Chapter 108: Overwatch Winter Tournament Finals – 5

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Although the ‘Blue LUV’ team had won the first round with a 3-3 composition using Winston, it seemed that the opposing team was no pushover either. In the second round, where they had no choice but to use Reinhardt, they ended up losing, resulting in a 1:1 tie. Now, the final decisive match was upon them, pushing both teams to the very last moment.

For the ‘Blue LUV’ team, the tension had actually lessened by this point. Their minds were solely filled with the desire to win, and they were only preoccupied with how they should play.

『What should our composition be? Should we use Sombra?』

『Yeah, that seems better. Let’s exclude Winston this time and go with a 3-3 Sombra composition.』

『But I’ll play Ana instead of Zenyatta. That’ll be better.』

『Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Since it’s the final match, let’s go with what we’re confident in.』

The ‘Blue LUV’ team predicted that the opposing team would also use Sombra, so they decided to go with Sombra as well. However, Kang Ha-neul, who had been playing Zenyatta, switched to Ana. Ana isn’t typically used in classic 3-3 compositions but she’s often picked against Sombra compositions because she has some immunity to Sombra’s EMP unlike Zenyatta, who becomes a sitting duck.

Moreover, Ana’s most crucial skill, the Biotic Grenade, which blocks healing for 4 seconds within its range is usually absorbed by D.Va’s Defense Matrix, making it hard to use. But since D.Va isn’t in a Sombra composition, it’s relatively easier to use.

『Guys, let’s do this without regrets!』

『Yes!』

As Kang Ha-neul, the eldest, reassured the team, everyone responded loudly and selected their characters.

【The final round of the Twitch Overwatch Winter Tournament is about to begin! This time, both teams have only swapped their secondary healers, right?】

【That’s right! It seems Haneulbom anticipated Sombra and chose Ana instead of Zenyatta.】

【It’s a testament to how much this team studies compositions. This is likely the driving force that brought the underdog ‘Blue LUV’ team this far, don’t you think?】

【Absolutely. At the center of it all is Lulu. If they win today, it could very well become the greatest underdog story in Twitch tournament history!】

• The underdog rebellion is here!!!!!!!!
• Please win, please win, please win, please win, please win!
• I’m more nervous than when watching pro league matches lol
• 80k live viewers, is this real? Hahahaha

As both teams finalized their compositions, the longest 5-second countdown began, and finally the gates of both bases opened. The players rushed out, and the true final match began.

[See you later.]

Da-jeong, who was the first to rush out of the base, used her Translocator to warp a long distance and quickly ran to the health pack on the right side of the point, hacking it. She then returned to her side and hacked the health pack near the stairs, securing two health packs in advance.

For Sombra, hacking health packs significantly reduces their respawn time, which is crucial for sustaining fights later on.

『I’ve hacked all the health packs! We can fight near the health packs!』

『Yeah! Just be careful not to fall off the map!』

Like the first set’s map, this map also had death zones all around, so the ‘Blue LUV’ team cautiously entered the point while continuing their briefing.

Thud! Thud!

【A steady standoff is unfolding, but Nyangtamon’s ultimate is charging up a bit faster, right?】

【Yes, it seems like landing Fire Strikes has helped charge the ultimate faster. This will make it harder for the ‘Blue LUV’ team to predict ultimates.】

As Reinhardts exchanged hammer blows, Nyangtamon’s ultimate charged much faster due to dealing more damage. The ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team began to slowly advance, planning to use this to their advantage.

『Nyangta, let’s combo the stun with me!』

『Okay!』

They planned to use Brigitte’s stun to break the enemy Reinhardt’s shield and then follow up with Earthshatter to win the team fight. As the enemy Brigitte slowly approached, Chae-yoon, who was also playing Brigitte, sensed something was off.

‘They’re probably planning an ultimate combo.’

Having played Brigitte frequently recently, Chae-yoon had a good understanding of her tendencies. Watching the suspicious movements of the enemy Brigitte, she waited.

Ting!

