Chapter 162: 162 Mount Flower VS Crying Angels 2_1
"Five new cards."
Watching the live broadcast in the Card City Hotel as well, Tan Heming narrowed his eyes. It’s really getting more and more interesting.
"Damn it." Luo Juerao was now filled with dread towards this Card Maker. "Ever since she appeared, so many cards have been released! Who exactly are these Immortals? Does she have a team of Card Makers behind her?"
Tan Heming said, "They don’t necessarily have to use the new cards in this match, and besides..." He pressed his tongue against his cheek, and his next words seemed to dissolve into the air: "It’s very likely they’ll play the Crying Maria card."
Luo Juerao’s eyes widened. "Would they really dare to use that? Have they gone mad? That card is truly sinister, as you well know."
Tan Heming shook his head. "It’s just a hunch, but Mount Flower’s card decisions are probably ultimately made by Wen Jiang. Given her temperament, it’s very likely she’ll allow it. We’ll just have to wait and see."
Luo Juerao fell silent for a moment before saying, "If that card isn’t banned, I can imagine the fans will go completely wild."
Associations that hadn’t banned that card had already learned their lesson. Could Mount Flower really be so stubborn?
When the other A-Rank Associations about to compete saw Mount Flower’s five new cards, alarm bells immediately rang in their heads.
Why do these cards look so unpromising? Why does their style resemble the Moon Palace Card Set so much?
Nowadays, associations were wary of the Moon Palace Card Set. To ban or not to ban was the question. If you didn’t ban it, you had to pick it; failing to get it spelled disaster.
In the past, their own strength carried the cards, but now, the strength of the cards carried them.
As a result, when targeting card sets for the ban selection, coaching teams had been forced to develop several new strategies. Many core cards that couldn’t be played before could now be used, making matches even tougher.
Of course, large associations weren’t afraid of these challenges.
But Mount Flower’s additional five cards were still a headache.
If the strength of these five cards was also overwhelmingly powerful, what would they do during the ban selection when facing Mount Flower?
The five members of the Crying Angels Association all had a similar Xi Zhou appearance. If not for her distinct memories as a Cultivator, Wen Jiang would have found it hard to tell these five men apart at a glance. Presumably, the other side felt the same about them.
Seeing Mount Flower’s new cards, the Crying Angels didn’t dare to be careless. They had obviously seen videos of Mount Flower’s competitions and exchanged glances upon seeing the new card set.
Soon, the Crying Angels drew the first ban rights. This meant Mount Flower would be able to pick cards first but would also be somewhat on the back foot.
Through the headset, Tang Qian directed them on which cards to ban, saying, "The Crying Angels will most likely play those three new cards directly. Whether you ban them or prepare to play against them is your call."
Chen Runyu, participating in an international event for the first time, asked in surprise, "Why?"
Tang Qian replied, "In the 90-to-30 elimination round, an association gets at most two chances. If the Crying Angels aren’t confident of a sure victory, they must use their new cards to beat us."
Then, the first card the Crying Angels banned was Jade Rabbit Pestle Medicine.
Indeed, they didn’t want the Moon Palace Card Set to be available. Either they couldn’t control it well themselves, or the Yunxia Association had a natural advantage with these three cards. It was natural for the Crying Angels not to want them played. And since their deck specialized in negative status effect cards, they most feared this type of unrestricted Healing Card. Thus, the first card they banned would definitely be the most threatening one.
Tang Qian said, "Ban Hou Yi."
Mount Flower banned Hou Yi.
For their second ban, the Crying Angels hesitated for a moment but still chose to ban Changer.
Mount Flower had an extra ban. After a moment of consideration, Tang Qian sighed and said, "Just do as you please. Since Crying Maria wasn’t banned, I don’t care much about the other cards."
Wen Jiang immediately said, "Quickly ban those four ugliest hellish monster cards."
She had been disgusted by them for a long time.
Everyone: "..."
Western card sets always had some cards that weren’t particularly pleasing to the eye, rumored to be from a hell-themed card set. If they were good-looking demon cards, that would be one thing, but these were the disfigured kind with pustules on their faces.
Wen Jiang didn’t just dislike ugliness; she fucking hated things that were deliberately disgusting.
The Crying Angels were indeed caught off guard by Mount Flower’s five new cards, unsure of their capabilities since they hadn’t seen them in action. With Mount Flower also having powerful core cards yet to be countered, the Crying Angels ultimately decided to ban Mount Flower’s strongest attack card. They also randomly picked two from the Four Heavenly Kings card set, resulting in Mo Lihai and Mo Liqing being banned, mainly to prevent Mount Flower from unleashing combo effects.
Su Daji and her two brothers were left available.
After the final ban phase was revealed, the live broadcast chat exploded in confusion.
The Crying Angels’ ban choices were at least within the commentators’ expectations; after all, dealing with five new cards isn’t easy. But what kind of move was it for Mount Flower not to ban Maria or any of the Crying Angels’ new cards?
The four cards they banned weren’t useless. One was even a core Control Card—ugly, perhaps, but effective.
However, Mount Flower’s bans seemed to be based purely on aesthetics, getting rid of the four ugliest cards...
It was really hard not to read too much into this.
Cyrus, the commentator from the Sanctuary Empire, was the first to voice his criticism. "It seems Yunxia’s Mount Flower Association is overly confident. They haven’t banned a single one of Crying Angels’ new cards, and they’ve even left a god-tier card like Crying Maria unbanned! I can declare right now: Mount Flower is doomed. They will pay for their arrogance."
Even the female host, Lillian, was surprised. "Not banning the new cards could be understood as wanting to witness their power. But not banning Crying Maria... Could Mount Flower’s coach be new? Do they not understand this card’s deterrent power?"
Cyrus shook his head. "A coach wouldn’t possibly jeopardize his team’s professional future. The Crying Angels didn’t ask for this; Mount Flower brought this upon themselves by practically handing it over. If I were them, I’d immediately pick Crying Maria and teach these arrogant Yunxia People a harsh lesson!"
Lillian sighed inwardly, wondering what was going through Mount Flower’s coach’s mind. To think that even a card like Crying Maria was allowed through.
Luo Juerao, who was watching the match, couldn’t help but give Tan Heming a thumbs-up. "You’ve really become her hardcore fan now, to be able to guess her thoughts like this."
Tan Heming chuckled softly. "Based on my long observations, she’s not only someone who enjoys excitement but also someone absolutely confident in her own strength. To be willing to play Crying Maria, I bet she has a way to ensure her teammates won’t be affected."
"Really?" Luo Juerao asked, somewhat incredulous. "Even you guys said that card is incredibly tricky. Does Wen Jiang truly have a way to counter it?"
Tan Heming stated confidently, "This match isn’t her fight alone; she wouldn’t gamble with her teammates’ futures. Indirectly, this also means... the level of trust her teammates have in her is terrifyingly high."
If there had been even a hint of hesitation from them, Crying Maria would never have been allowed through.