Chapter 104: Overwatch Winter Tournament Finals – 1

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After the second semifinal match concluded, our opponent for the finals was finally decided.

It was none other than the team we had our very first scrim against: Nyangtamon and her team.

I watched their match through Nyangtamon’s stream instead of the official broadcast, and I couldn’t help but be impressed.

First of all, their teamwork is incredible.

They’ve probably been playing together as a team for a long time.

Their communication is smooth and Nyangtamon, their main tank, gives very clear calls.

For example, in situations like the second set where they were stalling in overtime, she made the call to give up two points and wait for the team to respawn before pushing.

Or using Hanzo’s Dragonstrike to bait out Zenyatta’s Transcendence, then securing the team fight with Zarya’s Graviton Surge.

Most of these calls were made by Nyangtamon herself.

Moreover, their hero pool is incredibly wide.

Each of them seems to be proficient with at least three heroes.

Thanks to that, they showcased a variety of compositions in the semifinals, excluding Doomfist.

Dive comps, double snipers, 2-tank 1-damage 3-healer—they ran it all.

If it’s this team, they might even pull out the 3-3 composition we used after practicing it.

No, I’m certain they will.

Especially since the 3-3 composition heavily relies on the main tank, and with Nyangtamon being their ace, it’s a perfect fit for them.

In fact, they might be an even scarier opponent than the team we faced in the semifinals.

‘But in the end, it’s still a mirror 3-3 matchup.’

Even if we know they’ll pull it out, we don’t really have a solid counter for it.

At this point, the 3-3 composition is almost unstoppable, with no real counters.

If I could play Doomfist at an extremely high level, I might be able to break the 3-3 comp single-handedly, but unfortunately, my Doomfist skills aren’t at that level.

I’ve only learned a few tricks, barely scratching the surface of what Doomfist can do.

So it’s going to be a head-to-head, 3-3 vs. 3-3 matchup.

Honestly, I can’t confidently say we’ll win in that scenario.

That doesn’t mean I think we’ll lose helplessly, though.

After all, we’ve been practicing the 3-3 composition for much longer, and I believe our teamwork is just as strong, if not stronger.

But there’s one thing I’m certain of.

Just like how we pulled out the 3-3 composition in the final set of the semifinals, we need one more trump card—something that can turn the tide in the final moments.

‘Yeah, there’s really only one option.’

And I do have one last trump card up my sleeve.

But at the same time, I feel uneasy.

The compositions we’ve used so far have been hard counters to the meta, but this one is more of a 50:50 matchup, maybe even 49:51 or 45:55 in our favor.

If practicing this composition lowers our proficiency with the 3-3, or if we lose the 3-3 mirror matchup before we even get to use it, it’ll all be for nothing.

So honestly, I can’t say I’m fully confident we’ll win.

But if there’s even a 1% chance to increase our odds of winning, we have to take it.

I don’t want to hear things like “It’s okay because we tried our best” or “Second place is still great.”

Those are just empty words to soothe the pain.

I want to win this tournament and see everyone smiling brightly.

＊＊＊＊＊

Team Blue LUV continued scrimming with the two teams that had been eliminated in the semifinals and were playing in the 3rd/4th place match, right up until two days before the finals.

We practiced the 3-3 composition in public scrims, while secretly practicing the new composition I had come up with in private scrims.

Nyangtamon’s team did the same.

Since the two finalists couldn’t scrim against each other, if Team Blue LUV was scrimming against the 3rd place team, Nyangtamon’s team would scrim against the 4th place team, and they alternated like this to improve.

• I really can’t tell who’s going to win.
• Nyangtamon’s team is really good with the 3-3 now too.
• Their teamwork is just too good, so they’re naturally good at 3-3…

The viewers’ reactions were all the same.

“I can’t tell who’s going to win.”

Some even said the team that scrimmed later looked better.

『Ugh…! The finals are finally here.』

Finally, the day of the finals arrived.

In the Discord call, where silence had been the norm due to nerves, Yuna stretched lazily and muttered softly.

『Yeah, I can’t believe this day is finally here.』

『I still can’t believe we’re in the finals.』

『I really want to win.』

That one comment seemed to break the ice, as Chae-yoon, Ra-hee, and Jia nodded vigorously and chimed in.

『What about Lulu? Are you nervous?』

『Me? Hmm… I don’t really feel that nervous, actually.』

Meanwhile, Kang Ha-neul, noticing that Da-jeong was the only one not speaking, casually brought her into the conversation.

Da-jeong shook her head lightly.

It wasn’t that she was too nervous to speak.

In fact, it was the opposite—she was strangely calm, to the point where she found it surprising herself.

『Really? That’s unexpected. Our youngest usually gets pretty nervous.』

『Hehe… Yeah, I’m kind of surprised too.』

Da-jeong nodded in agreement with Ra-hee’s comment.

As Ra-hee said, Da-jeong usually gets quite nervous, maybe it’s because she’s naturally shy.

But today, for some reason, she didn’t feel even a hint of nervousness, despite being on the big stage of the finals.

If she checked her heart rate, it would probably be around 80.

Honestly, even Da-jeong herself didn’t know why, but if she had to come up with a plausible reason, it would be…

『I think it’s because I believe our team will win.』

The strong bond and camaraderie of Team Blue LUV.

She believed that gave us an edge over the opposing team.

That’s what she thought, at least.

『Wow, our youngest is so cool!』

『Of course! We’re definitely going to win!』

• Kyaaaaaa
• That’s right!
• Her confidence is insane
• I believe the Blue LUV team will win too!

It wasn’t arrogance or overconfidence.