Sure enough, the enemy Brigitte slammed her shield forward, stunning Ra-hee’s Reinhardt with a star appearing above his head.

[Hammer…!]

At the same time, Nyangtamon raised her heavy hammer to strike, but…

Ting!

[Ugh!]

『I canceled the hammer! I canceled the hammer!』

Chae-yoon countered by slamming her shield forward, stunning Nyangtamon and canceling her ultimate.

【Huh?! Nyangtamon’s ultimate was just canceled, right?!】

【Yes! Lilith’s sense was spot on! She must have been watching Reinhardt closely, sensing the stun and hammer combo!】

True to her reputation as one of the two pillars of the ‘Blue LUV’ team, Chae-yoon’s sharp play from the very beginning boosted the team’s morale.

『Wow!』

『Amazing!』

『Our third is the best!』

『Thank you. If it weren’t for Lilith, we’d all be dead.』

『Unnie, you’re amazing!』

『What, I got carried in the first round, so I had to step up.』

Responding to the flood of praise with her signature confident tone, Chae-yoon stepped back slightly to maintain distance from the enemy.

Bam bam bam!

However, the opposing team wasn’t going to back down easily. When Reinhardt lowered his shield briefly to manage its durability, the enemy Zenyatta fired a burst of five energy orbs, instantly taking down Kang Ha-neul.

【Oh?! But that super play was overshadowed as Zenyatta just sent Ana to the afterlife with a single burst!】

【This means the ‘Blue LUV’ team has to give up the point temporarily! Without Ana, the standoff is meaningless!】

Losing a key resource in an instant, the ‘Blue LUV’ team had no choice but to retreat. The problem was that they were cornered and had to cross the stairs filled with death zones again.

『Let’s retreat as much as possible! It’s okay if a few of us die!』

Following Da-jeong’s urgent briefing, the ‘Blue LUV’ team retreated. However, the opposing team wasn’t going to let them go easily. With Lucio’s speed boost, they quickly closed in, trying to pick off the fleeing ‘Blue LUV’ team.

『We need to get as many kills as possible here!』

『Yeah, we can do it! Without Ana, we can just push in and win!』

As the enemy team charged in, the ‘Blue LUV’ team was in disarray, retreating in panic. However, Jia was the only one who didn’t retreat. Instead, she crouched against the right wall, watching the enemy’s blind spot.

‘Now!’

Hug!

Suddenly, she climbed up the wall and used Lucio’s right-click ability, Soundwave, towards the enemy near the death zone. Soundwave deals slight damage and knocks back enemies, with the knockback distance increasing the closer the enemy is. Since Jia had been hiding right next to the enemy, the effect was even more pronounced.

『…Huh?!』

『Ah!』

The two enemy tanks at the front were knocked back, and…

BlueLUVErin > TotalGamingGeniusNyangtamon

BlueLUVErin > Yeonji, let’s do well!

They fell into the death zone, meeting a futile end.

『Two down! We can do this!』

『Our eldest is the bestttt!』

『Kill them allll!』

【Wait, Erin! She just knocked two into the death zone?!】

【Two tanks are gone in an instant! This is a complete turnaround! Now it’s the ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team that has to retreat!】

• She just pulled off a death zone play lololol
• Wow, she saw the death zone angle
• Is her sense insane or what?

Thanks to this, the tide of the match completely turned. The ‘Blue LUV’ team, now charging forward, successfully thinned out the enemy ranks and reclaimed the point.

『Their ultimates probably aren’t up yet, right? If we take this team fight with Graviton Surge, we’ll be fine!』

『Yeah, we can still do this! Let’s keep our cool!』

However, the ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team wasn’t going down without a fight.

[Fire at will!]

【Graviton Surge! It landed perfectly!】

【The ‘Blue LUV’ team used all their healer ultimates in the last team fight, so they have no way to counter this! The ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team is reclaiming the point again! This final round of the finals is truly a nail-biter!】

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no D.Va to block the Graviton Surge, they boldly initiated the team fight. Eventually, both teams reached 99% on the point, racing toward the finish line. It was now a situation where the final team fight would decide everything.

