Chapter 1 The Grand Finale

After a wonderful pre-match performance, the five players from both teams stepped onto the stage, greeted by enthusiastic applause from the audience.

The first IOI Global Finals championship trophy, prepared by Finger Corporation for the champion, was placed in the center of the stage, with several close-up shots of it shown on the screen.

This championship trophy was all about being big and magnificent.

For this Global Finals, Finger Corporation spared no expense. Whether it was the venue or the trophy, they aimed to surpass the GOG Global Invitational Tournament.

Previously, the GOG Global Invitational Tournament trophy weighed 28 kilograms and was 35 centimeters high, made of gold-plated zinc alloy, with elaborate carvings of dragons and phoenixes.

Finger Corporation's Global Finals were intended to rival the GOG Global Invitational Tournament. They had to go all out. They had already surpassed GOG in terms of the venue and other aspects, so if the trophy was smaller, wouldn't they be ridiculed?

It had to be bigger than GOG's trophy!

Therefore, the trophy made by Finger Corporation this time was even bigger than GOG's, standing 40 centimeters tall, a whole size larger.

However, considering that if it were made of the same material, the trophy would be too heavy, and these slender internet-addicted teenagers might not be able to lift it. So, they made some adjustments to some of the materials, and the final weight was 25 kilograms.

Although it was still heavy, at least it ensured that the players could lift it while looking bigger than GOG's championship trophy.

Finally, after a rather lengthy opening ceremony, the players from both sides took their seats and began to debug their computers. The highly anticipated IOI Global Finals were about to begin.

Since it was the final match, the commentary lineup was also fully stacked. There were a total of five commentators and three former professional players participating in the analysis and discussion of the game.

Three of them were responsible for commentary during the match, while the remaining two commentators and three professional players were responsible for pre-match and post-match analysis.

The pre-match analysis mainly served to warm up the atmosphere, analyze the current state of the two teams, their preparations, and their signature tactics, and predict the content of the upcoming match. The post-match analysis mainly involved reviewing the previous game, pointing out the turning points and key players.

These three professional players were all star players from veteran European and American clubs, with solid skills, a deep understanding of the game, and clear articulation. They were carefully selected from the six teams eliminated in the quarterfinals.

In short, the finals were presented on a grand scale, giving all the audience a feeling of "I got a great deal on the ticket!"

While the players were still debugging their machines and preparing for the match, the two commentators and three professional players on the analysis panel began to warm up and analyze today's finals.

"Okay, let's take a look at the pre-match predictions for this final. Surprisingly, except for David, all eight commentators predict that Fry will win the final victory."

"To be honest, such a one-sided prediction result makes me feel a little uneasy. So next, let's discuss why these pre-match predictions were made."

"Let's start with the three professional players. Can you tell us why you made this prediction? Is it because you were eliminated by Fry?"

The three professional players looked very relaxed. After smiling, the first person on the right spoke first.

"Fry team is our old opponent. Although they eliminated us in the semi-finals, making us very unwilling, I have to say that I think their strength is indeed above us and they are popular candidates for the championship this time."

"On the other hand, although we haven't played against FV team, judging from their style, FV team seems to be a team that pays great attention to routines and teamwork. Their performance in advantageous situations is indeed impeccable, but I think their too smooth journey through the knockout stage has meant they haven't suffered too many setbacks and don't have much experience in playing from behind."

"The Fry team is more comprehensive. We all know that they can quickly finish off their opponents after gaining an advantage in the early stage. Even if they are at a disadvantage in the early stage, they can rely on their outstanding personal ability to drag the game into the mid-to-late stage and turn it around. So I predict that the two sides will eventually play all five games, and the Fry team will win the final victory."

Another professional player took over: "That's right, in terms of team style, Fry team is indeed more comprehensive."

"In the knockout stage, all teams are constantly exploring the version's answer. We noticed that from the group stage to the quarter-finals, and then to the semi-finals, the popular heroes have been constantly changing. Heroes that were previously must-pick/must-ban are no longer appearing, which shows that the further the knockout stage progresses, the more the lineup choices of both sides will gradually converge, gradually finding the optimal solution for the version."

