Nirvana Top Laner, Reborn Tokyo Girl

Chapter 247: The Great Battle of AL

Chapter 247, Section 244: The Great Battle of AL
However, soon, the first truly convincing match will begin.

The LPL playoffs will officially begin on September 7, 2025.

The matches on this day were BLG vs JDG and AL vs WBG.

The previous match, BLG vs JDG, was considered a fairly predictable game for the audience beforehand.

Although BLG was in a bit of a slump towards the end of the regular season, JDG was in a similarly bad state.

A strong team is in bad form, as is a weak team.
That's really not a matter of concept anymore.

In short, everyone predicts that BLG will beat WBG no matter what, there will be no suspense.

But the result
As a result, things didn't go as planned.

This highly anticipated match before the ALvsWBG game ended with BLG narrowly defeating JDG 3-2.

Although they won.
Although they won.
But this is BLG!
This team is seen by viewers as the hope of the LPL, and is considered by many to be the only team that has a chance of defeating the LCK!

Everyone's expectations for BLG are to make up for the regret of not being able to defeat T1 by one game to win the World Championship last year. Everyone hopes that BLG can be stronger and in better form than last year.

As it turns out now, it's not even possible to compete with T1.

How come they're losing to JDG like this?
[Wait, with BLG like this, can they really go far in the playoffs?]

[I feel like we're going to get crushed by IG again, if that's the case.]

Sigh, an all-Chinese team. Sigh, the hope of the LPL.

How can we get everyone to accept this? How can we make people watch it?

I've completely given up hope for the LPL this year.

With BLG's BO5 series ending in a defeat that was more embarrassing than a win, disappointment and criticism towards BLG, pessimism about the future of the LPL, and pessimistic expectations for this year's World Championship results have emerged.
Content like this is rampant on online platforms.

If BLG can't do it, then it's hard to say who in the LPL can.

If BLG is so much weaker than last year, then there's really no hope for the entire LPL to defeat LCK at the World Championship.

but
In this world, there is Shimamura Yuna.

There seems to be hope for the LPL.

[Don't worry, BLG is having a tough time against JDG, but didn't Shimamura completely dominate JDG the other day? Just watch Shimamura and you'll see.]

[That's true, Shimamura is about to start playing, why are you in such a hurry after BLG lost? Let's see how good Shimamura's WBG really is.]

Indeed, it feels like we should rely on Shimamura more than on Brother Bing this year.

Come on, everyone say "Shimamura-nee is awesome!"

[You call Shimamura-san amazing? She just crushed JDG and UP and got all worked up. AL will soon bring you Japanese wannabes back to reality. As a proud Chinese person, I absolutely cannot accept a Chinese team relying on a Japanese girl to carry. WBG is unilaterally expelled from the LPL by me.]

Who the hell do you think you are? I'll just strip you of your citizenship and hand you over to Shimamura-san.

There are many dissenting voices.

There are also many voices of support.

But no one can deny one thing: Shimamura Yuna and WBG are indeed a very promising and impactful team.

Previously, they faced teams like JDG that didn't seem very strong, and even if they won, it wouldn't be convincing.

'He's just good at beating weaker opponents.'

'It's just that it hasn't been studied yet.'

It's just the honeymoon period.

In short, I couldn't convince anyone.

But AL is different.

TES, AL, and BLG are undoubtedly the three strongest teams this season, maintaining sufficient competitiveness from the first stage to the third stage.

The overall rating of these three teams is higher than that of IG, whose recent form has only improved.

If WBG stomping JDG doesn't prove anything, then stomping UP doesn't prove anything either.
If they can defeat AL, then they will be the undisputed strongest team in the region.

Although AL currently appears to be in the worst form among the top three teams in the LPL.

AL, who performed as one of the top LPL teams in the first stage, the second stage, and the subsequent MSI and EWC, suddenly experienced a significant drop in performance during the entire third stage group stage.

It can be said that AL's decline in performance is a major reason why many LPL viewers are currently feeling quite down.

