Day 3 of the Worlds quarterfinals! It was the day of Hand of God versus SSK! It would start at 7 PM on the dot. But that didnât stop people from talking about the game before. The online forums lit up in the early hours of Saturday with discussions about the best of five series that would be played that night. It was a battle of regions. The strongest team from the LPL versus the strongest team from the LCK. Though, it was also a World level team versus the World Champions. There was a distinct difference between both teams, one most fans, even the Chinese ones, didnât see Hand of God overcoming. However, that didnât stop HoGâs fans from plastering the online space with supportive messages for their team! It didnât matter what they believed would happen. For the only thing they could do to influence the games was to show their trust and confidence in the team and hope it would carry through into the game.
The incident with KG was a turning point for many Chinese fans. Their faces were pushed against the facts. KG never wanted to lose. But they struggled just like any other normal person would do. The thing that could help them over that point, to get them in a place where they could perform, that thing was encouragement. Confidence of their fans that showed through in their own gameplay. It was how fans could influence the game! Whether this was in a small tournament with almost no stakes or at Worlds where the stakes couldnât be any higher, this rule didnât change. If they showed their confidence and trust in the team. If they encouraged them to do better than they normally could. If they cheered in support even when things werenât going great. Then, and only then, could their team perform at the best of their ability!
There was something else many Chinese fans had come to realize. The teams that qualified for Worlds, they didnât participate for a participation trophy. They participated to win. Every waking hour they practiced, they prepared themselves both physically and mentally, to be in that optimal state where they could perform at the highest level. It wasnât any different for Hand of God. They didnât give up just because their opponent was SSK. They were working together, planning their game tactics. Finding that perfect plan that could get them the advantage and do the impossible! They would fight to the end and never give up!
Hand of Godâs fans wouldnât give up either. They would support their team through thick and thin! So they did the only thing they knew, and that was to plaster the online space with their support for the team. There were hundreds, thousands, and by the late afternoon tens of thousands of posts, all of them full with ongoing discussion. All of them overflowing with a singular wish. For Hand of God to play their hearts out tonight!
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It was late in the morning and the sun was shining in Paris, France. League of Legends fans were streaming into the Zenith Paris, finding their way to one of the 9,000 seats. They were the lucky few whoâd got their hands on a ticket before it was completely sold out. Their clothing was in the colours of their favourite teams and theyâd brought with them signboards and glowsticks, with some especially fanatic fans trying to sneak in megaphones and fireworks. Inside the arena, Chatter rang out to the backdrop of epic battle music from the oversized speakers.
The time drew closer to noon and there were only 20 more minutes before the first game of Hand of God versus SSK would start. Backstage, the players could hear the vibing sounds inside the arena becoming louder as the announcer started hyping up both teams. All the way to one of the bathrooms. The bathrooms where Nightsong and Daybreak Hermes were hyping themselves up before theyâd go on stage and play the best team in the world. Maybe even beat them.
Nightsong leaned over one of the sinks and looked at himself in the mirror. He was about to play one of the most important games in his life. The nerves that came with that even affected him. He took a deep breath and then splashed his face with some cold water.
Hermes came out from one of the stalls and walked up to the sink next to Nightsong. He opened the faucet and let the water splash on his hands while looking at his friend. He chuckled, short and rushed, and asked, âHowâre you feeling?â
Nightsong breathed in, deeply, and then blew it all out through his nose. He forced a smile to his lips and looked up at his friend. âExcited! Of course! What else? Iâm very excited! No one can beat me!â
This was Nightsong. Hermes knew his friend like no other. He asked, âFeeling the pressure?â
âHa! Pressure? What pressure! Look at me! Do I ever feel pressure?â Nightsong laughed, his hands shaking. He quickly grabbed one hand with the other, then forced them both under the faucet. Anything to stop Hermes from noticing how they were shaking. He was nervous and he was feeling the pressure. This wasnât just some random game. They were up against SSK in the World Championships! This could turn out to become the biggest game in his entire career! Itâd be crazier if he wasnât feeling the pressure. But that didnât mean heâd admit to that.
Hermes rubbed his nose and smiled. âIt is SSK weâre playing against. Look at my hand, itâs shaking so badly! I canât get it to stop.â He imitated Nightsong, grabbing one hand with the other and putting them under the faucet. âBut thatâs normal. Weâre playing against SSK. I have to face Rake in lane. Holy shit, dude. I have to face Rake. Rake! Fuck. I donât know. This is going to be so difficult.â
Daybreak Hermes was Chinaâs number one Midlaner. He was also a King. Fans had chosen him as one of the best players in the world! Some had even given him the nickname Star Emperor. There were very few players who were better than him, and those who were were only slightly so. Except for one. Against Phoenix and Moon, two Emperors, he would still have some confidence. They were the better players, but he wasnât completely lost. However, that confidence was thrown out of the window when it came to Rake. Even Moon and Phoenix were terrified of the God Emperor. The best player in the world. It was only to be expected that he was fighting hard not to shit his pants.
