Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Hyper War Winter Tournament Finals - 1
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With the second semifinal match wrapping up afterward,
the opponent we'd face in the finals was finally decided.
It was Nyantamon's team—the very first one we scrimmed against.
I watched their match not through the broadcast, but in Nyantamon's own stream.
And yeah, they were seriously good. That much was clear.
First off, their team synergy was insane.
They'd probably been queuing together as a full group with this exact lineup for ages.
Communication flowed smoothly, and Nyantamon's calls as the main tank were especially crisp.
For instance, in a situation like set two where overtime dragged on with everyone poking,
they'd decide to give up two points and wait for their whole team to respawn before pushing.
Or force out the enemy Genji's ult with Ji-ah's Dragonblade, then win the team fight with Zarya's Graviton Surge.
Pretty much all those calls came from Nyantamon.
Plus, they had a wide hero pool overall.
Everyone seemed comfortable on at least three heroes each.
That's why they could handle every comp except Doomfist in the semis.
Dive comps, double sniper, 2 tanks 1 DPS 3 heals, you name it.
If it's this team, they've probably practiced our 3-3 comp by now
and might pull it out in the finals.
No, they'd definitely do it. I'm that confident.
Especially since 3-3 puts so much weight on the main tank—
it's perfect for a team where the main tank is their ace.
They might even be scarier than that favorites team we faced in the semis.
'Still, it's 3-3 or bust for us.'
But even knowing they're bringing it,
we don't have a solid counter.
Right now, 3-3 is basically an uncounterable cheat comp.
The closest thing would be maxing out Doomfist to smash it solo,
but sadly, I don't have that level of mastery.
I'm just scratching the surface with a few tricks.
So it'd be strength vs. strength.
3-3 mirror match.
And honestly, I can't say for sure we'd win that.
That said, if you're asking if we'd just roll over and lose—no way.
We've practiced 3-3 way longer,
and I don't think our synergy falls short.
But there's one thing.
Like that last-set 3-3 in the semis where
we flanked them at the very end.
We need another trump card like that for the final moments.
'Yeah, it's gotta be that.'
And I do have one last ace up my sleeve for it.
But on the flip side, I'm a bit uneasy.
All our comps so far hard-countered the meta.
This new one? In a 50-50 matchup, it's maybe 49-51.
Or 45-55 at best—a slight edge.
If practicing it drops our main 3-3 proficiency,
or we lose the 3-3 mirror before we even switch,
it's all for nothing.
So I can't be 100% sure we'll win.
But if there's even a 1% chance to boost our odds of victory,
we have to go for it.
"Good fight" or "Second place is great"—
I don't need excuses to swallow the pain.
I want to win this tournament and see everyone smiling bright.
Team Blue LUV kept scrimming right up until the day before the finals—
two days after the semis, against the two teams that got knocked out to play for 3rd/4th.
Public scrims stuck to 3-3 practice,
while private ones drilled the new comp I'd come up with.
Team Nyantamon and the Butlers did the same.
Finalist teams can't scrim each other,
so if Blue LUV was with 3rd place,
Nyantamon and the Butlers rotated with 4th to sharpen up.
The viewers watching all this reacted the same way every time.
"No idea who's taking the crown."
Hell, teams even looked better after scrimming them.
『Ughhh... Finals day is finally here!』
The finals arrived at last.
In the tense, silent Discord call,
Yuna stretched lazily and muttered softly.
『Yeah, can't believe it's here.』
『I still can't wrap my head around us in the finals.』
『I really wanna win this.』
Maybe her words broke the ice.
Chae-yoon, Ra-hee, and Ji-ah nodded vigorously, chiming in.
『What about Lulu? You nervous?』
『Me? Hmm... Kinda not feeling it, actually.』
Kang Haneul prodded the unusually quiet me,
and I shook my head lightly.
It wasn't nerves keeping me silent.
No, I was weirdly calm—calm enough that I was surprised into silence.
