The group stage was held in several secondary venues near Accor Arena.
PNG and LNC were assigned to Venue 3 on the east side.
Compared to the finals venues in Shanghai and Beijing, Venue 3 was honestly quite modest in size. Even at full capacity, it could only hold around 6,500 people.
This was probably the most “bare-bones” venue PNG had ever played in.
Sui Ning and his teammates entered backstage through the players’ tunnel. Halfway in, he casually glanced back at the audience—
The three stands surrounding the main stage were completely packed. More than six thousand spectators were dressed in striking uniformity, a sea of black as they all wore HPL expedition jerseys.
They held up PNG team flags and various light sticks, chanting in familiar Chinese: “Go PNG!”
Sui Ning withdrew his gaze, calm inside. To be honest, after spending so long in massive arenas of nearly a hundred thousand people—where a random phone raised by the crowd looked like a galaxy of stars, and a single cheer could sound like a roaring tsunami—this kind of venue with just a few thousand spectators couldn’t make him nervous at all.
Clearly, his teammates felt the same. As they passed by the stands, none of them showed the flushed faces or stiff, awkward movements they had back in the Beijing stadium.
Of course, seeing so many PNG fans all the way in Paris still stirred something in Sui Ning’s heart.
He waved at the audience, and the arena instantly erupted with deafening cheers.
“Winnnnnd——!!!”
“Ahhhhhh, PNG!!”
“PNG, take the first win for sure——!”
——
While the atmosphere on this side was electric, LNC’s situation on the other side of the stage was completely different.
Up to now, Venue 3 was the most luxurious competition venue they had ever been to. And a live audience of 6,500 people was a number they had never even dared to imagine before.
When LNC appeared below the stage, some sharp-eyed PNG fans noticed them and, out of courtesy, even cheered for them.
“Lunatic! Ganbatte!”
“We’re all esports fans—Japanese brothers, give it your best!”
“Let’s go, just play your best, LNC Fighting!”
The scattered cheers weren’t loud—only a few hundred people at most—but they still stunned the LNC players.
Top laner Kuzuma Kazusa turned around in shock, staring at the audience. Though he couldn’t understand Chinese, he knew “Fighting” meant encouragement—and it was paired with LNC’s name!
“Anno,” he called to a teammate, his face full of disbelief, “those PNG fans… are they cheering for us?”
Hearing this, LNC’s Korean coach Coco carefully observed the crowd. As expected, he found only a handful of LNC fans scattered in the corners.
He listened closely to the noise, catching occasional mentions of LNC’s name mixed with English words. After a moment, he nodded. “That’s right. They want you to show yourselves on stage.”
“But we’re PNG’s opponents,” jungler Hasegawa Eita couldn’t help asking. “Why would their fans cheer for us? Don’t they want PNG to win?”
Coach Coco answered concisely, “Because they are true esports fans.”
They have passion—but they also equally respect everyone who strives for that passion.
There was a lot more that could be said about this. If he wanted to fully discuss the qualities of fans across different regions, Coach Coco could write ten books.
He didn’t want to complicate things, so he simply said, “This is the common rule of the international esports stage: let your strength speak, don’t play dirty, act with integrity, and keep striving—you’ll earn respect for yourself.”
The players half understood.
Hasegawa Eita turned the coach’s words over in his mind, feeling a strange excitement rise within him. He thought the idea of “earning respect for yourself” was incredibly cool.
Japan’s War of Glory League had only been established for five years, and many supporting systems—venues, youth training, clubs, players, even the audience—were still in a “foundational” stage.
For LNC to reach the group stage this time had already made history for their region.
But the coach hoped even more that, through this opportunity, the players could interact with stronger regions—both players and audiences—and bring back the most valuable thing of all: the “spirit of esports.”
——
At exactly 1 PM Paris time, the official HPL stream on the Little Shark platform went live simultaneously with broadcasts in over 23 languages worldwide. In less than two minutes, the total number of concurrent viewers surpassed 100 million.
Including players from other teams resting back at their hotels, the entire world’s attention was focused on today’s group stage.
In the Little Shark stream, familiar faces Chao Mi, Qing Ci, and Tofu appeared once again in the studio.
Qing Ci greeted the camera first: “Good evening to all domestic summoners, and hello to summoners around the world watching the match! I’m commentator Qing Ci, and beside me are my partners for today, Chao Mi and Tofu.”
Dressed sharply in a suit, Tofu stiffly waved when mentioned.
Beside him, Chao Mi smiled and said, “I’m sure everyone’s already very familiar with our old faces, so I won’t waste time. This match is the first round of Group B in the S6 Worlds group stage—PNG versus the Japanese team Lunatic! This is also HPL’s first group-stage match!”