Nightsong looked in the mirror, at himself. Then he smiled and turned to Hermes. âSo heâs a little good. So what? That doesnât change anything! Youâre going up and youâre going to give it your absolute all! Thatâs what we do! Donât look up to him. Look down on him! Piss on him and claim your territory!â
âThat is what we do.â Hermes nodded and grinned. He looked up at the mirror straight into his own eyes. Thatâs right. Iâm not giving up. Iâm going to fight! Iâm going to beat him! He turned to Nightsong and said, âYouâre right. I canât let him look down on me. Weâre pros. It doesnât matter what the odds are. We fight and give it our all. Who knows, maybe thatâs enough today.â
Nightsong looked at his friend. The serious look in his eyes. The words that were meant to hype them up but that sounded completely ridiculous. His own nerves raging within him. It suddenly seemed all too comical. He started laughing and said, âLook at us! Weâre acting like weâre supposed to be scared of them! Haha! They should be scared of us! Weâre HoG! Itâs just SSK! How bad can it really be? Iâll stomp all over them with my flashy plays and show the world who the best ad-carry is! And you do the same in mid lane! Weâre going to kick some asses!â
Hermes smiled. âHehe. I guess we did do pretty ok at the Mid-Season Invitationals. Maybe we can carry that through here. Only one way to find out. Letâs do this.â
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Su Xue and Lin Feng were sitting in Su Xueâs bedroom behind her computer. The stream was on. There were 2,000 people watching, all of them here for Lin Fengâs insights. Their excited messages flooded the chat, slowly turning more nervous as 7 PM approached. They kept asking for reassurances from Lin Feng, something he wouldnât give. He kept reiterating his view on the matchup. Itâd be hard for HoG to win, but not impossible. Still, that little was enough for a lot of viewers. They felt a little more confident in HoGâs chances, until a few minutes later when this process would start all over again.
Su Xue was very much in on it with her chat. She tugged at Lin Fengâs arm as both teams went into Champion Select and asked, âHey! What do you think HoGâs chances are? Like 40% Maybe 50? Do you think they have a better chance!â
Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. âEh, Iâve said it to the stream already, HoGâs chances are pretty slim. If they play at their best and SSK screws up a little, then they might have a 30% chance of winning, I guess?â
Su Xueâs mouth fell open. She knew the answer. She tried to prepare herself for it. But it still hit like a truck. âReally? That low? Donât you think their chances might be a little better? You know, just a bit?â
Lin Feng shook his head, resolute. âIâm being optimistic here. Realistically? Itâs probably lower. SSK is really good. Theyâre the favourites for a reason.â
There were several conditions that had to be met if Hand of God wanted to win this series against SSK. First, they had to play a perfect Champion Select. That meant banning the Champions they wanted out of the game, including having SSK ban Champions for them, and also picking the Champions that were perfect for their composition. Of course, itâd help if SSK went with a composition that just happened to be weaker against theirs.
A second hard condition was Hermes. He was up against Rake. An impossible lane to win. But he didnât have to win, not necessarily. As long as he could somewhat keep up, or even go even, then there was still a chance. He had to scale up and get out from under Rakeâs pressure, so that SSK had to focus on mid lane as well as the other lanes. This condition applied for the most part to the early game. In the late game, where one teamfight could decide victory and defeat, anything was possible.
Hand of Godâs Jungler was another important condition. Just like Lin Feng kept hammering on with Liu Yue, jungle pressure was everything. HoGâs Jungler couldnât fall behind. He couldnât react to SSKâs ganks. He had to be the one ganking. He had to be the one making plays. Or at least, he had to put enough pressure on the game that SSKâs Jungler couldnât move around freely and dictate the pace of the game.
There were two more conditions. Top lane couldnât fall. Going even was fine and even a slight loss was fine. But they absolutely couldnât afford losing it. And then there was bot lane. Bot lane was where an opportunity lay for Hand of God. Nightsong was a strong ad-carry. If he could get a slight advantage in the early game and carry his team through the mid game and into the late game, then all bets were off.
If Hand of God wanted any hope of winning this series, they had to meet all five of these conditions. Not three, not four, all five. An impossible task. On a good day, Lin Feng saw them meeting maybe two or three of them. But that wouldnât be enough. Hand of God would lose. Lin Feng lowered his head. The situation was clear. Hand of God needed a literal Hand of God to win this series. They needed divine intervention. A true miracle.
When Lin Feng raised his head again, the stream switched to the cameras aimed at the players. They first showed the five from Hand of God. From the Toplaner all the way to the Support. Their expressions were tense. Lip biting. Fidgeting. Shifting around in their chairs. It was clear how they felt. Then the players from SSK came into view. They looked completely different. Relaxed. Confident. Excited even.
The camera stopped on Rake. The 20 years old Korean and best player in the world. He sat behind his monitor, waiting for the game to start. His breathing was even and his expression was calm. There was no concern. There was no conceit. There was nothing that betrayed his feelings other than that calmness that felt so natural. When looking at him, there was no doubt in the minds of the viewers. SSK was going to win. This was going to be a quick and easy series. These were the words Rake spoke to them without even opening his mouth.