Chapter 352 – 352. Draw Ceremony

Mad Tiger Gaming vs Tintin Chimera.

It was a match that didn’t mean much as both teams had already qualified for the finals.

However, some viewers consider it as a preview final, so the symbolism was at a level that could not be ignored.
In fact, it was these teams that played last year’s World Championship finals.
Even this year there was no guarantee that the same two teams would not play in the final.

“Which team do you think will win?”

As we were all sitting in the living room looking at the monitor, Ryu Seo-yoon, who was sitting next to us, asked.
I thought for a while and replied.

“Perhaps the Tintin Chimera?”

I’m sorry for Mad Tiger Gaming, who has always been arguing with our team, but to be honest, it is.

The performance of Tintin Chimera shown so far is so overwhelming that it is impossible to draw a picture for Mad Tiger Gaming to capture them.

Coach Hwangbo also nodded at my words.

“I think it would be possible if Mad Tiger Gaming operated with sincerity, but… It won’t be easy either.”

Mad Tiger Gaming is also a warlike team, so you won’t be able to stand it all day until your opponent collapses.
I think the moment when I get angry and face off against an opponent is the right moment to decide the outcome.

It was so important how much you could wage an all-out war against the Tintin Chimera.

“Ah, let’s begin.”

The game started while talking with the players.

As expected, Mad Tiger Gaming tried to look at the second half with a stable combination, and Tintin Chimera filled it up with their own most picks.
It was a very simple strategy even after watching and analyzing it several times.
Regardless of the overall picture, I simply choose characters that are good at fighting and have confidence as a player.

“As a combination, Mad Tiger Gaming is far superior… “

The synergy in teamfights was much better, and Mad Tiger Gaming had an advantage in 2v2 fights between mid and jungle or top and jungle.
If the opponent was a normal match rather than Tintin Chimera, I would have expected Mad Tiger Gaming to win.

But anyway.
As soon as the game began, the Tintin Chimera continued to display incredible strength.

“Are they just brutes?”

Heo Sook-hee said with a laugh.
I also completely agreed with that statement.

Like an animal that eats when it is hungry and sleeps when it is sleepy, it is said that they fight and push the line as they see fit.

“As expected, it can’t be done with a normal ban pick.”

Hwang Ji-yeon muttered with a serious face.
This, too, was agreed upon.

Mad Tiger Gaming, which we used to beat, was never physically weak.
No, rather, in the case of Psychic or Carryman, they used to show better physical than our players.

However, Tintin Chimera looked one step above that.
I predicted that fact to some extent and chose a combination that focused on the second half and tried to win with growth based on operation, but even that was not easy.
The difference widens before you even try to grow properly, and you gradually fall into an irreversible pit.

“Ah… Do you lose teamfights like this?”
“The situation is already very bad. I can’t help but look forward to Tintin Chimera’s mistakes, but even if they make mistakes, they’re a team that somehow overcomes them physically… “
“As expected, it is the Tintin Chimera who conquered China. Should we call it a team worthy of a martial arts country?”

Commentators and casters also throw negative comments and admit that the possibility of a reversal is extremely low.
And the flow of the game flowed without any major variables, and eventually the core of Mad Tiger Gaming exploded and ended with their defeat.

“…”
“…”

As the game ended, silence fell in the living room.
I tried to watch other teams’ games with a happy heart in my free time, but it only created anxiety for no reason.

“…Shall we practice?”

Ryu Seo-yoon said with a nervous face.
I also couldn’t hide the many complicated thoughts I had.

###

Even after that, if there was one more surprise, it was the defeat of Extreme Korea Telecom, a 3-seed team in Korea.

This time, I didn’t meet a team of candidates like Tintin Chimera or Crystal Snake.
He met Brazil’s Carp Brasilia, known as the rising dark horse, and was defeated in an absurd way.

“You’ve been preparing a lot at CARPF.”
“This World Championship is like the debut of supernovae. The overall level has improved a lot compared to last year.”
“I think being careless is also one of the reasons. However, Mexico is a game powerhouse that has consistently been in the quarterfinals for a long time.”

Fortunately, Extreme Korea Telecom had already accumulated up to 7 wins, so even if they lost 1, there was nothing that would prevent them from advancing to the final stage.

