After Chaos Fate effortlessly consumed a massive wave of minions in the bottom lane, the entire game entered garbage time.
Though the FRY team was still desperately searching for opportunities, their composition wasn’t built for team fighting. Even with their efforts to create openings in this disadvantageous situation, there was simply no way to turn the tide of battle.
After Chaos Fate devoured various resources and gold, although the economic difference between both teams was almost perfectly even, when it came to actual team fights, there was no contest—FRY would crumble at the slightest touch.
The final score remained at 17-12, with FV team successfully securing the second game!
…
Both teams returned to their respective backstage areas.
The FV team members still displayed little emotion, as they knew very well that from the moment their lane swap succeeded, this game was essentially over.
Since everything had proceeded exactly according to plan, there was nothing particularly worth celebrating—no unexpected turnarounds or dramatic comebacks to feel excited about.
In stark contrast, some FRY team members had already begun to break down.
Especially their top laner, whose eyes seemed to glisten with tears as he stood up to return to the break room.
This game had been absolutely torturous for him!
According to their original strategic plan, their jungler should have been camping top lane, relentlessly targeting Chaos Fate to get him fed and dominate the mid-game.
But everything fell apart when FV team’s lane swap completely disrupted FRY’s tactical arrangements. What should have been a snowballing top laner found himself targeted from level 1, suddenly becoming an abandoned orphan.
Meanwhile, the enemy Chaos Fate consumed minions, towers, and jungle camps—FV team had given him every resource they could spare. In team fights, he required no fancy mechanics whatsoever, simply landing a few casual abilities to rack up multiple kills.
FRY’s top laner was absolutely indignant: With these simple mechanics on Chaos Fate, I could do the same thing!
Despite identical mechanical skills, purely due to tactical differences and team support, one player became godlike while the other became cannon fodder. How could anyone accept this?
What made it even more infuriating was that across both games, neither side had made any particularly grave errors—yet it felt like complete intellectual domination. No matter how they played, victory remained elusive!
The broadcast returned to the commentary desk, where the casters’ expressions had grown even more strained.
Though they maintained forced smiles to mask their discomfort and tried highlighting the exciting team fights, everyone knew deep down that this game had no suspense from the start. The few kills FRY had managed to secure were completely meaningless!
FV team’s strategy was crystal clear: getting picked off a few times early didn’t matter as long as Chaos Fate got his farm time. Trading a few kills in late-game team fights was irrelevant as long as Chaos Fate could harvest.
While each skirmish appeared to involve kill trades, Chaos Fate hadn’t died even once—meaning FRY had still failed to pose any real threat to FV. No matter how many kills they accumulated, it only resulted in a slow death.
Though the match was another one-sided affair, the commentators couldn’t say this outright. They had to help salvage FRY’s image.
After all, speaking the truth would crush the audience’s spirits.
“I believe FRY showed marked improvement in the second game. Compared to their tentative play in game one, they made numerous attempts this time, seized some opportunities, and managed to keep the gold deficit razor-thin at times. It was only because Chaos Fate secured too many kills and became impossible to handle that FRY couldn’t mount a comeback.”
“Clearly, FV team’s first-pick Chaos Fate was a trap. While lane swapping has appeared in previous matches, this extreme version where four players concentrate top and completely abandon bottom has never been seen before. Now we can see this is indeed an effective method to protect Chaos Fate’s development.”
“FV team now holds three match points, giving them an enormous advantage. However, we’ve noticed that after FV revealed their trump card, FRY has been rapidly adjusting and adapting. I believe game three will feature a more evenly matched, thrilling contest!”
“FRY is an incredibly resilient team. They’ve repeatedly created miracles from desperate situations. Can they pull off another reverse sweep miracle this time? Let’s wait and see!”
…
Inside FRY’s break room, the atmosphere was suffocating.
This game had dealt an even heavier psychological blow than the first one!
Though they’d secured fewer kills and given up resources all game long in game one, FRY had maintained hope throughout, believing that finding one good late-game opportunity could turn everything around.