『Hey, hey, their Reinhardt stepped out! Let’s get him!』

『Focus Reinhardt! Focus Reinhardt!』

NewspaperDelivery > BlueLUVLucretia

Amid the tense standoff where neither team could recklessly engage, Ra-hee’s Reinhardt stepped slightly forward, creating distance from the enemy team. Seizing the opportunity, the ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team stunned and focused her down.

『Ah, sorry…! I’m dead!』

【The focus fire is insane! The ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team immediately took down the isolated Reinhardt! Can the ‘Blue LUV’ team hold on?!】

【Only Lilith and Lulu’s ultimates are left! But the enemy team still has their Transcendence, so they can survive one push! Ah, are they going to crumble like this?!】

• Ah…
• This looks like it’s over
• Seems like the end…
• GG

With the death of the team’s main tank, the mood grew grim.

HaviIsHavi > BlueLUVErin

『Ah….』

Even Jia, who had been desperately trying to hold the point, fell. The voice chat was filled with sighs. Everyone instinctively felt that this was the end.

『No, it’s okay! Let’s keep going! Zarya and I will take turns stalling the point!』

But amidst this, there was one person who hadn’t lost hope: Da-jeong. Using Sombra’s superior mobility and survivability, she managed to barely stall the point, preventing the enemy from fully capturing it while continuing to brief her team.

『Alright, I’ll pop my ultimate! Let’s hold on! Yukiko!』

『Okay!』

[Everyone, gather to me!]

At that moment, Chae-yoon’s eyes lit up as she activated Brigitte’s ultimate, providing continuous armor to the team. Despite the sustain, the 6v4 disadvantage made it feel like they were slowly being pushed back.

‘Please, just a little more… just a little more.’

Meanwhile, Da-jeong, while drawing aggro and escaping, continued to deal damage to the enemy, steadily charging her ultimate.

97, 98, 99… 100.

Finally, her EMP was ready, the yellow light filling her ultimate gauge. Ra-hee and Jia, who had respawned and rejoined late, entered the point to reinforce the team.

『They probably have EMP! Be careful!』

『I’ll try to react! If I counter with Transcendence, we can win this team fight!』

On the other hand, the ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team was fully aware of the enemy’s plan. Their Zenyatta, declared that he would counter with his ultimate, just like Kang Ha-neul had in the first set, and urged everyone to prepare for the fight.

‘If I use it head-on, they’ll react.’

Da-jeong was also conscious of this. Given that the enemy Zenyatta had shown considerable skill, she knew it was entirely possible for him to counter if he anticipated the EMP. So, how could she land the EMP successfully?

As she pondered, Da-jeong’s eyes widened, and she smiled as if she had a good idea. Then…

Whoosh-!

She suddenly threw her Translocator high above the enemy team. This was a play Sombra often made right before using EMP, so naturally, the ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team scattered in all directions, wary of the ultimate.

【Wait, is Lulu playing mind games here?!】

【That’s right! She’s throwing the Translocator to mess with them, like, “Am I going to use EMP or not?” If they fall for this and waste Transcendence, it’s game over!】

• The mind games are insane lol
• Havi holding back is impressive lol
• This is so intense wtf!!

The casters urgently commented on this, but Da-jeong, playing Sombra, remained expressionless. She threw the Translocator into the air again and destroyed it mid-flight, repeating the process.

‘Just two more times.’

Whoosh—! Crack…

Whoosh—! Crack…

Like Pavlov’s dog experiment, Da-jeong repeated the same play twice.

『Ah, I’m going crazy! Just use it already!』

『No, it’s fine! Even if Sombra flies in, it’s not too late to react!』

The opposing team shouted in frustration, but Zenyatta kept his sharp eyes fixed on the monitor, calmly reassuring his teammates.

