Winner-Stays-On
The Great Forest of the Fairy Tree was a battlefield prone to dragging out into a long, drawn-out war of attrition.
The moment you secured a single kill, the game swung heavily in your favor, but that didn't mean you could wipe out the enemy team all at once.
With two of their mages still alive and kicking, we needed to play things delicately.
Rushing in blindly just to ride the momentum was a one-way ticket to a spectacular death.
But that was only advice to prevent overextending and throwing.
The fact remained that our team held an overwhelming advantage.
And a Berserker was a class stronger than any other when facing a demoralized foe.
All action speeds are reduced by 16%.
Cold resistance increased. Grants 25% resistance to all frost-based crowd control effects.
Target: SnowWitch Nabi (Berserker)
Without a single moment's rest, I kept stabbing at the enemy's weak points.
The enemy Temple Knight tried to step up and fill the tank role, but it was far from enough.
If he were capable of that, their main tank wouldn't have died in the first place.
Now that the enemy's stopping power was depleted, I kept pushing forward.
I could practically feel the enemy mages panicking and focusing everything they had on me.
I pressured them right up to the brink of death, then backed off to recover my health before returning.
The match was already as good as decided.
At this point, it wasn't just a matter of a single kill score anymore.
The enemy was pushed into an increasingly disadvantageous position, and their desperate attempts to hold on by burning through their remaining cards had reached their limit.
They were resisting for that sliver of a chance, even though the match was practically over.
While such professionalism deserved respect, showing absolutely no mercy and leaving them no openings was my duty as their opponent.
Attack. Retreat. Attack again. Retreat once more. I repeated the cycle.
The only thing that would stop my onslaught was the end of the game itself.
My axe blade came crashing down in a massive arc.
He barely managed to block it, but his bastard sword trembled violently under the weight.
As I pressed down hard on the shaft of my axe, the enemy Temple Knight gave up on the contest of strength.
Taking a massive step back, he glared at me with eyes that screamed utter exhaustion.
I didn't bother to meet his gaze.
That would be... a bit awkward.
Active: Oak Splitter
Following a preparatory stance, slams the axe down with immense force. Damage increases in proportion to the charge time.
Caster: SnowWitch Nabi (Berserker)
In any case, everyone could sense the end of the match drawing near.
I freely spammed active skills that would normally be too risky to use in a standard situation.
Under normal circumstances, the enemy would have immediately punished my wide-open openings, but they didn't have the luxury to do so now.
Honestly... it was fun.
It might sound a bit mean, but...
How should I put it? It felt like playing with a toy that just wouldn't break.
Since we were in a completely winning position and the opponent refused to give up, it turned into a situation where I could literally do whatever I wanted.
Amidst a strange, fluttering excitement.
My axe claimed yet another kill.
SnowWitch Nabi has defeated ACL Hachi.
Once a set ends, a brief intermission is given before the next one begins.
It wasn't a long break, but it wasn't exactly short either.
Players usually took advantage of this window to share feedback on the previous game.
This timing, right after the conclusion of Set 1, was particularly crucial.
Since this wasn't the playoffs yet, the matches were played in a best-of-three format, but in a standard best-of-five, this moment served as a major turning point.
Now that the objective difference in weight class between the two teams had been laid bare, it was time to decide the strategy for the rest of the series.
《 Alright, thank you for waiting! 》
《 SnowWitch takes the lead against ACL in Set 1. The battle now moves to Set 2. 》
《 First off, SnowWitch's raw power is undeniably formidable. In fact, it felt like ACL was highly conscious of this during Set 1. 》
《 "A head-on clash of raw strength is too difficult. That's exactly the kind of fight the opponent wants." 》
《 So they tried to shake things up by bringing out an Assassin to create some variables, but as you saw, the results weren't great. 》
《 This puts them in a very tight spot. SnowWitch is a team that absolutely loves to fight and plays incredibly aggressively... 》
Originally, the term "weight class" came from sports like combat sports or powerlifting.
