"The registration phase for the qualifiers has begun. The club has selected other players and is urging us to go back and work on our tactics. Lao Hao, here's the list of the other three players and two substitutes."
There were three people in the chat channel: Hao Tian, Long Sky, and Frenzied Sword Fried Rice. They were all professional players belonging to the Long Sky Club.
The four major esports powerhouses in Huaxia are Temple, Long Sky, Dynasty, and Fish-Fragrant Eggplant. Just seeing these names reminds players of the glorious achievements and Glory history of these teams standing on the podium.
Every top team has its own pillars. For example, the Temple has Li Ge, and Fish-Fragrant Eggplant has its "Three Musketeers." Hao Tian and Long Sky are both veterans of Long Sky and are known as the "Long Sky Twin Stars." In recent years, a group of young and promising players have emerged from the youth training camp. Among them, Frenzied Sword Fried Rice is the most promising successor.
Hao Tian, Moon, and Frenzied Sword Fried Rice are the core members of the Long Sky Team. This competition requires the team to have a total of eight players, including official players and substitutes. Hao Tian is undoubtedly the team leader, Moon and Frenzied Sword Fried Rice are definitely players, and the other five are selected from within the team. The winners and the three core players form the seeded team, and the remaining second-tier players form the second team. This is the practice of big clubs.
Hao Tian glanced at the roster and said, "These players are all veterans and familiar faces. With a little practice, they'll be able to regain their competitive form. The selection is fine; no changes are needed."
He is a legendary player who has served the club for many years, and his influence on the game sometimes surpasses that of the coach and manager.
Long Sky nodded and said, "The first tournament is very important. I hope we can get off to a good start. I've also looked at the format. It has five stages and the tournament will be quite long. We have plenty of time to prepare and continue to upgrade. The first batch of leading players are almost at level 50. By the time of the regional finals, the remaining teams will almost all be at the maximum level."
"The qualifiers are the first stage, open to all players. The competition is the fiercest, with at least several thousand teams in a single region vying for 38 qualifying spots. Just imagine how terrifying that competition is. Because of the large number of participants, the qualifiers use a single-elimination format, where the winner is decided in one match. If we're unlucky enough to encounter a strong opponent and lose, we won't make it into the regular season. We need to be cautious from the very beginning."
"All our opponents can be roughly divided into four types: casual, unremarkable teams; skilled casual teams; strong club teams; and elite teams. Our biggest rivals are the other three elite teams. I predict that club teams will occupy more than three-quarters of the top 40 spots in the regular season."
Hao Tian said in a deep voice, "Team battles are unpredictable; never underestimate any team."
"Old Hao, are you signing up for the individual competition?" Long Sky asked.
"Um."
"Then I won't go." Long Sky shrugged. He knew Hao Tian's fighting strength very well. There was a high chance that Haotian would get a ranking in the individual competition, which would increase the team's points in the regular season. Basically, each club would send its strongest player to participate in the individual competition.
As the other member of the Long Sky Twin Stars, since Hao Tian is going to the individual competition, he will focus on the team and perform his duties.
At the same time, Frenzied Sword also submitted an application for the individual competition. Unlike a powerhouse like Long Sky, his Jiangcheng Club was a small team. All the players in the club were just enough to make up the team's size. There were no other substitutes, and all the members were third-tier players, except for Frenzied Saber, who was somewhat famous.
However, he was not the team leader. The team leader was another contestant, "Xing Duhe," who was a star player cultivated by Jiangcheng himself, but had achieved no results.
Jiangcheng was a weak and lifeless team. They signed Frenzied Saber as a strong reinforcement, and the team only started to show some vitality after he joined.
Xing Duhe disliked Frenzied Saber, feeling that Frenzied Saber threatened his position. Where there are people, there is a world of intrigue. The management rules of some small clubs are not as perfect as those of the big clubs. Frenzied Saber -based ranking is common. Before having solid achievements, professional players are a group of arrogant people who think they are the best and everyone else is trash. Kuangdao was lucky enough to be the one who was ostracized by the team.
His application for the individual competition was Xing Duhe several times. Xing Duhe's reasons were very high-sounding. "The team needs to conserve its strength. You are our ace. If you reveal too much information in the individual competition, others will develop tactics to target our team."
