It means their mentality in the second half will be very relaxed, and their margin for error is very high, okay.”
At this point, he could not help laughing as he sighed. “Another thing is Dark as a point—he’s honestly a little ridiculous! Who could’ve imagined that after finishing his Challengers Stage matches and resting for two days, he’d come up looking like he’d gone into secluded cultivation, and the moment he returned, he picked up a USP and started popping heads like crazy, showing off the ‘results of his cultivation.’”
“And I’ve noticed that Dark is a player who gets into form very quickly every match. He’s not the kind of player who warms up slowly. A player like this has a huge advantage: once he gets his feel going, that fiery form and confidence very quickly infects and drives his teammates, making the entire team heat up rapidly too!”
“Look at the first half. Not only did NiKo and the kid play brilliantly, even huNter and nexa were very much online! Now it depends on the second half. If they can smoothly take the pistol round as soon as it starts, then I think G2 really might become the first team since the start of this Major’s Legends Stage to complete the miracle of ‘overthrowing those above from below’!”
The barrage in the livestream room instantly began flooding the screen crazily again:
[Haters, speak up! Is your Dark daddy strong or not?]
[Isn’t it just toppling the higher seed from below? What Vitality couldn’t do, my G2 will!]
[Where are the FAZE fans? Weren’t you all pretty loud just now?]
[What are you acting so cocky for, getting rounds on a CT-sided map? It’s only halftime!]
[Isn’t it normal to get a lot of CT rounds on Nuke? Acting like this is hilarious!]
[Dark! Keep it up! Charge!]
Very soon, the brief halftime break ended. In the second half, G2 moved to the attacking side, while FAZE went to the defensive side.
At the start of the second-half pistol round, Karrigan once again displayed his tricky calling style, calling an unconventional “ABGO” tactic.
The so-called “ABGO,” simply put, meant that the CT side would not hold their sites at the start. Instead, they would push forward simultaneously from B, hut, and squeaky door, rushing quickly into lobby to form a terrifying three-point crossfire against the T side that was still gathering or preparing to execute, aiming to get kills right from the opening and establish a numbers advantage.
In the 6657 livestream room, Wanjiqi immediately interpreted it:
“Oh! FAZE really has quite a few little tricks and schemes on this map. Karrigan also loves to gamble! This play is him gambling that the Ts won’t hit ramp immediately, but will gather in lobby to prepare their execute!”
“Not good! G2’s huNter and nexa, who were in lobby preparing utility, got caught by perfect timing! The two of them were completely caught off guard as soon as the round began and were instantly dropped!”
“NiKo outside, with Dark and the kid, saw something go wrong inside and immediately sped up down K1, wanting to go underground to B and plant. But FAZE’s rotation is too fast! And Karrigan was also very detailed—before rushing out into lobby, he left behind a molotov and a grenade. Just now, the ‘ABGO’ only popped flashes. Now the CTs coming down to B first burn dead spot and ninja!”
“The kid has been forced out by the fire! Broky directly taps him down with the USP! NiKo wants to look for an opportunity here too, but ropz, who wrapped behind, steals him from the back! Now only Dark is left! A desperate 1v5! Is there a miracle?”
“All right! No miracle… Dark is also swung by three FAZE players and directly smashed to death!”
“Wow! Karrigan’s ‘ABGO’ tactic really has something to it! The timing was far too accurate!”
After taking this round, FAZE successfully pulled one back, bringing the score to 5:11.
The FAZE fans in the livestream room immediately held their heads high!
On 6657’s barrage, many comments also began drifting past: “See that? This is the pistol round of a galactic battleship! Do you sisters have a pistol round like this?” “What’s there to brag about getting more CT rounds on Nuke? They can get rounds after switching sides all the same!” and the like.