Her words lifted everyone’s spirits, and both the Blue LUV members and the viewers felt a sense of catharsis.

【Twitch viewers, thank you for waiting! The Twitch Overwatch Winter Tournament is at its’ climax! The long-awaited finals are finally here today, and we’re excited to see what kind of match these two teams will deliver!】

As time passed and the commentators’ voices filled the air, it finally hit us that the match was right around the corner.

【Before the match begins, let’s watch a short video prepared by the representatives of both teams!】

After that, a pre-match interview, akin to a bit of trash talk, played.

First up was Kang Ha-neul, representing Team Blue LUV.

『Nyangta said to wash my neck and wait because they’re going to win. But what should I do, Nyangta? I washed my neck, but I think we’re going to win.』

• Wow
• That’s our Captain Kang for you
• Nyangta got burned!

True to the trash talk theme, the interview started off spicy.

『Team Blue LUV was the first to use the 3-3 composition, but after practicing it, I think we’re much better at it. So I don’t see us losing. I really don’t. So, Ha-neul, even if we lose today, don’t blame me, okay?』

• Oh
• Nyangta’s got some sharp comebacks lololol
• This is how you do trash talk lolololol

As Nyangtamon’s response followed, the atmosphere heated up instantly.

【Both teams are showing the confidence you’d expect from finalists. As Nyangtamon mentioned, their 3-3 win rate in recent scrims has been incredibly impressive, right?】

【That’s right! Even the team that won the 3rd/4th place match, ‘Mom Said Eat Your Food,’ couldn’t stand up to them in scrims! They’ve been showing overwhelming dominance!】

• Wow
• That good?
• They’re seriously insane, for real.
• They’re scary.

Given that Nyangtamon’s team, along with the ‘Mom Said Eat Your Food’ team, had been considered championship contenders since the roster reveal, it was inevitable that Nyangtamon’s team would receive high praise.

Especially since they’ve now fully integrated the 3-3 composition, which is currently considered unstoppable, they’ve been showcasing an almost invincible presence in scrims.

【On the other hand, since Team Blue LUV is the creator of the 3-3 composition they’ve had more time to practice it, so it’s understandable that they’re confident they can use it better.】

【That’s right! In the case of the 3-3 composition, teamwork is just as important as individual skill, even among pro players. While they might be slightly lacking in raw power compared to their opponents, their strong team synergy gives them the potential to prove that they’re the originators of the 3-3!】

Conversely, in the case of Team Blue LUV as Da-jeong had thought, they’ve been using the 3-3 composition for a longer time, so their understanding of it is deeper which is why many people are predicting their victory.

【Especially since Lulu has consistently prepared new strategies throughout the quarterfinals, semifinals, and now the finals! I’m really looking forward to seeing what she has in store today!】

【Since she’s the one who came up with the 3-3 composition, it’s widely speculated that she knows its weaknesses. If she’s indeed prepared a new composition to counter the 3-3, it’ll be truly awe-inspiring!】

• Is there really a way to counter the 3-3?
• Even Doomfist struggles against it lol
• Doomfist is hard to play unless you’re a master.
• Seeing how even in high-ranked matches it’s always 3-3 vs. 3-3, it seems like there’s no real counter…

Moreover, as the commentators mentioned, there are people watching the match with the expectation that Da-jeong might have prepared something new.

However, for those predicting that it won’t be as easy as before, the current 3-3 composition has shown such a high level of perfection that even in the highest tiers of play, teams haven’t found a way to counter it and resorting to mirroring the 3-3 instead.

This has led many to believe that it’ll be difficult for Da-jeong to come up with a new strategy this time.

【Yes! The coin toss has granted Team Blue LUV the first map pick! They’ve chosen Hollywood!】

【Both teams seem ready, so let’s dive right into the first set of the finals on Hollywood!】

What kind of match will unfold?

Both the players and the viewers alike held their breath as the first set finally began.

• Let’s go, Blue LUV!!!!!!!!!
• Gooooooooooo!
• Win this, guys!!!!!!!!!
• Winning the first set is crucial.

With the viewers’ enthusiastic cheers, Team Blue LUV started on offense while Nyangtamon’s team, starting on defense, brought out the 3-3 composition as expected.

【The long-awaited first set of the finals has begun. As expected, Nyangtamon’s team has brought out the 3-3 composition, right?】

【It seems like this finals will be a chaotic battle of 3-3 vs. 3-3. Since there’s no real counter composition, it’s likely to be a straight-up skill matchup with the same composition… or… wait, what?!】

• Huh??????
• ???????
• What’s Lulu doing?
• Is this the comp they’re going with?

As the commentators were predicting the finals matchup, Da-jeong, who was expected to pick D.Va, remained still for a while.

Just before the match started, she selected a character that left both the commentators and viewers puzzled.

The composition itself was similar.

Reinhardt, Zarya, Zenyatta, Lucio, Brigitte.

All five core characters of the 3-3 composition were there.

But the one character Da-jeong picked wasn’t D.Va, the final piece of the 3-3 puzzle.

Since Team Blue LUV was the originator of the 3-3 composition, it was natural to expect the finals to be a mirror matchup of 3-3 vs. 3-3.

But this expectation was shattered right from the first set.

[Anything, anyone, can be hacked.]

As the slightly sinister female voice played upon selecting the character, Da-jeong smiled confidently and gripped her mouse.

During the peak of the 3-3 meta in the pro league, aside from a few very specific compositions, there was only one composition that was considered the counter to the 3-3.

And now, that composition had made its appearance: a modified 3-3 with Sombra.