[PNG! PNG! PNG! Everyone spam it!]
[Just came back from the English stream—damn, those overseas streams are lagging like crazy. Little Shark, I’ll never complain about your crappy bandwidth again.]
[By the way, didn’t our casters go to Paris? The foreign streams all have on-site commentary—you can hear the crowd, and there are so many Chinese fans cheering for PNG.]
[Qing Ci mentioned before they’d only go for the knockout stage. Maybe they’re worried the teams might all get knocked out in groups (doge).]
[????What kind of horror story is that]
[I was watching another stream—there’s also a lot of English and French cheering. PNG’s international popularity is actually pretty solid, lots of overseas fans]
[Of course there are, otherwise why do you think the foreign streams lag so much… #1 lag is UG, #2 is PNG. I can only pray the whole world upgrades to 6G soon.]
“Earlier in play-ins, TL unexpectedly had a really close match with Loud. We commentators were quite worried about TL’s chances of advancing, but thankfully they bounced back in the following days.”
After speaking, Qing Ci turned to Tofu. “Tofu, what do you think—does PNG have a good chance against LNC today?”
…What kind of question is that? Tofu;s mouth twitched. PNG vs LNC—do they have a good chance? That’s like asking if Bruce Lee would have a chance in a 1v1 against you.
He really wanted to say: if this somehow turns into an even game, PNG might as well start practicing swimming on the spot for the trip home—let alone talk about “no confidence” or even losing!
But this was a world championship broadcast—he obviously couldn’t say that.
Tofu opened his mouth, then closed it again, racking his brain. “…Uh.”
[????? LMAO]
[You can tell he almost lost it hahahaha]
[Qing Ci: routine question; Tofu: are you kidding me???]
Tofu pinched his thigh hard, reminding himself: this is a world-stage broadcast, watch your words!
He quickly composed himself and coughed lightly. “I still have a lot of confidence in PNG’s strength. After all, they’re our region’s first seed.”
“On paper, LNC is still quite a bit weaker than PNG. If I remember correctly, their support is a rookie, and his rank before going pro wasn’t that high…”
Before he could finish, the big screen on stage seemed to deliberately contradict him—displaying the full roster of both teams, with a bold, enlarged section highlighting their current in-game ranks.
The Chinese broadcast even thoughtfully added translations.
[Lunatic Gaming (JPN)]
Top: Shiro – Challenger
Jungle: Moyashi – Grandmaster
Mid: Allen – Challenger
Marksman: Rascal – Challenger
Support: Eve – Master
Coach: Coco
[PNG (CHN)]
Top: Myerii – Diamond
Jungle: Cloud – Master
Mid: Wind – Grandmaster
Marksman: Mior – Diamond
Support: Erllit – Grandmaster
Coach: Moonfire (Yue Huo)
Tofu: …?
[??????]
[HOLY SH*T HAHAHAHAHA]
[Since when does Worlds show player ranks in the roster??? I don’t remember this ever happening???]
[“Quite a gap in rank”]
[HELP HAHAHA, PNG just lost face on the global stage!! Why is this so funny, I swear I’m not a hater]
[Who said we’re a Diamond/Master region before? Prophecy fulfilled]
[Tofu’s face is swelling from that slap LMAO]
[Wait why are there TWO Diamonds?? How does the #1 seed have Diamonds???]
[I’m Diamond too—so technically I’m playing at Worlds now LMAOO]
The chat completely lost it. Through the commentators’’ earpieces came the director’s explanation—this segment wasn’t originally planned. The organizers had apparently discovered this “surprise” while checking player data and decided on the spot to display PNG’s ranks as well.
After all, HPL’s past international performances were well-known, and the summer finals alone had drawn hundreds of millions of viewers.
Now, with this comparison against LNC, chat across all streams was instantly flooded with “HAHAHAHA” and “LMAO”—
[A warm welcome to the Diamond/Master first seed—PNG!!]
Of course, no one actually believed PNG were only Diamond-level players. But still— This was the World Championship. And it was absolutely hilarious.
Fortunately, the PNG players on stage had no idea what was happening. Otherwise, their mental state might have shattered on the spot.
…Back then it was teammates flaming each other before matches. Now it’s the entire region and even the organizers taking shots at the team? Are you all undercover haters or what? QAQ
Qing Ci and Chao Mi laughed for quite a while. At first, Tofu felt his face burning with embarrassment, but eventually he couldn’t hold it in either and started laughing along.