After all, for Sombra to use EMP, she had to fly in, reveal herself from stealth, and activate her ultimate. In other words, if he timed his ultimate the moment she revealed herself, there would be no variables.

Amid this nerve-wracking standoff that seemed like it would never end—

‘Now!’

Whoosh—! Crack!

Da-jeong’s eyes sharpened as she threw her Translocator into the air. This time, instead of destroying it, she teleported to its location, revealing herself.

Since Sombra’s model becomes visible right before using EMP, Zenyatta instinctively used his ultimate the moment he saw her appear.

[Through the iris.]

『Ah…?』

The voice line for his ultimate played, but something felt off.

Normally, after his ultimate voice line, Sombra’s EMP voice line should have followed. But strangely, only his ultimate sound played, and EMP wasn’t activated. The Sombra that had floated in the air calmly returned to her original position and disappeared.

Realizing what had happened, the Zenyatta player bit his lip.

‘It was a fake-out!’

That’s right. From the beginning, Da-jeong had been throwing her Translocator to bait Zenyatta into reacting. When the tension reached its peak instead of activating her ultimate, she pressed the stealth reveal button to make it seem like she was about to use EMP, tricking the enemy into reacting.

‘I believed in you.’

Watching the enemy activate their ultimate without hesitation, Da-jeong smiled with mixed emotions.

She had anticipated this from the start. She knew the enemy would react. And because she believed in her opponent, this fake-out succeeded. It was Da-jeong’s victory, born from respecting and trusting her enemy rather than underestimating them.

【Aaaaaah! Zenyatta fell for it!】

【Lulu’s mind games worked perfectly! She kept throwing her Translocator, then suddenly flew in and revealed herself, making them think it was EMP and forcing them to use Transcendence!】

【Exactly! Who wouldn’t fall for that in such a high-stakes moment? Who could’ve imagined such bold mind games in the final round of the finals?!】

【Ah, what now?! The ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team has no ultimates left to counter!】

• She’s insane lolololololol
• She’s literally playing with their minds LOLOLOL
• Holy sh*t LOLOL
• I’m screaming WTF!!

As shock erupted from the casters and viewers, Da-jeong, watching the fading light of Transcendence, smiled faintly, sensing victory. She threw her Translocator into the air once more.

[Apagando las luces!]

This time, Sombra revealed herself in the air and spread her arms wide, activating EMP. The ‘Nyangta and Butlers’ team, hit by the 6-man ultimate, could only watch helplessly as their team crumbled under the enemy’s relentless assault.

『Haah, I’m really sorry, guys…』

『What are you apologizing for? How could anyone not fall for that?』

『Right, Lulu just outplayed us.』

『We were about to lose that team fight, but she pulled off a mind game even then. I truly feel the skill gap…』

The ‘Nyangtamon and the Butlers’ team consoled each other and praised Da-jeong’s final mind game. Meanwhile, the point capture percentage steadily climbed until it finally reached 100%.

[Round 3 Victory: TEAM ‘Blue LUV’!]

With an electric effect, the winner of Round 3 was decided, and with it, the champion of the Twitch Overwatch Winter Tournament.

【‘Blue LUV’ team, wiiiiiiins!】

【The team classified as the weakest in pre-tournament evaluations, ‘Blue LUV,’ has written the ultimate underdog story and claimed victory in the Winter Tournament!】

Amid the casters’ passionate shouts—

『We wooooon!』

『We’re the champions!』

『D-did we really win…?!』

『Boss, I still can’t believe it…』

『Heh, me neither.』

Cheers and bewildered conversations filled the ‘Blue LUV’ team’s voice chat.

‘We really won.’

Finally witnessing the happy ending she had longed for, Da-jeong slumped in her chair, overcome with exhaustion and a sense of accomplishment. All she could do was smile like a fool and stare at the monitor.

More than the joy of winning, she felt a deeper sense of fulfillment watching her teammates, who had once ended their journey in tears now embracing each other and sharing their happiness.

And so, the Twitch Overwatch Winter Tournament concluded, writing an underdog story that would go down in history.