Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: 4강전 - 3
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Though they had dramatically won the first set,
The two teams were evenly matched in strength.
No, depending on how you looked at it, the 'Mom Says Eat Dinner' team even held the advantage.
Especially for the newbie Ji-ah and Ra-hee, who was practically a newbie herself after her long hiatus.
Both had reached their mental limits, and as soon as the fourth set ended, they slumped back against their chairs.
"Ellin unnie, Luke unnie. You okay?"
"Ugh, yeah. I'm fine."
"Somehow..."
They tried to act like nothing was wrong,
but Da-jeong could sense the exhaustion in her unnies' voices. She bit her lip hard.
If things continued like this, nothing would change from the future she had seen.
It meant they would be eliminated in the quarterfinals and have to watch the members cry in defeat.
She absolutely could not allow that.
'Yeah, time to play it now.'
That was why Da-jeong decided to pull out her ace in the hole that she had hidden throughout the fourth set.
They had still pushed things as far as they could.
She had achieved her original goal of saving it until the very last moment.
"President, can we take a strategy timeout?"
"Sure, I'll talk to the ref."
"Thank you."
Da-jeong decided to use the one strategy timeout allotted per team right now,
buying Ji-ah and Ra-hee a bit of rest time.
At the same time, she needed to bring up that card.
"Okay, got the timeout. Three minutes exactly."
"Yes, that's plenty."
Much longer than basketball's 90-second timeouts.
Though basketball gave five of them.
Still, three minutes was just right.
"Like it or not, this is the final set. Time to play it."
"Play it? You mean that?"
"Is it okay? I don't know if I can pull it off in my current state."
"It's fine. We've practiced hard. Ellin unnie can do it."
The viewers were swept up in curiosity hearing the cryptic conversation.
Were they hiding another ace for the quarterfinals?
The secret behind Blue LUV's victories from the round of 16 until today.
Fresh, innovative comps and strategies.
Some anticipated it, while others were skeptical.
It felt like they'd already used up all the viable comps.
"If we lose here anyway, we might as well show it. Hit 'em with everything we've got."
"Yeah, it'd be too frustrating to go out like this."
"Right! If we're gonna lose, let's do everything we can first!"
As Da-jeong persuaded them, Ra-hee and Chae-yoon nodded in agreement.
It made sense to go all-in on the final set.
"...Alright, let's do it. I'll give it my all till the end."
"Our leader's solid. Let's trust her and go for it."
"Let's charge!"
Ji-ah, who had hesitated briefly, regained her confidence and nodded as well.
Kang Haneul and Yuna nodded too, steeling their resolve.
Legend has it that the best time to play your ace is in desperate straits.
And if there was such a moment, it was now.
No point saving it for finals if they crashed out in quarters.
"Okay. We pick the map, so let's go with the one we're most confident in?"
No need to name it—everyone knew.
The members agreed instantly.
Just then, word came that only 20 seconds remained.
"Let's end with a fighting chant?!"
Once the game started, no turning back.
One last rally, suggested Kang Haneul.
"Yes!"
"President, lead us!"
"Okay? One, two, three..."
During the short countdown,
each prayed silently for victory,
and as it ended, they shouted in unison.
"Blue LUV, fighting!"
The quarterfinal decider.
Bathed in fans' cheers,
the Blue LUV members entered the game as strategy time ended.
The dice were cast.
"Yes! Thank you for waiting! Twitch Hyper War Winter Tournament, quarterfinal match 1, final set! Starting now on Emperor's Way!"
"Blue LUV picks Emperor's Way as expected. I hear their win rate here in scrims is sky-high?"
"Indeed. For the decider, it's a choice that screams all-out effort."
Blue LUV, attacking first on their chosen map.
They picked their characters at base as usual,
smashing nearby props like they still had energy to spare, almost showing off.
But once picks locked,
puzzlement flickered in the casters' eyes.
Something felt slightly off.
"Whoa, final set and Blue LUV brings their classic 2-tank 3-heal... but the picks are a bit different?"
"Yes. Lilith has Brigitte for some reason. And Ellin... Lucio?"
"Lucio's underrated compared to Mercy these days since dive comps fell off. Plus, Ellin's never played him on record. Wonder what the intent is."
Indeed.
Somehow, Chae-yoon, who usually handled hitscan DPS and Hanzo,
had picked Brigitte.
And Ji-ah, who had only ever played Mercy,
grabbed Lucio for the first time.
