Post-match interviews in the group stage were fairly simple. The host first invited LNC on stage and asked about their thoughts on today’s match. All five players looked utterly dejected—clearly hit hard. After all, LNC had always been a dominant team in their region, and had never lost so miserably at Worlds before. Getting perfect-gamed in 22 minutes could only mean one thing: a significant gap in raw strength between the two teams.
So what could they even say? The players thought gloomily.
It was only after Coach Coco repeatedly poked Kurachi Yuto from behind that he hesitantly spoke up: “…Well, we’re very happy to have had the chance to play against PNG. Facing Wind has also taught me a lot…”
The mischievous broadcast director then replayed the pre-match trash talk segment on the big screen—right at Kurachi Yuto’s part, where he had said to the camera: [Opportunities to face Wind are rare. It’s time for the underdog to rise up! We will defeat PNG—just wait and see!]
The scene cut, and his earlier provocation was now juxtaposed with Sui Ning’s response. Sui Ning curled his lips slightly and said with a gentle but cutting tone: [You might want to pick a different goal. That one’s a bit too difficult for you.]
[Help, hahaha—Feng-bao, how can you smile while saying something so cold?!]
[Why does Feng-bao suddenly feel a bit villainous at Worlds]
[No, I think he’s always like this when he’s beating up his fans…]
[Classic Feng-bao vs fans moment: “You’re this bad and still call yourself my fan??”]
[I’m dying, people are already making edits. Please don’t turn that level 3 solo kill into a GIF—have mercy on our Japanese bros!!]
The chat exploded, and the host quickly seized the moment, holding the mic up to Kurachi Yuto. “We’ve heard Allen is a fan of Wind. After this match, is there anything you’d like to say to him?”
Kurachi Yuto forced a smile. “…As expected of my long-time goal, Wind is really incredible. I’ll keep working hard as well.”
The host pressed on: “Then will you continue being a fan of Wind in the future?”
Kurachi Yuto: “…Y-yes.”
He actually hesitated for a split second!
When it was PNG’s turn on stage, the host asked Sui Ning how he viewed Kurachi Yuto being his fan.
After a moment’s thought—and remembering that the interview was being broadcast to hundreds of countries and regions—Sui Ning gave a very official answer: “If my matches can inspire other players, it would be my honor.”
“Pfft!” The moment he said that, Lin Zhaoxu burst out laughing before quickly covering his mouth.
The host’s eyes lit up instantly, nearly shoving the mic into Lin Zhaoxu’s face. “Oh?! Mior looks like he knows something—come on, share it with us!”
Lin Zhaoxu froze: …Dad, I’m sorry.
Sui Ning paused, his expression unreadable—a look that seemed like he wanted to kill someone but was hesitating because there was no substitute available.
Facing the host’s gossip-hungry gaze, Lin Zhaoxu cleared his throat and avoided Sui Ning’s “calm” stare. “Well… actually, we already knew before the match that Allen was Febg-bao’s fan, and we talked about it. Feng-bao said that since there’s a fan on the other side, he’d go 200% serious—to check whether his fan had really learned anything—”
Host: “Ohooo—!!”
[???? Holy crap??]
[Is that even human? Checking a fan’s homework at Worlds?? My maniac Feng-bao is back??]
[Help—Feng-bao’s competitiveness, I’m crying. It’s not enough that he won’t allow himself to be bad, he doesn’t even allow his fans to be bad!!]
[I’m dead. Who’s going to dare say they’re Feng-bao’s fan now?? Wind with 200% motivation—who can handle that?!]
[The moment Mior laughed, the other three teammates were also barely holding it together. Feng-bao suddenly went full official mode and stunned everyone lol]
[Look at Feng-bao’s eyes—when someone wants to kill, it shows. If PNG had one more marksman sub, Lin Zhaoxu would already be buried]
[When it comes to reliability, it’s still Feng-bao. I bet he was thinking about representing the nation properly and showing composure—while his teammates? Just useless fools giggling (sarcasm)]
Even after that, the host wasn’t satisfied and cheekily called out to Kurachi Yuto through the camera: “Allen, did you hear that? Will you still continue being Wind’s fan in the future?!”
Kurachi Yuto: I’m completely shattered.
Still, saying he learned a lot wasn’t just polite talk. Everything PNG showed today—from strategy to players to execution—was incredibly mature. Experiencing that “maturity” firsthand felt completely different from watching it in replays.
Before, when watching recordings, he would marvel at the players’ mechanics and say “amazing.” But now, he found himself replaying every detail of the match, trying to understand that feeling—where not a single second is wasted, not a single action unnecessary.
Even though it was all the result of in-the-moment reactions, it felt as if everything had been rehearsed thousands of times to perfection. At some point, Kurachi Yuto even found himself a little mesmerized.
On top of that, there was one piece of good news: PNG agreed to take a group photo with LNC. Kurachi Yuto even got a one-on-one photo with Sui Ning, which he posted on Twitter along with crying-laughing and heart-eyed emojis.
Sui Ning didn’t have a Twitter account, so Chen Chen teasingly sent him screenshots of the comment section.
