The Go4LoL bracket ticked forward, narrowing the field with each match. Alan sat at his station, reviewing Team Liquid’s draft history from their previous games. Though the organization resonated as a powerhouse in his memories, this iteration was a far cry from the polished rosters of the future. The players were unknowns to Alan. Three of their players: RiseUp, FrostFire, and Noctis were top 100 on the North American server, but none triggered any memories.

  Balls:

  “Their mid-jungle crushed the last few teams they faced. We can't let them snowball too hard early.”

  Travis:

  “I've played against their ADC in ranked. Decent laning but overextends in fights. If I can get my items, I'll definitely carry this.”

  Alan leaned into his microphone. “Focus on stability. Let’s play around objectives and let bot lane scale. We’ll punish their mistakes.”

  As the draft began, Alan hovered over his choice. Kassadin was tempting, but he needed a change of pace. His cursor lingered on Veigar. A calculated scaling champion with a devastating late-game presence, perfect for keeping the game stable.

  Locked In: Veigar

  Opponent: Ryze

  The enemy Ryze signaled early aggression. A dangerous pick, but predictable if Alan played carefully.

  The game loaded in, and Alan found himself focused on the glowing quest marker.

  The laning phase began, and Ryze immediately exerted pressure. His opponent spammed spells to shove the wave, forcing Alan to play under turret. Veigar’s short range made early farming a challenge, but Alan anticipated this. He focused on securing minions with precise autos and a well-timed Baleful Strike, racking up his passive stacks for late-game power.

  By the 10-minute mark, Ryze’s aggression was met with diminishing returns. The enemy jungler camped mid twice, but Alan’s careful warding and conservative play kept him safe. Meanwhile, his bot lane was thriving, as Travis’s Sivir picked up a double kill with the help of their support’s Janna.

  Balls:

  “They’re setting up for Dragon. You coming?”

  Alan checked his cooldowns. His Event Horizon, Veigar’s iconic stun, was ready. “On my way.”

  The first major fight unfolded at the Dragon pit. Ryze teleported in, firing bursts of damage, but Alan positioned perfectly. He dropped his Event Horizon, caging two opponents while his ADC cleaned up. A perfectly timed Primordial Burst obliterated Ryze, earning Alan his first kill.

  Travis's Siver was fed and primed to carry this game.

  With the Dragon secured, Green Tipped Bananas began to dictate the pace. Alan continued scaling, farming safely, and landing clutch stuns in key fights. By the 29-minute mark, Sivir's Ricochet was pumping out damage. Fights became impossible for the enemy, they were simply outscaled.

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  The game ended in a methodical victory. Alan’s final score wasn’t flashy at 3/1/9, but his kill participation was over 80%. More importantly, he had stabilized the mid lane, allowing his team to thrive.

  Balls:

  “Clean. Let’s keep that energy.”

  Alan’s system chimed faintly in his mind: Leadership +1. Macro Play +1.

  The second draft posed a challenge. The enemy mid-laner locked in Veigar, hoping to pick away one of Alan’s champions. Alan smirked and countered with Morgana in response, a pick that could nullify Veigar’s oppressive crowd control with her Black Shield.

  Locked In: Morgana

  Opponent: Veigar

  The game opened with a different tempo. Morgana’s wave-clear with Tormented Shadow allowed Alan to shove early and roam. While Veigar struggled to farm under turret, Alan made it his mission to enable his bot lane. With precise Dark Bindings, he orchestrated two pivotal kills for Travis’s Miss Fortune, whose Double Up made quick work of the enemy duo. Travis’s confidence began to shine, setting the tone for the game.

  By mid-game, Alan’s Morgana was a defensive powerhouse. In every team fight, his Black Shield shut down Veigar’s Event Horizon and the enemy Gragas’s Body Slam engages. Alan wasn’t chasing kills, but his impact was undeniable: timely shields, game-changing bindings, and well-placed Soul Shackles that locked down multiple enemies in critical fights.

  The game’s turning point came at the 22-minute mark. Team Liquid, desperate to regain control, attempted a risky Baron rush. Alan’s Dark Binding landed on their jungler, catching him out of position. The opening was all Green Tipped Bananas needed.

  “Engage!” Alan called out. Balls’s Malphite responded with a Unstoppable Force that crashed into three members of Team Liquid. The follow-up was seamless. Travis’s Miss Fortune unleashed Bullet Time, shredding through their disorganized formation. Alan flashed into the fray with Soul Shackles, splitting their ranks and ensuring the backline couldn’t recover.

  The result was a clean ace.

  Ace!

  With Baron secured, Green Tipped Bananas pushed down the mid-lane and ended the game decisively. Alan’s final score read 1/0/11—a quiet but impressive performance.

  Alan leaned back, satisfied. He hadn’t put on a flashy performance, but he’d done exactly what the team needed: staying steady, making smart decisions, and delivering when it counted. The skill boosts from the system felt earned, proof of his impact on the game.

  Balls:

  “That’s 2-0, boys! Top four, here we come!”

  Travis:

  “We didn’t even need your Kassadin. We played great.”

  Alan allowed himself to savor the moment, the team’s excitement infectious. Their clean, decisive win felt like a step closer to something bigger. Up until now, winning the entire tournament had felt like a distant goal, but this last series? It made the dream feel real. Achievable.

  As the team laughed and dissected the game highlights, Alan opened the tournament bracket. His eyes scanned their potential matchups. Then a name jumped out at him, freezing him mid-scroll.

  Team SoloMid.

  Alan’s confidence wavered for the first time all day. He’d almost forgotten TSM was in the bracket. Even in 2011, they were a formidable force—an early juggernaut in the LoL competitive scene.

  Reginald, the aggressive and fearless mid-laner. TheOddOne, the cerebral jungler. Chaox, the precise and mechanically gifted ADC. Their roster was packed with talent that had already begun shaping the North American scene. Alan knew their strengths all too well.

  “They’re the real threat,” Alan muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

  Balls:

  “What was that?”

  Alan snapped out of it, shaking his head as he closed the bracket. “Nothing to worry about,” he said, his voice calm but resolute. Then, leaning into his mic, he added with quiet determination:

  “Top four’s just the start. Let’s win this thing.”