Chapter 203
“Ah, Seojun has indeed locked in an AD carry! He did exactly what he said! He’s giving up Kael!”
The moment Binbugyeokcha locked in his fifth pick, cheers erupted from the casting booth.
- Wind Sword’s Kael ㅎㅎ
- But let’s be real, Sword God’s Kael is way stronger.
- Is he insane? Playing a disgusting top AD carry in a tournament?
- Aren’t you afraid of all the top laners in the nation?!
- Yeah, you’d get wrecked if you ever ganked in real life.
- rly lol just fight them 1v1
- So many complaints from the brainless guys who only play sweaty muscle heroes.
“Hahaha. I’m also curious to see how Hwangso of Reinbul reacts to this.”
With Reinbul’s final hero pick locked in, the game started loading.
And now is exactly when the casters get to work.
“Everyone. The pick-and-ban phase for league players is incredibly complex. A scrub streamer like me might not know every detail, but Penguin and Taeyang here would know, right? How complex is it?”
Bangju spoke.
“Yes.”
“It’s true that there are many factors to consider.”
The reason is that there are countless scenarios for how each team will ban and divide the overpowered heroes for each lane in the current meta.
And even if teams simply and fairly split the overpowered heroes, that’s only one part of it. You also have heroes that counter those OP heroes in lane.
Heroes that counter them in macro play.
Heroes that counter them in teamfights, and many more things to consider.
“And when you add each team’s strategy into the mix?”
Penguin quickly explained this in simple terms.
- Sounds like hell
- So that’s why the coach keeps staring at his notebook ㅎㅎㅎ
- Seems really complicated
- But isn’t it said that the players are more involved?
- Well, they might just discuss it together.
“Rather than saying the players are more involved, it’s more like they discuss and decide together. Because they have to find the best answer as a group. So, Bangju? Why are they like that here?”
Penguin moved on.
If he tried to explain with examples, it would never end.
“I wanted to point out that Rios is different.”
Even though many might already know, it’s still a caster’s duty to be considerate to everyone!
“First, the current OP heroes? For streamer players, no matter how overpowered a hero is, they are often stronger just playing their usual hero. You agree, right?”
“Ah, I see! Indeed, raw proficiency is the best! It was like that in the last tournament as well.”
Arin agreed.
- Yes
- Ah lol, only pick OP heroes when you’re already good at every hero.
- Then why not just practice the OP hero for 10 days?
- Fact) There actually were teams that chose that strategy.
“And team strategies? How complex and sophisticated can their macro really be! For a team strategy to function properly, everyone needs to share the same vision. But what about Rios’ team?”
Exactly.
- Everyone’s just on different levels ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- They’re split from A to E ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- From Bronze to Challenger! Wow!
“For example, even just looking at the match between Binbugyeokcha and Hanpunman, the strategy itself was simple. Hanpunman scaled into a hypercarry, and Binbugyeokcha ended it in one blow!”
“That seems like an oversimplification, though.”
“Well, if you dig a little deeper, each ace hid or deceived the other regarding their intended targets, and the other team members also fine-tuned their play accordingly. But anyway, the overarching strategy is simple.”
Penguin added a supplementary explanation.
“That’s not a bad thing. A simple strategy can actually be more effective and produce stronger destructive power.”
After all, the strategy inevitably had to be built around the aces.
“So, for these reasons, it’s probably why Seojun goes around saying he doesn’t bother preparing strategies.”
When Seojun skipped scrims and didn’t study the opposing team, people were skeptical.
Seojun would chuckle and play up the concept that a true strongman needs none of that.
But Bangju always said.
“If you take Seojun’s words at face value and get fooled, it’s your own loss. I definitely mentioned this before.”
- rly lol
- Believing what he says literally makes you an idiot.
- ???: I remember my past life.
- ???: This seat is the Heavenly Demon.
- ?, did he say that too?
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The reason he doesn’t prepare a strategy is probably because observing and reacting is the best strategy.
Rather than picking a hero they’re bad at because of a matchup, team members can just pick a suitable one among the heroes they are good at.
The enemy’s strategy won’t be that complex anyway, so Seojun can just see it, confirm it, and then react.
