The CBL 2026 flames of war have settled across both the CN and APAC regions.
In the CN region, SSH claimed the throne with a clean 3:0 sweep, lifting the CN regional championship trophy. In the APAC region, the Japanese squad OSS made history by becoming the first Japanese team to win the APAC title.
On one side, a head-on clash of Heroes and Units; on the other, ultimate discipline forged through "two months of hell." What's even more exciting is that these two champion rosters are about to face off at the Conqueror's Blade International Champion Cup.
We caught up with SSH's Zhixin and OSS Captain nomonomo to hear about their roads to the championship.
CN Region Champion · SSH Exclusive Interview
Interviewee: Zhixin | Interviewer: Haitao
Haitao: That 3:0 was a beautiful match! Before the finals, how did you prep for AAA?
Zhixin: Honestly, from the group stage to the finals, we just kept picking Hidden City, so we didn't really prep any specific counters. We figured they'd ban it in the finals, but they didn't. We actually had other maps ready that we didn't get to show, which is a bit of a bummer—after all, playing six matches on Hidden City against them got a bit boring. But their map prep was really solid; in game one when we attacked Hidden City, they defended incredibly well.
Haitao: Where do you think you had the winning edge?
Zhixin: Mainly our Hero and Unit advantage. We play the Bastard Sword better than they do. They brought a lot of Halberd Elites hoping to counter our Symmachean Stalwarts, but it didn't really work. Plus, Shengqi's Shenji Grenadiers bombed their shield units and Sunward Phalanx for three games straight—they just couldn't beat us in a head-on clash.
Haitao: Shengqi got three MVPs in three games. How do you rate him?
Zhixin: I've known him for five or six years. His Imperial Pike Guards and Winged Hussars are absolutely top-tier.
Haitao: I just saw him on stream telling the bros to go to his esports cafe in Xinjiang to play Conqueror's Blade for free, haha.
Zhixin: That's super generous of him. Three games, three MVPs—his individual skill is undeniable. We just put everything into protecting his Shenji Grenadiers.
Haitao: In game two, your defending Shenji Grenadiers stood on the attackers' stairs. What was the thought process there?
Zhixin: That was a spur-of-the-moment call, not planned. Even if we planned it, the opponents wouldn't follow our script anyway. Adapting on the fly is way more important, I think.
Haitao: What do you think of your opponent, AAA? Do you know them well?
Zhixin: Back in 2024, some of them were in the same House as us, and I know a few of them. They play really well. Also, they're a newly formed team, so reaching this level is already incredibly impressive.
Haitao: Now that you've won the CN region, anything you want to say to the fans?
Zhixin: I'm super grateful to the viewers who kept watching the matches and supporting us. Most of the audience probably knows our guys by now, so thank you all so much.
Haitao: And to your teammates?
Zhixin: I can only say, you guys are awesome. We played a massive amount of scrims; some guys played up to 25 matches a day and were still dropping points. Everyone truly sacrificed a lot for this tournament.
Haitao: Congrats again to SSH on winning the CBL 2026 CN Region Championship! This is a huge honor.
Zhixin: Thanks!
APAC Region Champion · OSS Exclusive Interview
Interviewee: Captain nomonomo
Q: First off, how did you feel the moment you won?
nomonomo: Thank you! The moment we won, everyone's adrenaline was pumping. We were shouting "We're number one in the world!" and "Is this a dream?!" A lot of the guys were crying. For me, it was mostly two feelings: relief that "these two months of hell are over," and a bit of sadness that "the summer spent with these guys is coming to an end."
Q: Was the championship your goal from the start? What did you mean by "two months of hell"?
nomonomo: The goal was definitely the championship. I only recruited guys who dared to say out loud, "I want to win the championship." I call it "two months of hell" because from the day the CBL servers opened to the finals, we played over 100 matches. We scrimmed about 2 to 4 matches every night, and almost every non-tournament day in August was spent training. We'd lock in the BP and map for scrims the day before, and study team comps during work breaks... It was truly grueling. For the last two weeks, I was even dreaming about Conqueror's Blade.
Q: In the finals, the entire OSS team wore green attire. Was there a special reason for that?
nomonomo: We prepared a lot of details to win. We deliberately used "Hiragana" IDs that foreign players find hard to read. We picked green attire because, in field battles, green blends into the background better, making it harder for them to read our numbers and positions.
Q: In the first match of the finals against BPJT, you used trebuchets right when they marched out of the city. Did you expect that?
nomonomo: Yeah, we anticipated it. I reminded the guys in the pre-match briefing that BPJT likes to charge out early. But some teammates still brought peasant units, and I actually got mad about it after we won. Ever since SY's match against BPJT ended, we've been studying them—they are the 2022 champions, after all. We watched all their past VODs and scrims, including the House-Legion League. Once they make a decision, they attack with everything they have until one side drops. So, our main focus was figuring out how to break their offensive and stop them from building momentum.
Q: During this tournament, what tactics worked out better than expected in actual combat?
nomonomo: Throughout the event, we used a split-push tactic, sending lower-tier units to attack different spots at once, or forming an encirclement on defense, which worked out pretty well. As for the Hidden City attack, I think it was game four—after taking point B, we figured the opponent's resources were drained, and we didn't have much time left, so we made a split-second call to just rush their main base.
Q: Any interesting stories about the team during the tournament?
nomonomo: Interesting stories... Honestly, nothing super interesting happened these two months, but it shows how serious we were. Once against CRUS, I highlighted the tactical focus before the match, but watching the VOD later, I saw a designated player didn't execute it. I asked if he listened to the briefing, he said no; I asked if he listened to the in-game shotcalling, he said no. I was furious. I told him there are teammates who can't play but are still working hard, and that attitude is unacceptable—if he couldn't do it, he shouldn't show up tomorrow. It got tense, but that's my job as captain.
Q: As the captain, how do you evaluate this team? What's the strongest point, and what needs work?
nomonomo: Our biggest strength is discipline. We don't think we're the strongest team, but we believe we're the team that practices the most and reflects the most thoroughly. Sticking out two months of trial and error takes strict discipline. Being able to keep it fun while demanding strictness is our unique edge. As for what needs work—I hope that even when I'm not around, everyone can show up on time and really listen to the tactical plans, preferably before I lose my temper.
Q: Anything you want to say to the CN team SSH, your next opponent in the Conqueror's Blade International Champion Cup?
nomonomo: Hmm... Actually, I don't know them that well. But I don't just want to win; I love creating stories in CBL. Winning against a weak opponent is boring, and if they're too strong, it's dull too. I think the best part of esports is when evenly matched teams push themselves to the absolute limit. So I hope we go the full BO5, preferably taking it all the way to the final field battle! I don't want us to crush them, or them to crush us. I want to fight as many battles with everyone as possible!
CN Champion SSH and APAC Champion OSS. Two completely different roads to the championship will soon cross at the Conqueror's Blade International Champion Cup.
BO5, fight to the limit—see you on the battlefield.
Tournament Honors
During the tournament, there were also many players with outstanding performances! To commend them, the tournament committee has specially listed the players ranking first in various stats and awarded them with exclusive title rewards!