Since human physical capabilities vary drastically depending on body weight, dividing competitors into classes was essential for a fair match.
However, in esports like *Infinity Realm*, where physical strength didn't directly translate into in-game stats, the meaning was slightly different.
It was a concept representing the sum total of all skills required in the game.
This included not only raw combat prowess but also split-second decision-making, strategic planning, and tactical execution.
On international stages, even the sheer amount of experience on big stages was factored into a team's "weight class."
Ultimately, a difference in weight class meant that a head-on confrontation was practically impossible to win.
If they fought without any external variables, the side with the higher weight class would always emerge victorious.
For David to defeat Goliath, he couldn't just fight a standard battle.
He needed elements of surprise and unorthodox tactics capable of piercing the giant's forehead.
But that was always easier said than done.
[Battlefield: Bamboo Forest]
[Rules: 5v5 Winner-Stays-On]
[Geas: None]
As the match time approached,
the battlefield and rules for the second match were revealed.
The commentators broke the brief silence.
《 The battlefield and rules for the upcoming second match have been decided! 》
《 This certainly gives both sides something to talk about. ACL has plenty of players with excellent 1v1 combat capabilities, after all. 》
《 Indeed. Since Infinity Realm is a team game, it's fair to say that a team's weight class in a standard skirmish or deathmatch is entirely different from their weight class in a Winner-Stays-On format. 》
《 In fact, we've seen quite a few players who only truly shine when it comes to Winner-Stays-On. 》
《 There have been many instances where teams secured victory by cleverly utilizing class matchups based on their strategy. 》
It's doable. They can win.
The commentators said as much, but anyone who watched a lot of esports knew the truth.
A game where the commentators excessively defended one side was usually a one-sided stomp.
Since they were supposed to maintain neutrality in the domestic regular league,
breaking that principle to defend a specific team only meant that the opposing side held a massive advantage.
If they spoke the plain truth, all tension would vanish, so they wrapped it in a tearful package of hope.
A classic example of this was the old esports quote: "Actually, Team X was never in a disadvantageous position to begin with."
For SnowWitch, a team that resolved games based on individual combat prowess,
the Winner-Stays-On format was the absolute best rule set they could ask for.
《 Naturally, the biggest point of interest in a Winner-Stays-On match is who will be the vanguard for each team. 》
《 Usually, it's the most reliable player on the team—someone they trust to win no matter who they face. 》
《 Especially since SnowWitch has new faces this season, it must be hard for ACL to predict. 》
《 A safe bet would be their captain, Open. I expect him to take the vanguard role with a class like Swordmaster. 》
《 Oh, wait! The prediction was completely off! For SnowWitch... it's Yu Nabi! And her class is, of course, Berserker! 》
The stadium buzzed with a brief murmur.
It was practically a standard-versus-standard matchup.
Yet, the crowd seemed surprised that Yu Nabi was sent out as the vanguard.
As the commentator mentioned, the vanguard position was typically reserved for the most reliable player.
Unless there was a specific reason, it meant sending out the absolute best duelist on the team.
Normally, that spot belonged to the Duelist who had played on the left wing in the previous match—
Yu Nabi's senior, Finder.
《 It seems SnowWitch has incredibly high expectations for Yu Nabi, doesn't it? 》
《 Sending a rookie playing her debut match as the vanguard in a Winner-Stays-On format... this is highly unusual. 》
《 Well, her performance in the previous game was certainly impressive. No matter how you look at it, she's no ordinary rookie. 》
《 The die is cast. We'll just have to see what kind of foundation those expectations are built on starting now. 》
The stadium's massive display screens showed the battlefield for this match.
A quiet bamboo forest with no special gimmicks.
Aside from allowing for minor line-of-sight plays, it was a straightforward field with no major variables.
In a clash between melee classes, the Bamboo Forest was a place where raw skill dictated the outcome.
Because all variables were stripped away, it was, in a sense, a truly merciless battlefield.
Here, Yu Nabi's combat prowess was put to the test once again.