Chae-yoon's long Hyper War hours meant she could handle Brigitte,
but fans worried about newbie Ji-ah switching from low-skill Mercy
to the skill-intensive Lucio.
Lucio did auto-apply AoE heals and speed boosts just by standing there,
so he could contribute passively,
but half his potential wasted was the consensus.
Better stick to Mercy for heals and damage amp.
Everyone figured there was strategy behind Lucio.
"And Lulu hasn't picked yet... Tough choice?"
"Emperor's Way point 1 allows so many DPS, wide options for Lulu. Safe bets Hanzo or Widow. Or Doomfist since it's got high ground."
Even five seconds to start, Da-jeong hadn't picked,
deepening the mystery.
With 2 tanks and 3 heals locked, the last slot was obviously DPS.
The attack base doors rose like a curtain call,
and above Da-jeong's name, with no portrait yet,
a character face appeared.
The bubbly line heralded a robot-riding girl,
and everyone's eyes went wide.
"Whoa?! Lu, Lulu picked D.Va?!"
"Wh-what comp is this? No DPS... 3-tank 3-heal?!"
Not a single DPS in sight.
A bizarre 3-tank 3-heal comp never seen in Hyper War.
History had low-DPS comps,
even 3-tank 1-DPS 2-heal back in the day,
before Da-jeong's 2-tank 1-DPS 3-heal.
But zero DPS? Unprecedented in any meta.
Absurd reactions were natural.
"Right! Meanwhile, 'Mom Says Eat Dinner' expected double sniper on Emperor's Way and brought their own. Isn't this a total counter for Blue LUV?!"
"No poke at all! D.Va can booster in, but one non-Winston D.Va has limits."
Worse, the enemy comp was a nightmare counter:
double sniper to punish from range.
Blue LUV? No DPS, no poke.
D.Va could booster harass, but not both snipers.
Maybe swap comps now?
That thought filled everyone's minds—
when,
"Widow on right high ground, Hanzo front high ground! I'll handle Widow, just watch Hanzo!"
"Got it! Dive while Lulu pins Widow! Speed boost on!"
"Let's go!"
Blue LUV's comms buzzed.
Da-jeong boosted to right high ground, harassing Widow,
while the other five, speed-boosted by Lucio, swarmed the enemy frontline.
"Line discord! Line discord!"
"Just kill the line! Stun incoming!"
Kang Haneul's Genji nano'd the enemy Reinhardt up front.
30% amp debuff landed.
Chae-yoon charged in, shield-bashing—Reinhardt's barrier dropped for a split second.
Less than a second,
but exposed, his HP plummeted under focus,
forcing a ragged retreat.
But he overlooked one thing:
Blue LUV had Hyper War's only speed buff—Lucio.
"Line at 1 HP! Finish him!"
Yuna's urgent call,
and Blue LUV overtook the retreat, re-engaging faster.
Enemy Zarya bubble'd Reinhardt for 200 absorb,
but,
Thwack! Thwack!
BlueLUVLucrezia > PizzaTonight
Five-man focus overwhelmed it.
Before they knew it, Ra-hee's hammer smashed Reinhardt dead.
"Blue LUV's focus is insane! Reinhardt down! 'Mom Says Eat Dinner' must retreat fast or lose point 1!"
Enemy felt the main tank crisis.
As casters warned, survivors tried pulling back—
but,
Whoooosh!
Enemy D.Va boosted from behind,
body-slamming with knockback.
Forced forward into the swarm.
"But Lulu predicted it! Drops from high ground, boosters the fleeing enemy back in! What?!"
"Her sense is nuts! 'Mom Says Eat Dinner' can't resist—they're all swept!"
"Push too strong! Lucio speed has everyone leaping together—Reinhardt can't hold! Hanzo pokes from back, but 3 heals sustain through it!"
As if holding back until now,
Blue LUV overwhelmed, capturing point 1 in 30 seconds.
Casters and viewers alike gasped in shock.
Everyone expected them to fold helplessly to double sniper,
but the opposite happened.
Even with sniper angles,
Reinhardt and Brigitte shields made kills impossible.
Hanzo and Widow split angles? But Widow harassed, leaving Hanzo solo.
Arrows? 3 heals recovered everything.
"How's that feel! You had to try it!"
"This is Lulu's 3-3 invention!"
The mood flipped; Blue LUV's comms heated up.
Yes.
This was 3-tank 3-heal, the infamous 3-3.
The comp that ushered in Hyper War's most brutal meta era
had finally revealed itself.