Sui Ning thought: Whenever the coach makes that face, it’s never a good sign…
With a hint of caution, he frowned slightly and took the phone, lowering his gaze to look.
Comments: So great!! A memorable photo—East Asia’s strongest mid laners! It’d be even better if UG’s False could join too!
Comments: Ah! Wind is actually this handsome! My heart is going doki-doki like it’s about to jump out~
Comments: You got to spar with such incredible players—LNC, keep it up in the future!
Comment: Wind & Allen, the “Destroyer Dragons” of East Asian mid lane, the Empire’s Dark Ruin Stars! I’ll treasure this photo forever!
Sui Ning: …????
The first half was barely acceptable, but what was that second half supposed to be? Please don’t just make up cringe-inducing duo names like that, thank you!!
Ji Yunyu glanced at it, and his cool-guy composure instantly collapsed. “Pfft—hahaha—Destroyer Dragon??”
Sui Ning immediately locked the screen and shot him a glare. “Is it that funny?”
“Very—uh, not funny.” Ji Yunyu felt the sharp pinch at his waist and obediently shook his head.
Sui Ning said coldly, “Mm, I don’t think it’s funny either.”
So no one would bring it up again, right? Whoever dared to mention it—
He would seriously lose it!!
——
And so, under Sui Ning’s “threat”… the other three HPL mid laners all changed their group chat IDs—uniformly adding their team prefix plus “Destroyer Dragon.”
Very quickly, all HPL players were swept up in this bizarre wave of chuunibyou naming. Not a single one was spared.
This time, Sui Ning’s adorable “threat” was completely ineffective.
[Peninsula Hotel Owners Group (23)]
[Nv’s Destroyer Dragon]: ^^
[TL’s Destroyer Dragon]: ^^
[HTG’s Destroyer Dragon]: ……
[HTG’s Destroyer Dragon]: Who changed my name?
[TL’s Devouring Tiger]: I report—your top laner Yu Cai did it. Recommend immediate execution!
[HTG’s Garlic Turtle King]: ?
[HTG’s Garlic Turtle King]: Yeah, it was me. What, don’t like the ID? (dog holding a rose) I suggest you conform
[Wind]: ……
[PNG’s Death Herald]: @Wind, I suggest you conform
[TL’s Devouring Tiger]: @Wind, I suggest you conform
System: User [Coach Tang Yu] has joined the group chat.
[TL’s Devouring Tiger]: ?? No coaches in small groups—kick him out!
[PNG’s Fatal Leopard]: Honestly can’t stand coaches with no sense of boundaries~
[Coach Tang Yu]: ?? You guys are pretty bold in this little group. Also, what’s with these IDs? Copying LNC and losing your minds?
[TL’s Devouring Tiger]: Don’t worry about it. This is a free zone
System: User [Coach Tang Yu] changed nickname to [HTG’s Chaos Heavenly Emperor].
[HTG’s Chaos Heavenly Emperor]: Enough freedom. Just here to notify—9 PM, room 6107, cross-training. Reply “1” when received. It’s also announced in the main group—remember to check in.
Everyone, sporting their ridiculous IDs, replied “1” to confirm.
[Wind]: 1
[HTG’s Chaos Heavenly Emperor]: @Wind, why is your ID so out of place?
Sui Ning: …???
What kind of coach is this—can we still keep him?!
Since the training notice was already delivered, a wicked thought crossed Sui Ning’s mind. His fingers tapped lightly across the screen.
System: User [HTG’s Chaos Heavenly Emperor] has been removed from the group by owner Wind.
The group instantly exploded: Wait—so the most nonconforming one was actually the group owner?? Oh god, Wind isn’t going to abuse his power, right?! No way, he’s such a good guy—he wouldn’t!
Sui Ning let out a long breath of relief.
His mentality in matches was rock solid, but off-stage he was nearly tilted by his own teammates—he had never experienced such a bizarre pro scene before…
——
The first day of the group stage ended quickly. PNG secured a strong opening win for HPL, and Navic and TL seemed inspired, consecutively defeating Europe’s CLR (Group C) and North America’s Fast (Group D), taking the lead on the standings.
But fans knew these three teams were in for a “sweet first, bitter later” path—starting by licking the sugar coating off the Western teams, only to swallow the bitter pill of stronger opponents afterward.
Sure enough, on the 18th, HTG from Group A lost to UG, and the HPL teams in Groups C and D also fell to their group leaders.
PNG’s second match went the smoothest. On the 19th, they faced North America’s second seed MaJ, pushed to the high ground in 27 minutes, and secured the win with a 16–2 scoreline.
MaJ had decent recognition in Europe, and there were quite a few foreign fans cheering on-site. What they didn’t expect was that their team nearly followed LNC’s path to getting completely shut out! Fortunately, a few mid-game teamfights managed to catch Wei Ye, otherwise, MaJ would have become the second team at this Worlds to be perfect-gamed.
Still, as cheerful North Americans, MaJ didn’t seem too concerned about their results. During the post-match photo with PNG, they were smiling as brightly as sunflowers—pure mental resilience at work.
On the 20th, PNG kept up the momentum and defeated Korea’s Tio in their group.