If BLG is unreliable, and this year's rising star AL is also unreliable, then who can we rely on?
Will TES make history by getting spun around by Shimamura in the Pioneer Tournament?
Even so, AL is still considered a strong team in the LPL.

His decline and slump are all relative to his past performance.

This is in comparison to his own performance at MSI and EWC, where he even became a leading figure in the LPL.

Compared to other teams, AL is only slightly worse than teams with stable performances like BLG and TES.

They are at least on par with IG, or even better.

If WBG can defeat AL in a best-of-five series in the playoffs, then the impact of Shimamura Yuna on the team will be undeniable.

Whether they'll go to the World Championship is hard to say.

But she's definitely better than before Shimamura Yuna joined.

Therefore, fans are looking forward to this match.

We look forward to Shimamura Yuna proving herself.

I hope to find some subjective evidence to convince myself that "WBG is truly capable of competing for a spot in the World Championship."

The video that Shimamura Yuna recorded before the match may have reflected this sentiment among everyone.

“AL, I fought you back in MSI. I destroyed you. You are not an insurmountable enemy for me.”

"That was true then, and it is true now. Even though I've changed teams, you're still just enemies to me."

"I will win and crush you."

Since joining the LPL, Shimamura Yuna has probably said the most harsh things she has in a year.

This was completely contrary to her usual conservative attitude.

The reason for this is largely because the world is now cautiously optimistic about WBG, and objectively speaking, WBG's chances of qualifying are not optimistic.

Under these circumstances, the atmosphere within the WBG team was actually a bit tense.

Everyone is somewhat anxious and insecure, and their mental state may be even worse than before Shimamura Yuna came.

Before Shimamura arrived, everyone assumed WBG wouldn't qualify and thought it was normal for them not to go to the World Championship; if they did, it would be pure luck.

In that situation, everyone would think, "Well, we're just bad anyway, so there's nothing to lose. If we play well and make it to the World Championship, that's a good thing. If we don't play well, then forget about it."

Because there's nothing to lose, everyone feels relaxed and can easily give their all.

However, after Shimamura Yuna arrived, this relaxed mood actually changed.

WBG spent so much money to sign a short-term contract with Yuna Shimamura just to qualify for the World Championship.

Moreover, since Shimamura Yuna arrived, her improvement to the WBG team has been clearly visible, both in training matches and in actual games.

From almost no hope, it has become a very good chance of making it to the World Championship.

Hope is increasing, but this has added a mental burden to the other WBG members.

From having nothing and being barefoot, one is not afraid of those wearing shoes.
They became a team with tight deadlines, heavy tasks, and a compelling reason to win.

Now, everyone is afraid of being the one who holds everyone back.

Unfortunately, everyone on this team seemed like someone who would drag the team down.

Jungler Xiaotian is criticized for his formulaic playstyle and lack of creativity. The bot lane duo is even worse: one is considered an AD carry who can't carry, and the other is seen as an aging support with severely distorted mechanics and zero laning ability.

This is the type that's fine until you step on the scale, then your true colors are revealed.

Perhaps the most suitable atmosphere for this kind of team is that of elderly people using wheelbarrows, going as far as they can.

This kind of atmosphere allows players with obvious flaws to stop worrying about gains and losses and give their all to perform at their best.

However, anyone with even a slight desire to achieve results would seem out of place given the team's atmosphere and performance.

Simply put...
This will put pressure on the team.

If even the slightest mistake is made, some of the team's already flawed players will fall into a vortex of self-doubt.

Then it might become a vicious cycle, with more and more mistakes and playing worse and worse.

For example, during the time when Shimamura Yuna joined the team, the jungler Xiaotian would ask after almost every game, "Did this game make you uncomfortable? How did you feel about this game?"

Clearly, in Xiaotian's mind, he seriously believed that Shimamura Yuna was a great help to the team in terms of technical assistance, the savior of the team, and the strongest person in the team.

