[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 195

Group A, Match 1.

Single-elimination first match.

Match time: 19 minutes and 16 seconds.

OLZ (OutLaw Zone) wins.

OLZ's current record: 1 win, 0 losses.

Beyond the satisfaction of securing the first win, the fact that we finished the game before even 20 minutes was very encouraging.

This means that even if we lose one match in the subsequent games, we can still advance easily by taking a bit more time in the losing process.

Since we were anxious just a while ago, we could be relieved for now.

"Everyone did well. Especially…."

I slowly turned my gaze.

A young man with a delicate appearance that didn't match his age, or rather, a boy, a top laner, seemed more fitting.

"Yeon-woo. You did well in this match."

"Ah… yes."

Seo Yeon-woo seemed a bit embarrassed, but he nodded with a mysterious look in his eyes.

In some ways, it seemed like his usual self, but to me, it looked somewhat awkward.

'I should talk to him after the preliminaries today.'

Seo Yeon-woo and I aren't the types to initiate conversations first, so this subtle atmosphere has persisted until now.

But I don't think it should be that way anymore.

I feel like I have to do what I've been putting off before today is over.

"I got carried in this match. Damn, it's good."

"You can carry the next one. You can do it, right?"

"Yeah, um… I'll try."

Kim Jae-min and Baek Seong-an had a trivial conversation, and Kim Ji-hoon, as always, glanced at the replay. Most of the plays were his own good plays.

Of course, in contrast to the relatively harmonious atmosphere of our team, the faces of the QS Ulsan players, who were the losers of this game, were gloomy.

Even though I wasn't particularly aware of or watching them, I could hear their voices from a distance.

"Ugh…."

"Why did we have to meet them here…."

"...It's not over yet, let's do well in the next match."

"No, why the hell did you get solo-killed in the top lane? What reason was there for Renekton to trade with Graves early on?"

"When did you say we'd play top lane?"

"You said play top lane, not get destroyed there!"

"What did you say, you bastard?"

"What? Shit? You fucking bitch."

Ah, a fight broke out.

"Hey, hey! Everyone, stop it!"

It was only after the person who appeared to be the coach of QS Ulsan arrived late that the fight was barely subdued.

"Uh…."

"Let's get ready for the next game."

Baek Seong-an said in the suddenly chilly atmosphere.

"Ah, yes."

"Sit down too."

Kim Jae-min and Kim Ji-hoon also nodded and sat back down.

It's a new thing to say, but we've never seen what kind of feedback our opponents shared.

Of course, that's only if you can call that feedback, but the important thing is that we directly witnessed the opponents fighting and slandering each other because of us.

'Come to think of it….'

Have we ever fought like that, showing our emotions?

To be precise, I guess it's right to say that we haven't experienced a defeat shocking enough to fight like that.

We lose in scrims too.

But usually, those who made mistakes admit it willingly and discuss it.

'No, rather than that….'

Should I say we don't necessarily show it?

Seo Yeon-woo, Baek Seong-an,

Me, Kim Ji-hoon.

In fact, except for Kim Jae-min, none of us are the type to openly show dissatisfaction.

Therefore, the sight of them now was nothing short of shocking for me, and for us.

'Things can't always be good.'

Nothing ever changes.

No matter how kind and innocent the team members seem now, it won't be an exception for our team either.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, yes."

"It's not over yet. Focus."

Baek Seong-an was right.

The preliminary round is not over yet.

"OLZ, please prepare for the next match immediately."

"Yes."

Our next opponent is TBW (TEAM Blood Warriors).

If we get one more win here, we'll advance as the group leader with 2 wins, regardless of the results of the other teams.

"Umm."

"Why?"

Baek Seong-an, who had been looking at his smartphone, said.

"I was wondering where I saw them... That team, they caught BAN in the K-Star Cup last year."

K-Star Cup.

This is a tournament hosted by the Korea e-sports Association, not a regular league, and can be considered a kind of amateur and pro combined tournament.

In short, it's a tournament where amateur and pro teams participate together, and it's completely unrelated to the regular league, so it's actually considered an event-like tournament for fans and participating pros, but... Baek Seong-an's words were hard to ignore now.

"BAN, you say?"