HTG pulled back a win against North America’s Spirit, Navic smoothly defeated Korea’s promoted team Loud, while TL fought a grueling battle against Korea’s second seed SST in Group D. After 46 minutes of back-and-forth, they unfortunately got flanked by a teleport from the enemy mid laner and were wiped out.
On the 21st, the first round of the group stage concluded.
In Groups A and B, UG and PNG both sat firmly in first place with perfect 3–0 records. In Group C, North America’s SDB still held first place based on head-to-head results, while Group D had a three-way tie between SST, OST, and TL.
During the post-match broadcast, the commentators gave a focused breakdown of the current standings.
“Group D is the most intense—after the first round, it feels like the gap between these three teams is really small!”
Tofu frowned the moment he saw the results. “You could say any two of these three making it out wouldn’t be surprising. This is exactly what you fear most in a BO1 group stage! In BO5 you still have room for strategies and depth, but BO1 really comes down to raw skill—and even luck. TL really needs to step up!”
On the 22nd, the second round began. Compared to the tight schedule of the first round, the second round was much more relaxed.
HTG faced UG again but still couldn’t win. However, UG—who had a chance to go undefeated—unexpectedly stumbled the next day, losing to Europe’s underdog HOPE.
HTG then defeated HOPE, proving that Group A’s “food chain” had entered a strange Schrdinger-like state, where teams countered each other in a circular fashion.
With that upset win over the defending champions, HOPE—Europe’s second seed—regained some pride.
But due to their poor performance in the first round and subsequent loss to HTG, their chances of advancing remained slim, largely dependent on Spirit’s performance.
If Spirit somehow went on a rampage and defeated both UG and HTG, they themselves might not advance—but HOPE’s chances would suddenly look much brighter.
Group C’s second round was extremely tense. Navic, who had gone 2–0 in the first round, lost their opening match of the second round to SBD. With the momentum shift, Group C’s qualification picture became increasingly unclear. However, Navic’s decisive match for advancement would be against the currently winless CLR, so fans remained quite optimistic.
Compared to Group C, Group D was even harder to read. Scores hovered around 2–3 and 3–2, making it feel like any team could suddenly turn things around. With three strong teams—OST, SST, and TL—clustered together, and only North America’s Fast looking slightly outmatched, the top three were neck-and-neck. It was nearly impossible to predict who would claim the top two spots before the final match.
At the same time, officials reiterated that any tie in standings would be resolved with BO5 tiebreakers. Commentators predicted that Group D was the most likely to require such matches.
Tofu: “Of course, it’s best if it doesn’t come to that. The knockout stage starts right after the second round, and playing a BO5 now would cost teams more than it benefits them.”
Meanwhile, Group B—smooth and steady—was the most reassuring group for HPL fans. PNG, leading with three wins, remained calm, and their second-round matches didn’t pose much difficulty.
On the 22nd, LNC, who played first, lost to MaJ, bringing their record to 0–4. Considering the group situation, even though they still had matches left against PNG and Tio, their S6 Worlds journey was effectively over.
When LNC took the stage again on the 23rd, all five players had tears in their eyes.
This was their farewell match at the Accor Arena. Whether it was the weight of the moment or their unwillingness to part, they turned it into motivation—astonishingly defeating Korea’s third seed Tio in their third match of the second round. They not only secured their first win of the group stage but also made history for their region.
After the match, LNC bowed and specifically thanked PNG for taking time to scrim with them, paying tribute to their sportsmanship.
In the race against time that is Worlds, the weaker a team is, the harder it becomes to schedule scrims—sometimes it’s not even possible—which only traps them in a vicious cycle.
This is a challenge all weaker teams face at Worlds. Worse still, LNC didn’t even have “allies” from their own region. As a result, they had very few scrims during this period, mostly only with PNG, HPL teams, and a handful of European and American teams.
In response, Kurachi Yuto posted a long message on his Twitter: [I once saw Wind as my idol. Watching his replays, I was fascinated by his mechanics. But when I asked whether his team could scrim with LNC, he agreed—and said I could reach out anytime in the future…]
[My thoughts haven’t changed—Wind’s mechanics are still incredible. But what fascinates me even more now is something else… We never imagined we could defeat Tio, but once we stepped onto the stage, it just happened. It turns out we can also take games off such strong opponents… I’m deeply grateful for his guidance during this time. I will always remember the S6 Worlds and bring what I’ve learned from him back to the Japanese league. Please continue to look forward to it.]
This post was retweeted tens of millions of times on Japanese Twitter and even made it onto news segments on Asahi TV. Even people who didn’t follow War of Glory had at least heard about it.
Fans spontaneously created tags for PNG and Wind, adding posts to them every day. Sui Ning felt a bit touched when he found out—but—
He would be even more grateful if they stopped calling him “PNG’s Destroyer Dragon.”
——
October 24th, second round of the group stage.
PNG, leading Group B with a 3–0 record, faced Korea’s Tio once again at Arena 3.
This match was Tio’s chance for revenge—and PNG’s qualification decider. If PNG won, they would secure advancement with a solid 4–0 record.
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