The success or failure of Rios’ strategy is mostly decided in the pick-and-ban phase.
And even if, during pick-and-ban, the enemy somehow manages to draft a picture where they counter every lane except Seojun’s, and simultaneously pick heroes familiar to them.
“The biggest reason this is possible is that Seojun is incredibly good even with heroes he’s playing for the first time.”
If you can’t suppress the ace, it’s all for naught, and Seojun is also good at first-timing heroes.
- I guess if he’s good at everything, he can just pick last no matter what.
- Whoa, the right to pick later is huge.
- What’s that, weeb.
- Anyway, if you throw rock-paper-scissors last, you always win.
“What’s the purpose behind setting up this premise?”
Arin asked.
“The hero Seojun chose. It’s one he’s playing for the first time, or at least showing for the first time, right? I believe that this entire pick-and-ban phase was completely orchestrated. Just as Seojun intended.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
- I don’t think so lol
- So what’s each team’s strategy, weeb?
- It’s probably not orchestrated from the start. Though it does look like a losing move by Hwangso.
- It’s less a losing move, and more that Hwangso might have a bit of a hard time.
- But the hero is Grey... Hwangso might manage to hold on?
- We’ll have to see the game.
- Bold predictions like Bangju’s? What’s next, a bet?
“Hahaha. The game is starting! You’ll see once this match is over. Just how meticulous Seojun is.”
“Is that so! Understood. The observer is starting by showing the Blue Team!”
[Fighting!]
[Ahh… This familiar feeling.]
[Wind Sword, how many times have you said that now.]
- Have some mercy on Rumi.
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋ They must really like Kael.
- Just a Kael fanatic! Pathetic!
- Even I wouldn’t have been able to resist this.
[ Hmm. This familiar feeling is?]
[Seojun, what about you?]
[I’m going to do a quick tutorial.]
[......]
[Alright, let’s head to our lanes. Rumi, I also want to flick his forehead, but we have to defend against the invade first.]
"......"
"......"
- Hey hey, hold it in ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
* * *
The enemy’s strategy was for Hwangso to lock down Seojun by picking a counter to Kael. Simple.
Most strategies are a battle over how to lock down the enemy ace, and the opponent merely chose the path that seemed the most certain.
It was a given that if they let Kael through, Seojun would play Kael.
Even if it were a trap set by the opponent, Seojun’s Kael was so formidable that it was worth walking right into it.
And Seojun didn’t play along with the enemy’s expectations. Instead, he took advantage of it. By letting Baramgeom play Kael.
“Don’t worry. This is a sword too, isn’t it?”
As a result, he ended up picking a hero he was playing for the first time, but at least he had one thing he could rely on.
- Look at that dagger on the end of the gun barrel ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Is a gun-blade a sword?
- The streamer is living up to the Sword God nickname right now!
[ Magic Bullet Executioner Grey ]
Grey, in the lore, is an executor directly under the council of a city with advanced magitech.
His weapon is a gunblade created with magitech.
It’s a rifle with a dagger attached to the end.
Of course, that wasn’t what he was relying on.
[ Good. I shall grant you the special privilege of learning about me. Listen well. My magic bullet is the pinnacle of cutting-edge magitech… ]
“Yes, I actually already know. I didn’t mute this hero because he’s a brat.”
The tutorial talk was just a joke. Seriously.
As if he’d pick a hero he didn’t properly know for the main tournament.
- ㅎㅎ
- Thought he was about to go into boomer mode again.
- Get lost! You’re not even 10 years old!
- Why does this guy know us so well!!!! He predicts the chat perfectly.
- This is why he uses Erik ㅋㅋㅋ
While briefly guarding the jungle entrance for a potential invade, Seojun raised his gun.
“Grey’s bullet, when it hits an object, is said to reflect once, just like light.”
Except for the floor, that is.
Seojun supported the gun with his left hand and shouldered the stock.
It’s a hassle, but this is how you attack with this hero.
It reflects the characteristic of a strict executor.
Seojun aimed at the wall on the opposite side at a bit of a distance, visualized gathering mana, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
From the moment of visualization, he couldn’t make any movement other than turning the gun barrel.
