1323 Trade

Happy had a 2-0 lead, which worried Ruan Cheng.

The entire Glory community knew that he didn't like Happy. If Happy were against some weak team, he definitely wouldn't have accepted the invitation for this event. But seeing that Happy would be playing an away game against Tiny Herb, Ruan Cheng felt like Happy would certainly lose, which was why he gladly ran over to slap their faces. Things weren't looking good, though.

He could tolerate Ye Xiu's win streak continuining, but a small-time figure like Qiao Yifan beating Tiny Herb's genius, Gao Yingjie?　

Pan Lin and Li Yibo were discussing this round with great enthusiasm. Ruan Cheng listened unhappily on the side.　

I'm not going to sit here and get slapped in the face, am I?

Ruan Cheng felt a bad premonition. Qiao Yifan's victory over Gao Yingjie made him uneasy.

The third players of the individual competition stepped onto the stage.

Happy's Mo Fan, Ninja Deception.

Tiny Herb, Liang Fang, Berserker Black Bamboo.

Seeing the matchup, Ruan Cheng felt his heart freeze.

After Mo Fan beat Samsara's Sun Xiang, the attention towards him grew. Happy had also given him more opportunities to go on stage, even so far as to include him in team competitions. His skill had received the approval of the community. It was just that people didn't understand his hit-and-run playstyle.

In this match, Mo Fan's opponent was Liang Fang, a very impatient player. Mo Fan's hit-and-run playstyle was a disaster for this sort of player.

A 3-0?

Ruan Cheng didn't even want to watch anymore. Pan Lin and Li Yibo were analyzing their playstyles though and just had to ask him his opinion.

"Mm…" Ruan Cheng replied spiritlessly, "Liang Fang needs to firmly hold the initiative for this match. This is the only way can he restrict Mo Fan's playstyle."

There was some reasoning to his logic, but it was mostly just empty talk. Who wouldn't be trying their hardest to take the initiative? Whoever held the initiative had an easier chance of winning. Who needed someone to tell them that?

The match began. Liang Fang headed straight towards the center of the map, while Mo Fan moved strategically.

The map Tiny Herb chose wasn't simple, but it wasn't overly complex either. Moving strategically could be done, but when Deception circled around to the center, Mo Fan found that there weren't too many places to mount sneak attacks.　　

As for Liang Fang's Black Bamboo? His line of sight was directly towards that side. Having chosen this map, he knew beforehand what places Mo Fan could possibly come out from. Mo Fan didn't lack patience, but in this situation, patience would just lead to a yellow card.

As a result, this time, Mo Fan happily had Deception walk out. Without saying a word, he attacked.　　

Mo Fan was direct enough, but Liang Fang was faster. He had been paying close attention to those few spots, certain that Deception could only come from there. As soon as he saw Deception come out, he released his readied attack.　　

Crimson Storm!

Liang Fang opened up with a Level 70 skill, quite a shocking move. Mo Fan was a bit surprised that his opponent would be so bold. He immediately tried to dodge, but the surging force just barely hit him.

Shuriken!

Deception attacked, throwing a shuriken towards Black Bamboo.

This Crimson Storm carried incomparable force, and its ending lag was just as formidable. When the Shuriken came, Black Bamboo could not move and could only take the attack. Then, Deception closed in.

Backwards Slash!

Right when the ending lag finished, Black Bamboo used a knock-up skill towards Deception. Deception nimbly leaped back and dodged it.

Flame Cut!　　

Flames came down facing the wind. Who would have thought that Black Bamboo wouldn't dodge though? Instead, he brandished his sword and let out a Wild Blood Strike. This attack didn't collide with Flame Cut. It went straight for Deception.

Trade?

Everyone who thought of this word felt dumbfounded.

Trading was a common Berserker strategy, but no one ever traded at the start of a match. This was because the effects of Blood Awakening didn't trigger until the user was below 50% health. The initial 50% health was no different for Berserkers, so it was usually used to get a feel for the opponent's playstyle and condition. Once their health reached 50%, Blood Awakening would activate, and then trading became a good choice. However, trading from the very start was rarely seen.

Liang Fang wasn't trading for nothing though; he was trading blows. However, recklessly burning several high-level skills in a row was truly a bit crazy.

The attacks from each player hit their targets.

Black Bamboo ignited into a flame man, while Deception was sent tumbling from the heavy blow.

Again!

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Deception straightened up and started advancing again. But the opposing Black Bamboo didn't even wait for the fire to extinguish. Half his body was still on fire as he also twisted that way and charged forward.

Dong!

This time, their weapons clashed, and the one to Guard was Deception.　　

Liang Fang wanted to trade damage, but Mo Fan didn't comply. It wasn't smart to keep up with a Berserker's frenzy. Once a Berserker reached a certain point, he would gain buffs. As a result, trading with a Berserker should only be done if he could gain an advantage from it. It couldn't be looked at purely in terms of numbers.