The application was only approved after intervention from higher-ups.
Frenzied Saber had no faith in this bunch of weaklings. To think they could achieve anything with such a team was simply wishful thinking. He pinned his hopes on the individual competitions. Once he made a name for himself in the individual competitions, his position would be secure. He really didn't want to engage in any backstabbing or infighting with others.
"My win rate against Hao Tian is currently 40/60. He's a top-tier player, and I can achieve a 40% win rate. I should have a good chance of making it into the top 64 of the individual competition."
Mad Frenzied Saber was very confident in his own strength. He gained a massive amount of experience from Han Xiao's mission, ranking among the top players in terms of level and skill level. His entire set of equipment consisted of limited edition items from the Black Phantom Shop. Mechanic warriors are very reliant on equipment, and his set was mostly blue-grade, with even his weapon being purple-grade. The type of mechanical equipment he used was also beyond the comprehension of ordinary players, making it extremely luxurious.
The so-called limited edition is actually a machine that Han Xiao tailored for him. He trained the four people in all aspects. Strictly speaking, Frenzied Saber, Maple Moon, Hao Tian, and Meat Bun can be considered his disciples.
Frenzied Saber knew very well that his strength largely came from the "hidden storyline" of Black Phantom, and every time he thought about it, he was incredibly grateful to have met Han Xiao during the closed beta.
"I must get a good ranking!" Frenzied Saber secretly encouraged himself.
Registration for the qualifiers is in full swing, with various clubs making frequent moves. A large amount of news is circulating on the forums every day, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere. Players are actively discussing the event, making it a carnival-like event. Players are looking forward to their idols competing in the professional arena and eager to see high-level showdowns.
Players can now travel across oceans, and countless players flock to Third Sanctuary Third Sanctuary, the venue for individual tournaments. In addition to players who have registered to participate, many others come to watch the matches live. The number of players in the city continues to rise, with massive crowds flowing in and out every day.
The individual tournament attracted the most players, as most players know that teams can't beat professional clubs, and assembling a team is not easy. In contrast, the individual tournament is simpler; anyone can register. According to the official announcement post on the forum, more than 100,000 players registered for the individual tournament in each sub-region, which shows how fierce the qualifiers will be.
The participating players were mostly veterans who joined the game in the earlier batches. The newbies who joined later were only around level 20, so it was like giving them free kills. Some people complained about the competition format, feeling that it started too early, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the sea of other players.
The open beta has been running for eight months in the game. According to the schedule, regional tournaments will last about six months, followed by a preparation and rest period of almost a year before the international tournaments begin. This long off-season is mainly to give the qualifying teams more time to gel, highlight the importance of the international tournaments, and employ scarcity marketing and operations to increase the tournament's influence. The international tournaments will not be launched hastily.
The tournament lasts roughly two years in the game, while the entire 1.0 version takes three and a half years. New players who miss the qualifiers can only say they were unlucky – who told you not to start playing earlier? Time waits for no one.
Maple Moon didn't sign up for the qualifiers. She was a casual player and a gentle girl who rarely paid attention to competitions and was completely clueless about the rules. She settled into being a casual spectator. Han Xiao naturally wouldn't force her to participate. Besides, a mechanic like Maple Moon who focused on crafting skills was indeed quite weak in version 1.0. Others didn't have the strength of Master Han.
Meat Bun Hits Dog contacted other streamer friends and formed a streamer team, excitedly heading to the competition. In Han Xiao's eyes, this streamer team was guaranteed to be a liability, feeding the enemy team kills. If they could make it into the regular season, he would immediately devour ten energy crystals.
"So I only have three people participating in the competition: Hao Tian, Frenzied Saber, and Meat Bun. Hmm... the last one can be ignored."
Han Xiao stood by the window, looking down at the crowded square, and thought to himself, "I hope those two can get good results."
The registration phase is the preparation period for the competition, and also the best time for him to make huge profits. There are 100,000 individual contestants who are willing to spend money and experience for even the slightest improvement.
A relieved smile appeared on his lips.
"After heading to interstellar space, I won't be able to interact with a large number of players in the short term. All the experience I've gained so far is my base for taking to interstellar space; the more the better."