Chao Mi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and steadied his breathing. “We mentioned before the match that PNG got a pretty favorable group draw this time. Facing LNC should be very stable. Or rather—if LNC is something we need to worry about, then what about MaJ and Tio later?”
He paused, then added with a suppressed grin, “Although in ranked, it’s almost impossible for Diamond players to beat Challenger players, I believe PNG can ‘surpass the impossible.’ After all, Wind says that all the time. And right now, he’s the highest-ranked player on PNG—so listening to him can’t be wrong.”
[6666 hahaha]
[Help, help—please don’t turn Wind’s cool line into a meme here LMAO]
[Surpassing the impossible already in Game 1? I’m dying]
[My suggestion: PNG shouldn’t touch their main accounts during this period. By finals, they might drop to Platinum, and that would be legendary (doge)]
[Do you even understand the value of Diamond players making Worlds top 16?? (angry)]
——
Commentators and audiences across different regions laughed together for quite a while.
Only after both teams finished setting up their equipment did Qing Ci compose himself and switch back to professional mode: “Many viewers may not be familiar with Lunatic. This team has participated in Japan’s domestic league since S3 and has consistently dominated their region ever since.”
On cue, the broadcast displayed LNC’s past achievements. Their performance in Japan could only be described as absolute dominance—winning both spring and summer splits year after year.
“However, their previous international results haven’t been great,” Qing Ci continued. “Their best finish was fifth place in the play-in group stage, still failing to make the main event.”
“But this year, LNC secured second place in Play-in Group A and defeated Europe’s fourth seed BLM 3:2 in a BO5, successfully advancing to the group stage! At this point, they’ve already opened a new chapter for their region—every step forward from here is making history!”
[6666!!]
[Damn, that’s hype!]
[The Japan bros really had it rough, their region looks weak]
[Alright, no more jokes—good luck to them]
Perhaps because they knew they were stepping into an unknown competitive world, LNC’s tone on social media was very different from other teams.
While most teams posted crying emojis or panic reactions after drawing into tough groups, LNC instead said things like: “It’s an honor to be grouped with a strong team like PNG. We’ll cherish this hard-earned opportunity.”
Because of that attitude, the live audience held a certain fondness for them.
“There are very few LNC fans in Venue 3, so PNG’s fans are also cheering for LNC.”
Qing Ci relayed from the production team, a smile of appreciation appearing on his face.
[This is what you call sportsmanship]
[Let’s go!]
Soon, the lights above the venue dimmed.
Cold white spotlights fell onto the stage, clearly separating light and shadow so the audience could focus on the big screen.
The soft waiting music abruptly stopped. A rhythmic drumbeat with electronic echoes rose from the darkness—the familiar draft-phase track Boom or Bust ignited the crowd’s excitement instantly.
The commentators, of course, knew what that meant.
Chao Mi straightened up immediately and said in a serious tone: “—Group Stage, Group B, Round 1: PNG vs LNC. A BO1 match—winner takes all. Draft phase officially begins! As the first seed, PNG has side selection priority and has chosen red side for this game.”
Qing Ci added, “During the summer split, PNG generally preferred blue side. Choosing red side here—could there be a specific strategy behind it?”
Tofu’s mouth twitched. He really wanted to say he had no idea—if he did, he’d be standing next to Coach Chen Chen on stage instead of sitting here.
Scratching his head, he cautiously analyzed: “In the group stage, PNG is probably focusing on testing strategies. The Worlds patch has quite a few changes, so they need to adapt their lineup accordingly.”
“Also, against a team like LNC, picking red side to react to their moves makes sense. It’s also a good chance for PNG to practice red-side drafting—they didn’t play it much during the summer split.”
[Reasonable, very reasonable]
[Tofu trying so hard to analyze without swearing is actually hilarious]
[Since we don’t know what LNC might pull out, it’s fine for PNG to play it safe]
Blue side began the bans. On stage, LNC didn’t hesitate at all, immediately banning Stellar Sprite, Specter of Shadow, and Verdant Treant.
These familiar and highly targeted bans drew an instant reaction from the crowd—clearly, LNC had done their homework. They must have studied HPL’s summer split extensively.
[These bans—feels like September all over again]
[I thought LNC might just give up, didn’t expect them to be this serious… did they just copy homework from summer split?]
[Are you kidding? This is Worlds, wake up]
[They waited five years for this chance—you think they’d slack off? lol]
[At the very least, these three bans show respect]
The barrage of comments was divided in opinion, but PNG on stage didn’t show any particular reaction—if anything, they seemed faintly disappointed.