However, Liang Fang refused to let go and followed up with attack after attack. He let go of all defenses and traded. He didn't dodge any of Deception's attacks and ate every single attack.

"Liang Fang's playstyle…" Li Yibo was a bit shocked.　

Liang Fang's playstyle seemed somewhat excessive. But the problem was that it was extremely effective against Mo Fan. Every move he did was a trade. No matter if Mo Fan retreated or attacked, his plans were always interrupted. His hit-and-run tactics couldn't be displayed properly. Liang Fang was using this sort of rough and crude method to entangle Mo Fan. They fought and fought, and while it didn't seem like Liang Fang was gaining any advantages, Mo Fan wasn't able to get into his own tempo.

"Liang Fang is playing well today!" Ruan Cheng's spirit suddenly shot up. Initiative? His words had actually been spot on. Right now, Liang Fang firmly held the initiative in this 1v1. Any attack Mo Fan made would end up as a trade to the extent that sometimes, Liang Fang would be on the losing end. Even so, he still held the initiative. Mo Fan could only slightly win the trades, but his tempo? His tactics? He couldn't display them at all!

"Tiny Herb has done a lot of targeted research on Mo Fan!" Ye Xiu commented from the sidelines. Liang Fang's unbridled playstyle wasn't because of his Berserker class. Tiny Herb had probably prepared this playstyle, specifically to counter Mo Fan. Berserkers could trade and so could other classes, but Mo Fan could not. As soon as he traded, his most threatening three axes* could not be displayed.

"He's being suppressed," Wei Chen said.

"It looks like there's nothing that can be done!" Fang Rui said

The difference in health between the two sides could clearly be seen. In terms of the numbers, Mo Fan had the advantage, after all, Liang Fang was recklessly trading away his health. However, everyone knew that Liang Fang held the initiative. The extra trickles of health lost in each trade weren't trading for Deception's health, but rather his tempo.

"Kill!!"

Liang Fang roared in the chat. The more he fought, the more spirited he became. The more spirited he became, the crazier he fought. His attacks became even faster and even more swift, biting onto Deception even more tightly.

Colliding Stab!

Liang Fang had Black Bamboo use Colliding Stab. Unable to avoid it, Mo Fan would usually try and use a strong attack to trade, but this time...

Poof!

A puff of smoke. Black Bamboo's greatsword had hit a substitute strawman.

Substitution Technique?

He… ran?

Liang Fang was a bit startled. Before, when they had been trading blows, Mo Fan had never forced an escape.

But after retreating, he returned!

Deception rushed forward. Liang Fang regained his composure and readied to trade blows, even if it would be a losing trade.

Poof poof!

The sounds of attacks landing were crisp and clear. This time, the trade was completed in a straight forward manner.　　

"Again!" Liang Fang was having fun and started talking more in the chat.　

"Haha, he's playing so confidently!" Ruan Cheng was in a good mood. But after the trade, Deception stopped tangling with Black Bamboo and chose to retreat.

"Where are you going!" Liang Fang was surprised. He immediately readjusted his offense. When he rushed forward, Mo Fan suddenly turned back to receive his attacks.

Attack. Another trade. Deception once again ran away.

Liang Fang was furious.

It was a trade anyways. Running away and then coming back, was that really necessary?　

He didn't understand, so he continued implementing his original strategy. But Mo Fan had thoroughly changed up his plans. His three axes were being suppressed by this crazy trading, so he either attacked then ran, ran without attacking, or went all out on the offensive without running.

What type of playstyle is this?

This Mo Fan really loved this sort of hit-and-run playstyle, hah. Was it possible for him not to be so patient?　

The audience sighed. However, the pro players on the sidelines could see the purpose behind Mo Fan's repeated tussling.　

"Mm, nice!" After seeing a completed trade, Fang Rui nodded his head in approval, "Has that idiot Liang Fang still not figured it out yet?"

"It should be soon," Ye Xiu smiled.

Yes, he figured it out. It wasn't just Liang Fang, but the viewers who were paying close attention to the match had also begun to notice it. After Mo Fan switched up his tactics, the disparity between the two characters' health bars was growing larger and larger.　

Was it because of Liang Fang's unbridled trading? Of course, that was one reason, but more importantly, Mo Fan had started making meticulous calculations. Every time he traded, he would carefully think it through. Can I gain an advantage? Is the advantage gained significant enough? If the answers to those questions weren't satisfactory, or he simply didn't know, he would immediately turn tail and run. This was why Deception would sometimes run away and not make the trade.

"If Liang Fang continues trading like this, he'll trade himself to his death," Li Yibo chuckled.

"He probably won't dare to keep trading now, will he?" Pan Lin said.　　

"Then how will he stop Mo Fan?" Li Yibo said.

The answer was that he couldn't stop Mo Fan.