Game two was the complete opposite. While FRY appeared to trade evenly, securing kills and towers, watching Chaos Fate’s items improve made everyone increasingly desperate.
They understood perfectly: the longer the game dragged on, the more hopeless their chances became. Early trading was meaningless when late-game opportunities would vanish entirely!
In boxing terms, game one was like constant defense where FRY hadn’t fallen too far behind on points, leaving room for hope. Game two was both sides scoring, but no matter how much FRY struggled, the gap only widened—true despair!
The top laner especially felt like he’d forgotten how to play the game entirely.
On the grand finals stage, both teams lacked glaring weaknesses, with every player an elite professional. Usually extremely confident, FRY’s top laner had spent both games dirt poor from start to finish—even worse than facing griefers in solo queue. His very identity as a player was shaken.
The coaching staff was equally shell-shocked.
While the players’ performance wasn’t the issue, losing both games so decisively meant the blame landed squarely on coaching shoulders.
Yet the coach felt helpless too. When the entire roster and coaching staff suffered intellectual domination, how could he shoulder this alone?
Even Ionian Company’s balance team had proven useless!
When Ionian secretly sent balance team analysts, everyone at FRY had been thrilled. These analysts truly had expertise, helping analyze powerful champions and prepare multiple strategies.
FRY’s strength improved noticeably. Testing against other European and American teams in scrims resulted in easy victories.
Before the competition began, FRY’s confidence soared. Even if their finals opponents played beyond their capabilities, they were certain of going the full five games and emerging victorious.
Then the matches started, and they were completely intellectually dominated!
The strategies developed with Ionian’s analysts were useless—completely transparent to their opponents!
FRY’s coach had plenty to say. When even Ionian’s balance team couldn’t help, what more could he do?
Everyone sat in dejected silence.
Finally, the coach spoke: “Chaos Fate… we should ban him.”
Team members exchanged glances, silently agreeing.
For both previous games, FRY hadn’t banned Chaos Fate, mainly believing they could handle the champion if picked.
Only after game two did they realize—when FV picked this champion, they truly couldn’t cope!
As long as they maintained lane-swapping strategies with Chaos Fate farming alongside the jungler, FRY lacked effective counters. Even sending their duo lane to punish the solo laner only delayed Chaos Fate’s development slightly, unable to create decisive impact.
Yet FRY didn’t dare pick Chaos Fate themselves.
They knew perfectly well that lane swapping wasn’t something to copy mid-match. Every strategy involved incredible complexity—champion select, vision setup, contingency plans—forming a complete system.
FRY knew none of these details. Reviewing game two now wouldn’t leave enough time to prepare. How could they blindly copy enemy tactics?
Moreover, if FV developed this Chaos Fate strategy, who could guarantee they hadn’t prepared counters?
After careful consideration, the safest option remained banning Chaos Fate outright. Neither team could pick him.
This created a minor issue—FV’s signature champions they’d previously banned would now reappear. Choosing which to allow required careful thought.
The coach made a decisive call: “We’ll ban both Chaos Fate and Wing Blade. Even if they might not play the global composition, we absolutely cannot risk it anymore.”
“Next game, we play our own signature champions and rely on pure mechanical skill!”
Team members nodded in agreement.
Though FV hadn’t shown the global composition yet, who dared gamble they couldn’t play it? FRY wasn’t nearly as confident facing globals as FV was. Losing this bet meant immediate defeat.
After consecutive strategy crushes, FRY decided to change approach. Since out-thinking their opponents failed, they’d rely on raw power—ban key meta champions and test pure mechanical prowess!
Despite their morale damage and mental strain, FRY players found freedom in their desperate situation. Time to go all out.
…
In the audience, Zhao Xuming anxiously scrolled through his phone, checking forum discussions about the finals.
Domestic forums overwhelmingly supported FV, with praise flooding every thread.
Some tried suggesting solutions for FRY, not from taking sides but purely pitying their dire state. These spectators empathized with the underdogs, hoping they’d adjust and deliver an entertaining match.
Yet even the armchair analysts couldn’t devise winning strategies!