It's not that an upset where an amateur team beats a pro team doesn't happen at the K-Star Cup.

No, it could be said that it happens quite often.

BAN is a team that belongs to the mid-ranking teams in the LCKR, the first division league.

No matter how differently amateurs and pros approach the K-Star Cup, the fact that they beat BAN in a best-of-three series was a story that couldn't be overlooked.

"Yeah, I heard they got crushed in the upper lanes?"

"...The upper lanes?"

If they lost due to bot lane difference, I could understand.

But who is the top laner of BAN?

A top laner who is always mentioned as a candidate for the best top laner, despite being stuck in a mid-ranking team for years.

BAN EZ.

Even with him, they lost in the upper lane fight and lost in a best-of-three series?

"Oh, right. Their top, jungle, and mid are all high tier."

Top Mid Challenger.

Jungle Grandmaster.

Looking at the records, these were the people I had encountered several times in solo queue.

Usually, around Challenger, it was quite a rare occurrence if a team belonging to the first division league, both domestic and foreign, offered an invitation.

"I looked around, and it seems like a lot of people are expecting a lot."

"It makes sense if they beat BAN."

"But it won't work against us."

Baek Seong-an, as always, made a joke.

Of course, I agreed.

"Of course."

As we were talking for a moment, a staff member in charge of the preliminaries approached.

"If OLZ and TBW are ready, we'll start soon."

*

A five-hundred-won coin line flies in the sky.

It falls.

"Heads."

As a result of the coin toss, TBW gained the side selection right.

TBW chose blue.

It was the same choice as us in the previous match.

This was because it was generally considered that the blue side was slightly more advantageous in the current meta.

'The difference is that TBW would have watched our match.'

As if to prove that fact, TBW focused on banning other lanes rather than mid, unlike QS Ulsan.

[Ryze]

Starting with their Ryze ban,

Soon, the ban-pick was completed.

+

[OLZ / TBW]

Top: Camal / K'Sante

Jungle: Kindred / Jarvan IV

Mid: Sylas / Galio

ADC: Ezreal / Miss Fortune

Support: Morgana / Leona

+

It's correct to say that the overall composition was more 'easy' for the opponent.

With Jarvan IV and Galio's powerful initiation combo, along with K'Sante to support it and Miss Fortune, who took charge of strong rear support.

A stable and strong composition based on strong CC and team fight power.

It can be considered one of the combinations often used when drawing a team fight with "ip-lol" (imagining the ideal gameplay).

On the other hand, our team's ban-pick could be seen as a ban-pick that focused more on countering the opponent's intentions.

From Sylas, who can counter Galio from the laning phase and also keep up with the tempo in the late game, to Kindred, who can counter the opponent's strong team fight skills.

In addition to that, Ezreal and Morgana in the bot lane were also picks optimized to counter the opponent's strategies.

'In a way, it could be said that we were forced to pick by the opponent… but for now, it's correct to say that we countered the composition.'

The ban-pick is only a ban-pick.

The important thing is how smoothly the ban-pick leads to the in-game play.

'What we need to focus on… is the top lane.'

I slowly draw the structure in my head.

Since the mid lane match-up is already decided, the opponent's Galio would likely try to affect other lanes rather than doing something in the mid lane.

And, considering the characteristics of the opponent's team, that stage was likely to be the upper lanes.

Camal versus K'Sante.

For now, just looking at the pure early laning phase, it is correct to say that K'Sante, the ranged champion, is slightly more advantageous.

But the ability to create kill angles, including gank support, is actually better for Camal.

In short, the overall laning performance itself is generally viewed as Camal having an advantage over K'Sante.

Of course, since the pick itself, K'Sante, is a pick that is often chosen to put more emphasis on other aspects rather than laning, it was right to consider that Camal was the one to break through in the Camal versus K'Sante laning.

'Well, Camal doesn't necessarily have to be in a hurry either….'

Even if Camal can't completely break through K'Sante, if a split push situation is created after the laning phase, the opponent is likely to be swayed by Camal's split push.

However, even if they try to retreat to their base, it's not easy for Jarvan IV to force a fight because of our team's composition.

'The structure drawn by the ban-pick is fine.'

All that's left is, in-game play.

-Welcome to the Summoner's Rift!

It's time to prove it.