After all, this was already patch 6.2.1. Sui Ning and his teammates had been hoping to see what kind of draft strategies other teams would come up with in the new version, how those ideas compared to their own understanding, and then verify everything through actual matches.
In short, they wanted to see more things that truly reflected the new patch.
Unfortunately, LNC didn’t seem very strong at catching up with the meta.
Chen Chen scratched his head and said, “Then let’s stick to the original plan—practice new stuff.”
“Alright.”
“OK, boss, don’t worry.”
So PNG first banned LNC mid laner’s signature off-meta pick, Goblin Engineer. This champion had barely appeared in leagues outside the Japanese region.
Next, PNG banned the newly buffed fighter Soul-Sealing Blade Demon and the recently mini-reworked support Little Traveler.
Chao Mi immediately let out a surprised sound. “PNG’s draft…?”
“I think it’s pretty reasonable. The Blade Demon buff wasn’t huge, but its win rate across all ranks has already exceeded 58%, and in Master tier and above, its laning win rate is as high as 76%!”
Qing Ci pulled up some data. “I guess even the designers didn’t expect that just a small increase in base attack would suddenly make this champion so strong!”
“Also, Little Traveler’s ultimate has been reworked—from ‘teleporting itself and the ally linked by its W skill to a target location’ to ‘applying a stasis effect to enemies, allies, and turrets within an area.’”
“Stasis, as in the golden invulnerability effect from Everlasting Hourglass. It’s hard to say whether this change is good or bad for now.”
“By banning these uncertain new-patch variables, PNG is indirectly showing that they understand the new version,” Qing Ci explained.
But he also knew that this kind of “general-purpose” banning only works if your own strength is solid—
Otherwise, you’d need to be more targeted like LNC.
Soon, on blue side, LNC first-picked Phantom Trickster for their mid laner Allen.
Chao Mi stroked his chin. Allen, whose real name was Kurachi Yuto, was famous for his Goblin Engineer, but since it had already been banned, Chao Mi couldn’t quite figure out why he’d pick Phantom Trickster against Sui Ning.
This kind of assassin-mage? Wind was extremely familiar with it.
Chao Mi could only force himself to say, “Phantom Trickster is pretty strong this patch too—not bad.”
PNG didn’t hesitate and locked in Soulreaper King for their mid lane.
From there, both teams drafted rapidly, but two distinct approaches became clear: LNC was trying to target individual players’ champion pools, while PNG focused more on their overall composition, banning anything that threatened their lineup.
…Though it might also be because LNC didn’t really have many “signature” picks to begin with.
Soon, the compositions were finalized.
[PNG] vs [LNC]
Top: Wildfang vs Peerless Swordsman
Jungle: Dragon Monk vs Blade of Dawn
Mid: Soulreaper King vs Phantom Trickster
Marksman: Explorer vs Frost Archer
Support: Shadow Hawk vs Storm Goddess
“Uh…”
Seeing the final drafts, Chao Mi suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Or rather, he didn’t know how to evaluate LNC’s composition.
“PNG’s lineup has something going on here.”
Tofu forced himself to break the silence. “Soulreaper King is already a late-game magic carry, and with the new patch strengthening its early laning, it’s definitely viable! With it in mid, the marksman doesn’t need to be a hyper-carry. Explorer’s scaling complements it well, plus it has strong self-peel and sustained damage—undoubtedly the best choice for the AD role!”
“No need to mention top and support—they synergize with Soulreaper King’s ultimate to push enemies around, three strong engage tools! As for jungle, Shadow of Vengeance was left open, so I don’t quite understand why Cloud didn’t pick it. But Dragon Monk has been very strong recently, too, so either choice makes sense.”
After a round of praise, Tofu concluded appreciatively, “This lineup is different from PNG’s previous mid-game map-control style—it leans more toward teamfighting! But every role is well picked. If this is a practice composition, then they’ve really put in a lot of work recently!”
Once mastered, PNG’s strategic flexibility would expand several times over—because this was a shift at the tactical level.
As expected of the number-one seed—how many days has it even been? And they’ve already shaped it into something this solid! Tofu praised them again internally, then turned his gaze to LNC’s lineup—and paused.
His lips trembled for a moment before he finally squeezed out, “LNC’s composition… is also not bad.”
As for what exactly was good about it?
No idea.
For the other lanes, Tofu didn’t dare comment casually—what if LNC actually had some kind of hidden understanding?
But the bot lane…
What kind of clueless pick is Frost Archer showing up at Worlds? Can she even perform?! Tofu couldn’t help but want to complain. She just doesn’t have that capability, alright? This isn’t Season 2 anymore!
----------
No comments:
Post a Comment