It's Already Over!

No one could have imagined that Fnatic would make a roster change just ten days before the Major qualifiers.

In the community, apart from words of encouragement for Qin Feng, there was naturally no shortage of malicious comments.

[Bold prediction: Fnatic will be eliminated 0-3 in the Major qualifiers.]

[I really don't know if Fnatic is blind, calling back JW and olofmeister to play would be 114514 times better than using new players?]

[Fnatic is a joke, changing players ten days in advance, do they think they're TI8's OG?]

[Still TI8's OG? Fnatic has been rotten for a long time, they won't even get stickers anymore.]

With the Major qualifiers about to begin, the post about Qin Feng joining Fnatic instantly became a battlefield for community players' saliva.

However, Qin Feng, across the ocean, had long since lost interest in the various news from the domestic community.

The PGL Major Antwerp 2022 RMR A group was about to kick off on April 17th.

There were only 10 days left until then.

Fnatic, having just signed Qin Feng, needed to accelerate team synergy and training.

At 2 PM, it was time for the team to start training.

mezii and ALEX, having finished lunch, arrived outside the training room an hour early.

After bringing in Aether from China, each of them held higher expectations for the Major in their hearts.

mezii patted ALEX beside him with a smile, "If Peppzor were playing with us, we might not even make it to the Major. But thankfully, Samuelsson took a risk and found Aether."

"Tell me about it," ALEX also said with great emotion, "After playing scrims these past few days, I really feel like he can lead us to great results at the Major."

The two chatted as they walked to the door of the training room.

"Click, click." The sound of mice and keyboards being tapped occasionally came from inside the training room.

mezii and ALEX exchanged a glance.

If it wasn't Qin Feng, who had recently joined, who else could it be in the training room?

Taking a quick look at Qin Feng's screen, the number of BOTs killed with headshots had already exceeded 9,000.

ALEX couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Perhaps this is why he's been performing so outstandingly in the scrims these past few days."

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

April 16th.

The day before the European Major qualifiers was the final day of the Asian Major qualifiers.

Tyloo, the only Chinese team participating, caused a shocking upset.

They lost 0-2 to the Mongolian team IHC and 0-2 to the Australian team Renegades, directly exiting the Major's main tournament.

This was perhaps the darkest day for Chinese CS in 2022.

The news headline "It's over, Tyloo lost 0-2 to archrival Renegades." could hardly hide the author's disappointment with Tyloo.

People weren't disappointed that Tyloo lost the match.

It was the way they lost.

On the second map, chosen by Renegades, Dust II.

Tyloo, on the defensive side at the start, had a huge 13-2 lead in the first half.

If Tyloo could have pushed through in the second half and taken down Renegades, the outcome of the third map, Mirage, would still have been uncertain.

But was 13 points enough?

Tyloo delivered their answer: no.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

The entire Chinese CS news community was instantly thrown into an uproar.

[RNM, refund!]

[You guys are too harsh, the app is lagging from all the complaints.]

[IHC's two wins can't hide their decline, Tyloo's million-dollar skins are shining.]

[In a way, Tyloo is the team that started preparing for the Major in the second half of 2022 the earliest.]

Qin Feng looked at the content in the news and couldn't help but sigh.

In 2018, he was also a fan of the Tyloo team.

Back then, Chinese CS seemed to be flourishing.

At IEM Sydney, Tyloo defeated the then-world's strongest C9 and SK to reach the semi-finals.

And now...

"Feng, what's wrong?" ALEX in the training room asked with concern, noticing Qin Feng's expression was a bit off.

After all, the first round of the European RMR was tomorrow, and they were about to face the Swedish team GamerLegion.

ALEX didn't want any mistakes from the team's ace, Aether, at a time like this.

"It's nothing." Qin Feng quietly closed the Perfect World Esports app and went back to playing AIMBOT.

Tomorrow was Fnatic's match in the European Major qualifiers.

Qin Feng knew that with Tyloo eliminated, many domestic viewers' eyes would inevitably turn to Fnatic, which had a Chinese player.

"If Fnatic loses, I'll probably be flamed to no end," Qin Feng chuckled self-deprecatingly, but his gaze quickly firmed up.

Henceforth, if there were no more torches, he would be the sole light of CNCS.

April 17th.

Day one of the European Major.

Still in the CSBOY stream room on DouYu.

"Alright, welcome everyone to the match between Fnatic and GamerLegion. I'm your commentator Ma Xixi."

"And I'm commentator Captain Mo."

"I'm the utility man, Ming Ri Qing."

"And who are you guys?"

The familiar opening remarks.

However, unlike in the past, the barrage of comments wasn't about "Ma 3000" or "Aladdin," but a solid wall of "Aether."

"It seems everyone is really looking forward to Aether's performance at the Major," Ma Xixi said with full vigor, appearing optimistic about Qin Feng's performance in the first match.

"Indeed, after all, Aether is currently the only Chinese player remaining in the Major," Mo chimed in.

"Let's take a look at the map picks first."

"Fnatic bans Vertigo, Nuke. GamerLegion bans Dust II, Train, Overpass."

"Fnatic's final ban is Inferno."

"Will Aether play Nuke? As far as I know, most domestic teams don't play Nuke."

[I just checked HLTV, and the TBD team has never played Nuke since its formation.]

[I also checked the 5E Ladder, and Aether doesn't seem to have played many Nuke matches on 5E either.]

[Can we celebrate Glory in advance!]

[How do you guys know Aether can't play Nuke? I boldly predict Fnc will stomp GL.]

[Get real. If Aether's stats are good, I'll do a headstand and wash my hair on stream.]

The comments devolved into endless arguments again.

"Ming Ri Qing, mute the troublemakers." Ma Xixi frowned and directly turned his attention to the in-game screen, where the pistol round had already begun.

"Logically, if Aether is taking Peppzor's spot, he'd most likely be a support player on the team..." Mo's tone was somewhat hesitant, but before he could finish, he saw Qin Feng holding dual pistols.

"My goodness, mezii actually bought two pistols."

"One was given to ALEX, who was holding A site's Yellow Room, and the other to Aether, who was holding the connector metal plate!"

"Who could have imagined this? Aether, after joining the team for less than a month, is already getting the treatment of a team's star player."

Ma Xixi added with some surprise, "mezii only bought one flashbang for himself and didn't even buy armor."

"Logically, Aether, holding the connector metal plate, could have used a USP, allowing mezii to buy another grenade."

"That's how much they trust Aether's skill."

As Ma Xixi and Mo provided commentary, the GL players gradually confirmed their attacking direction.

There weren't many tactical options for the Nuke pistol round.

After all, a direct engagement with Glocks and USPs on the outer area was a very disadvantageous choice.

After a brief discussion, the GL players opted for a fast A execute.

Thanks to Shuang Ming Zhi Sheng for the 100 Qidian coin tip.