『Really? Our maknae's usually the nervous type.』
『Hehe... Yeah, it's weirding me out too.』
I nodded along with Ra-hee's words.
She's right—I do get pretty anxious normally.
Maybe it's my timid personality.
But today? For some reason,
facing the biggest stage yet, zero jitters.
Heart rate's probably around 80 bpm.
I couldn't explain it myself,
but racking my brain for a reason... it had to be,
『I just believe our team’s gonna win.』
Blue LUV's unbreakable bond and synergy.
Stronger than theirs.
That's what I believed, no doubt.
『Kuh, maknae's so cool!』
『Damn right! We got this!』
Not arrogance or overconfidence.
It was the perfect hype line to stir everyone's hearts.
Blue LUV members and viewers alike savored the catharsis.
【Twitch viewers, thanks for waiting! It's the Twitch RTA Hyper War Winter Tournament—the grand finals! What matches will these teams bring today? We can't wait—stay tuned!】
Time ticked by, casters hyped it up,
and suddenly, the matches felt imminent.
【Before we start, let's watch the short pre-recorded videos from each team's rep!】
Then came the finals-style trash talk: quick pre-interviews.
First up: Blue LUV's rep, Kang Haneul.
『Nyanta says clean your necks 'cause they're winning. But what now, Nyanta? We cleaned 'em, and we still look like the winners.』
True to trash talk form,
it kicked off spicy.
『Blue LUV invented 3-3, but practicing it? We do it better. No loss in sight. So Haneul, even if we lose, don't blame unnie?』
Nyantamon's comeback followed, and the hype exploded instantly.
【Finals-level confidence from both teams. Nyantamon mentioned their scrim 3-3 winrate is stellar lately.】
【Yep! Even 'Mom Says Dinner's Ready'—who beat 3rd/4th place—couldn't hang in scrims! Total domination!】
They'd been favorites since rosters dropped alongside 'Mom Says Dinner's Ready'.
High praise was inevitable for Nyantamon's crew.
Especially now, mastering the "uncounterable" 3-3.
Scrims showed invincible vibes.
【Blue LUV invented 3-3, so they've had longer to practice. Confident they're better.】
【Exactly! Pros say 3-3 lives or dies by team synergy over raw mechanics. Blue LUV might lack individual skill, but their glue-like bond proves they're the OGs with real shot!】
Flip side for Blue LUV:
Like I thought, longer 3-3 time means deeper understanding.
Lots predicted our win.
【Lulu's always brought new tricks from quarters to semis to finals. Can't wait!】
【She's the 3-3 creator, so she knows its flaws. If she found a counter... mind blown!】
Casters noted it too:
Expectations I might have a new card.
Some watched hoping for it.
But most figured it'd be tough—3-3's too polished,
even top play mirrored it with no counters. Hard to innovate now.
【Coin toss: Map pick for game 1 to Blue LUV! Bollywood it is!】
【Players ready—diving into finals set 1 on Bollywood!】
What would unfold?
Players and viewers gripped with anticipation,
set 1 kicked off.
Amid roaring cheers, attackers Blue LUV started first.
Defenders Nyantamon and the Butlers: 3-3 as expected.
【Finals set 1 underway. Nyantamon and the Butlers with the classic 3-3?】
【This whole series might be 3-3 chaos. No real counters, so mirror skill check... Huh?!】
Casters mid-sentence on the mirror match—
everyone expected D.Va from me.
But right before attack launched,
my pick left casters and viewers baffled.
The comp looked familiar enough.
Reinhardt, Zarya, Genji, Lucio, Brigitte.
All five core 3-3 pieces.
Except my slot: not D.Va, the final piece.
Everyone figured Blue LUV, 3-3 originators,
would mirror in finals.
Shattered. From set 1.
[I can hack anything. Anyone.]
Her sly, villainous voice line hit as I locked in.
I grinned, gripping my mouse.
Back when 3-3 ruled pro leagues,
barring niche comps,
the sole counter was this:
Sombra-blended variant 3-3.