To Shimamura Yuna, he felt he was an "unworthy" jungler.

My own strength is not worthy of Shimamura Yuna, and my own level is not good enough to protect such a top player.

Therefore, he would check every game to see if his gameplay was effective or ineffective for Shimamura Yuna.

Although the other team members weren't as direct as Xiaotian, it was clear that they were all a bit reserved.

Clearly, everyone has this understanding.

That means WBG is a terrible team.

Yuna Shimamura is the savior of this terrible team.

They were clinging to the thigh of Yuna Shimamura.

Yuna Shimamura didn't want to say anything like, "This is the power of our friendship and bonds," such a hot-blooded, idiotic statement.

Objectively speaking, that might indeed be the case.

After all, if he weren't a top performer, WBG wouldn't have bought him at this time.

But she doesn't want her teammates to have that mentality.

Pressure can become resistance.

Obstacles can cause people to underperform.

That's why she talks so much big talk.

What's needed is not to use these statements for hype.

She's already popular enough; she doesn't need this kind of thing to make herself even more popular.

To be precise, she was deceiving her opponents, her teammates, and even herself.

'Getting into the World Championship is really a piece of cake.'

'The entire LPL is no match for us.'

This is nothing to be stressed about.

She needs to convey this kind of atmosphere to everyone.

Confidence is the source of strength.

Unquestionable and absolute self-confidence is the ladder to victory.

The match continued in this manner.

As for the results...
It's hard to say whether WBG's teammates were encouraged by her.

But AL was indeed a little frightened.

Before the match even started, AL was on high alert.

They all clearly remember what exactly happened at MSI.

At that time, they clearly felt that all other positions in AL did not have any obvious disadvantages compared to the CFO; in fact, they could even be said to have advantages.

Especially in the jungle matchup, Tarzan is undoubtedly stronger than Junjia, and by a significant margin.

But in the blink of an eye
AL lost.

It was still a big loss.

It's simply because the top laner got completely destroyed.

Now, Yuna Shimamura has joined the LPL.

WBG joined, a team that AL felt had a stronger roster than the CFO.

They could almost imagine just how monstrous Shimamura's strength was in this team.

To put it bluntly, the reason they lost before was because they couldn't handle Shimamura Yuna at all.

Now that Shimamura Yuna has switched teams, will they be able to handle it?

It feels very risky.

Therefore, when AL learned that they would be playing against WBG in the playoffs, they were on high alert.

We discussed strategies and considered how to deal with the opponent well in advance of the match.

The day before the match was about to start, they were still giving Flandre a mental pep talk.

He said, "You don't need to be afraid of her. You are very strong too. Don't feel pressured. Just play your best."

"You are a very strong player, we all believe in you. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just hold on to her."

They said nice things, like "You're no worse than her," or "You're a champion while she isn't," and so on.
But any normal person knows that if you are truly better than someone, you don't need to be encouraged like this.

Everyone will believe from the bottom of their hearts that you will definitely win.

Shimamura Yuna's constant pre-match hype and her brutal domination of weaker opponents in the first two matches put a lot of psychological pressure on AL.

From this perspective, Shimamura Yuna's unconventional and harsh remarks were indeed effective.

Now, the competition is about to really begin.

AL began the competition under this unprecedented psychological pressure.

The playoff venues were much more lively than usual.

The ceremony was more elaborate than usual.

Amid cheers and the gaze of thousands of spectators, and with the introduction and reading of the host, the competition officially began.

This isn't the first time Shimamura Yuna has played in the LPL playoffs.

But in her previous life, she did not survive past the first round of the LPL.

They all worked incredibly hard, crawling through the regular season to secure a last-place playoff spot.

Then they were eliminated in the playoffs, all by a score of 3-0. There has been no precedent of breaking through 3-1 so far.

But this time, she had a very strong feeling.

"At least winning the first round shouldn't be too difficult, right?" She smiled casually at her teammates while adjusting the equipment and said.