"After the tactical reserves of both sides have reached their peak, what is tested is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, the ability to handle games from behind, and the performance of the players. After all the North American teams were eliminated, the Fry team, the only remaining European team, is actually enjoying home-field advantage. Considering their ability to handle games from behind and their resilience, I believe the final victory will belong to them."

"What's more, the Fry team has many star players. When facing such a big scene, I think the value of star players will be reflected."

"So I guess Fry team will win, with a score of 3:1."

The last professional player said: "I also think Fry team will win this game, but I predict a different score than the other two."

"I think that Fry team will defeat FV team with a score of 3:0, because our team has played several training matches with Fry team recently. I can't reveal the specific situation, but I want to say that Fry team has made very, very huge progress compared to the semi-finals."

"Their understanding of the version has gone a step further, and they have even completely changed their style of play, catching all of us off guard. In fact, they beat us very badly, and FV team may be completely unprepared for these new tactics. So I think that if Fry can perform normally, then they will undoubtedly crush and win 3:0."

The other people on the official analysis panel all showed surprised expressions, because the others didn't know about this.

The team of this professional player lost to Fry team in the semi-finals. If he thinks that Fry team's strength has increased by leaps and bounds compared to the semi-finals, then his words are very credible.

Many commentators showed smiles on their faces, obviously the words of the three professional players greatly boosted their confidence.

Although as the organizer, they should be fair and impartial and not be biased towards either side of the competition, they will still subconsciously support European and American teams.

Kretian and Zhao Xuming in the audience were not so optimistic.

Obviously, these commentators and professional players are predicting based on the performance of the Fry team.

After Kretian sent two data balancers to the Fry team, it did have an effect. These two balancers worked with the coaching team to formulate a brand-new tactical plan, which greatly improved the Fry team's strength.

Fry once again made an appointment with their previous semi-final opponents to play training matches, and of course, they beat the other side so badly that they couldn't find their way north.

So, in the eyes of these professional players, Fry originally had the strength to compete for the championship, and now their strength has leaped forward, so this championship is of course a sure thing.

But Kretian and Zhao Xuming, who knew some inside information about the FV team, knew very well that the situation was definitely not so optimistic.

The Fry team's strength has improved because of the data analysts sent by the official, so doesn't the FV team have data analysts?

Yes, and the configuration is much higher than that of the Fry team!

So, after a week of training and preparation, what kind of strength should the FV team have now?

The overconfidence of these coaches and professional players is because they don't know anything about the real situation of the FV team, and they think that the FV team is still at the same level as in the semi-finals and will not have much improvement.

Even they are so inflated, what about the Fry team?

Zhao Xuming vaguely felt something was wrong.

…

After everyone else on the official analysis panel had finished speaking, it was the turn of David, the commentator who predicted that the FV team would win.

David spread his hands: "Okay, it's undeniable that what you said makes sense, but the FV team has been underestimated from the beginning, hasn't it?"

"Every team was highly expected before facing them, and they were recognized as strong teams, but after playing against FV team, they became weak teams."

"The FV team can always come up with some tactics that we haven't seen before, and they are more like a whole. There are no particularly dazzling superstars in the team, but if you observe carefully, you will find that everyone is very strong. They always appear where they should be and do what they should do."

"So I think the FV team will still defeat Fry 3:0 and start their own dynasty."

A commentator smiled and said: "This is really an amazing prediction, David. Do you even think that Fry team can't get a single point from FV? Fry also made it to the finals with a strong performance all the way. They are not a weak team."

David nodded seriously: "Yes, that's what I think. Let's wait and see!"

After the commentators' warm-up and analysis, the equipment debugging of both teams was finally completed, and the big screen switched to the game screen.

The three official commentators began to enter the official commentary session.

"Oh, neither side has banned or picked the Cursed Apparition, which shone in the semi-finals!"

"The Chaos Doom, which was very popular in the group stage, has not been banned either. It seems that both sides have found a way to deal with this hero and are not afraid of the other side picking it."

"The Fry team banned three core heroes of the FV team that performed well in the semi-finals, and the FV team also banned the other side's star player's signature hero in return to show their respect."

"Neither side is banning according to the popular heroes of the version they understood before."

"Okay, the blue side Fry team will pick first, let's see what their first hero choice is..."