The laser-like bullet hit the wall and, as Seojun said, dispersed just before it would have reflected.
“Hmm….”
Seojun smiled.
- Heh lolol
- Says “They say it reflects” all cool and then can’t even hit the shot lololol
- Its range is a bit short compared to other AD carries.
- Of all heroes to bring, he picks one with such slow attack speed and movement restrictions.
That smile wasn’t born from awkwardness.
It was rather a smile made because he had quickly recalibrated his sense for the range, just as he’d anticipated.
What does the fact that it disappeared right before impact imply?
That Seojun already knew it all.
“I know it sucks. But that’s exactly why it has a sword attached, you know.”
In the league, heroes wielding guns or bows can’t block incoming sword attacks with their weapons.
To be precise, even if they try to block, they receive a judgment that they are pushed back without resistance due to lack of strength.
Though blocking with bullets or arrows is a different story.
However, a few special heroes are free from those restrictions.
The hero Seojun chose, Grey, was exactly that example.
Grey could parry enemy attacks with the sword mounted on his gun barrel.
This is essentially the price for the risk of being momentarily immobilized when attacking.
- There are so many other great AD carries, why bother.
- As a top laner, the fact that the streamer at least picked Grey eases my mind by 30%.
- But it’s still bullshit, right?
- Yes.
Seojun took a step forward.
Then, he aimed his gun against the wall again and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The elongated red bullet hit the wall and bounced back exactly in the opposite direction.
Seojun turned his head to dodge the returning bullet, then headed top.
That was enough confirmation.
When he reached top, from a distance, Hwangso, holding a shield and spear, welcomed him.
“Hahaha… Are you a stalker or something? You really did come top.”
When Seojun moved forward, Hwangso moved back.
When he returned to his spot, Hwangso mirrored him.
Seojun aimed his gun and gathered mana, but Hwangso stayed still. He already knew Seojun couldn’t move from that position while doing so.
“Well, I’m slightly disappointed you didn’t play Kael, but it doesn’t matter to me.”
It didn’t look that way at all, though.
The constant swallowing of his throat would make anyone think he was nervous.
[ Champion Jerad ]
Using his spear, he has long-range basic attacks and skills, and he can cover about half his body by raising his round shield, making him extremely favorable against Kael in terms of the matchup.
As for the matchup against the hero Seojun had just chosen…
Bang!
The moment Hwangso stepped his front foot forward, Seojun fired a bullet, but Hwangso simply swung his shield and deflected it.
‘Just as expected.’
“You must have faced a lot of top AD carries?”
Quite decent. To be precise, he’s one of the very few heroes capable of holding on against a ranged carry in lane.
Of course, it was still true that Seojun held the advantage during the laning phase.
Once the laning phase ends, the situation would reverse. That’s the standard pattern for a normal top AD carry, who needs to deal damage diligently before that happens.
After swallowing once more, Hwangso spoke.
“Yes. I’ve been hit a ton. Fortunately, it was me who first picked Jerad. I was quite flustered when you last-picked an AD carry.”
“So you wanted me to go mid?”
“Wha, what…? No.”
Why did his tone suddenly change?
“I see. You thought, didn’t you, Hwangso, that it’s better for you to face me yourself rather than have me go against your teammates?”
Typically, aces, no matter how strong the enemy, don’t get intimidated and think it’s better to handle them personally.
And for a streamer like Hwangso, who upholds the concept of a manly man and acts on it, he naturally would have thought this was better.
If it were any other ace, they might have picked a moderate counter, not an extreme one like Jerad, to lure Seojun top. But Hwangso chose such an extreme counter that it gave away his intention.
Probably.
When Seojun picked Kael, the calculation might have been that he would come top anyway, regardless of the extreme counter.
In the end, even though he came with a different hero like this…
“There’s no way you picked the extreme counter to Kael trying to tell me to go mid.”
I wouldn’t have gone anyway.
“…….”
Hwangso stared at Seojun in silence.
Hmm.
Is he steeling his resolve?
“Well, try to hold out well.”
“……It’s possible.”
The conversation seemed a bit disjointed. Seojun played along with that manner of speaking.
“It’s because I’m quite used to long-range poking.”
“?”
[ Minions have spawned. ]