Of course, it couldn’t be helped that the fans who support Korean teams were disappointed because of that 1 loss.

[Everyone starts with one loss each from the preliminaries… ]
[Did the international exhibition fail again? Should we look forward to next year?]
[The last hope is the Battle Angels.]
[Battle Angels are the last hope… Isn’t this a joke?]
[I knew Extreme Korea Telecom would end up like this haha. Rather, we should be thankful that it ended with 1 loss.]
[Rosé should retire now. I watched it a lot for one reason that it was pretty.]

When I checked the community a little bit, I was sure there were a lot of negative reactions.
Perhaps if our team had been defeated, the fans in the domestic league would have been upset.

Is it because of that?
Recently, the evaluation of our team, which is getting better and better, has jumped to the point where there is no more evaluation.

[Honestly, I think it would have been worth trying if Tintin Chimera were even Battle Angels.]
[Mad Tiger Gaming is not the ace of ACK]
[Ah~ I’m glad hahaI thought the 1st seed in Korea was defeated haha]
[Angels, will you? ㅠㅠ]
[I’ll be satisfied with just 2nd place in this World Championship… It can’t be crazy.]

Anticipation and worry.
In an atmosphere mixed with subtle emotions, the clubs that have finally advanced to the final stage have been confirmed.

And the long-awaited group lottery came.

We gathered in the practice room and watched the live broadcast while waiting for the group drawing ceremony.
It was a method that other clubs did a lot because many fans were curious about which teams would join and what the reaction of the opposing team or our team would be when it was confirmed.

In fact, the group lottery drew quite a lot of real-time viewers and views, but even our live broadcast right now had tens of thousands of people.
As the World Championship period approached, foreign language chats began to appear in the chat window thanks to international attention.

“Which team do you most want to meet, coach?”

In particular, the staff at the front desk who worked as the camera director asked.
Since live broadcasting is still burdensome for us, we ask and answer questions according to the pre-arranged script.

“Hmm… “

Hwangbo Jiyeon pretended to think for a moment, then she said.

“It must be Tintin Chimera.”

Tintin Chimera, who recently gained momentum after defeating Mad Tiger Gaming.
It could be said to be the most powerful championship candidate and rival team.

“Then the crystal snake.”

Crystal Snake did not get a chance to show off his strength by avoiding confrontations with strong teams in the preliminaries, but looking at the game, it was clear that he was as strong as rumors.

However, in response to her stiff answer, Ryu Seo-yoon jokingly said.

“Ah, it’s not like that in the real heart.”
“You mean?”
“We are the strongest, but what team do you hate meeting!”

At Ryu Seo-yoon’s words full of ambition, a small laugh spread.
Thanks to her, she didn’t do anything special, but the reaction in the chat window was warm.

“Uh? Start!”

Meanwhile, the group draw ceremony began in earnest.
The place that comes out of the monitor screen has changed from a desk to a stage.

There, a basket of balls is placed in the center, and several people stand behind it to draw the balls.

The rules of the group draw were very simple.
When the invited people pick a ball from the basket, they are placed in turn in 8 groups of 4 teams.
Eventually, a total of 32 teams will form 8 groups of 4 players, and the group draw will end.

One of the arena’s directors was the first to step up and pick the ball.

Slowly step forward and twist the drawn ball open to reveal the paper inside.

“Barnes Vortex.”

The first team selected was Vanz Vortex from Germany.
It was not a particularly memorable team.

Next, the second person next to him pulled out a previously selected ball and showed it to him.

“The Citizen.”

The first team in Pool B will be Australia’s The Citizen.
This is also not a team to be interested in.

There were two more people after that to draw the ball.
All were influencers or officials related to Arena.

And in an instant, eight teams were drawn, one team into each group.
One thing that stood out was China’s Ningning Gaming, which was in Group F.

“There are no tough groups yet.”

There was no sign of a group that would become the so-called group of hell.
The group draw ceremony then continues.

Another ball draw is held and as each group is filled with one more team, the outline of the group stage slowly begins to emerge.

“Is Group G Hell?”
“It looks that way.”

Group G was simply Crystal Snake, but the atmosphere changed dramatically.
However, there are still many strong teams that have not been selected.

In the following third and fourth draws, it was seen that the composition of the round of 16 was completely different.
And in the third, the name of our team appears.