[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 474

In a major match, chicken is something like oxygen, something you absolutely can't do without.

Of course, even so, in some of the big matches in the grand history of E-sports, chicken was ordered, and there were cases where the game ended pathetically before the chicken even arrived, but that didn't mean we could give up eating chicken.

Because that was, literally, a crime.

This 4th set, the early laning phase was very important in terms of the ban-pick.

Especially, the most important part of all of this was the lane swap.

Even though a patch that virtually blocks lane swaps is scheduled for the next patch, it has nothing to do with today's match.

That's why we had to watch very closely how the early invade process would go...

*Om-nyom-nyom.*

"Wow, this is really crispy."

"This is a great restaurant, a great restaurant."

"Trustworthy brand chicken, as expected."

"The experts are different."

Even though it was a match where the early game was so important, everyone on our team's attention was on the chicken.

After all, it was common sense that chicken in front of us was more important than someone else's big match.

While we were absorbed in the chicken, the early game continued to flow.

["Looking at the positions of the champions right now, it seems like BOQ is thinking about a lane swap?"]

["Yes. It seems like MAX is trying to do a mirror lane swap, just as they predicted."]

["The vision battle and psychological warfare are really fierce from the beginning..."]

["That's right. MAX wants to play the normal lanes, after all."]

As a result, MAX won the psychological battle.

BOQ initiated a lane swap, but MAX also anticipated it, doing a mirror lane swap, and in the end, the bottom duo stood in the top lane, and the top laners faced each other in the bottom lane.

["MAX is really experienced, isn't it? They know their opponent will lane swap, and they do a lane swap together to avoid losing lane dominance."]

["That's right."]

The matchup of Jason-Malphite is traditionally considered to favor Malphite.

After all, Malphite himself is a traditional AD counter, and his skill set and passive are very good for facing Jason.

However, that's only after the first recall, and in the very early stages, the ranged champion, Jason, is actually in the advantage.

That's why there was a fierce psychological battle between BOQ, who wanted to get through the early game easily, and MAX, who wanted to stop them, and the early laning phase went as MAX wanted.

At the same time, thanks to the lane swap, top and bottom matched lanes, and naturally, BOQ's lanes were pushed in all lanes.

["Is it a picture where BOQ is being pressured from all directions right now?"]

["Yes! Malphite seems like he's about to be dive-pressured if it goes on a little longer... I wonder how they will get through this situation."]

["Actually, in this kind of situation, everyone has to watch the jungler's movements, right? But even in Vayne's position, there's not much she can do when all lanes are being pushed!"]

["That's right! Vayne needs at least one lane to rely on!"]

BOQ's early game was rough.

All lanes were being pressured simultaneously, and as a result, lane dominance was being lost, and Vayne's position was being revealed one after another.

In the lane and in the jungle.

BOQ was definitely having a hard time right now.

["The good thing is that the mid lane is doing better than expected... We have to wait and see."]

["Malphite's lane will also be much easier from the first recall."]

["That's right."]

While BOQ was having a hard time...

"Wow... I'm really full."

"I ate all of this. Honestly, I thought there would be leftovers."

"Jihoon-hyung seems to have eaten a couple of chickens?"

"I don't eat anything with the fried batter."

"That's why what you ate was grilled chicken."

Before we knew it, five chickens disappeared in an instant.

Even though it's an era of one chicken per person, if you consider that it's not easy to actually do that, you can see the average appetite of our team.

Kim Jae-min patted his stomach and said.

"Noona, you eat so much, but you don't gain weight."

"What are you talking about? I don't eat that much."

"Really? I think you eat a lot..."

Of course, it's true that my appetite has increased a lot compared to the old days when I couldn't even eat properly, but is it to the point of saying that much?

Looking at Mukbangs, it seems like I eat the same amount as the average person.

"Yujin eats more than she looks."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"That's why I think we should improve the restaurant menu for our team─"

"Alright, let's watch the game."

I hurriedly turned my gaze to the monitor because I thought I could hear the sound of our already tight budget increasing due to Baek Seong-an's request.

Kim Jae-min, watching that, jeered.

"Ugh, evil president."

"I'm not the president, I'm the team leader."

"Evil team leader."

"You are evil, so shouldn't I cut your salary? Come to think of it, it seems like you're getting too much for what you do─"

"I like watching games."

While a brief argument was going on, the game had already passed the first laning phase.

Malphite, unable to withstand the dive pressure, returned to the lane with Teleport after his first recall, and the bottom lane was able to avoid the worst-case scenario under Vayne's cover.

And, after the bottom and top lanes finished their first recalls, BOQ's champions naturally swapped lanes.

["Ah, they swapped."]

["The timing is slightly off right now, so MAX seems to be thinking of a speed race rather than a mirror lane swap?"]

["Yes."]

However, this situation was definitely not a good one for MAX.

Unlike the relatively sturdy Malphite, Jason could only be vulnerable to the opponent's dive pressure.

Of course, that didn't mean that Malphite was strong against the opponent's dive, but there was no need to think about who would benefit if the tank and the dealer both suffered growth stagnation.

["Jason and Malphite are both starving, and Malphite's side is happy about this!"]

["Yes! BOQ showed a little struggle in the early game, so this isn't bad, right?"]

BOQ and MAX's bot laners swapped lanes and mined the turrets.

Naturally, it was MAX who found this situation uncomfortable, and they took advantage of the bottom lane dominance that had gone to the top lane, and naturally, they ate the Rift Herald.

- Blue team has slain the Rift Herald!

Even though the Rift Herald was important, BOQ didn't seem to want to covet the Rift Herald in this situation either, and they ended the agreement by cleanly eating the dragon.

- Red team has slain the Infernal Dragon!

["This isn't too bad for BOQ either."]

["Yes. Of course, it could be a different story if MAX gets the 4th Rift Herald... We have to wait and see!"]

Baek Seong-an said.

"Hmm, if this goes on, BOQ is really not doing badly. If they get the next Rift Herald, it'll be different..."

"I think they'll try to fight then?"

"Yeah, when Malphite hits 6, it seems like we can do a team fight. We have to watch this."

And...

It didn't take long for the next Rift Herald to appear.

The time of the decisive battle was approaching.

["Well, they're watching each other right now?"]

["Yes. BOQ is pushing the bottom lane first and is joining now."]

MAX and BOQ's champions gathered for the next Rift Herald fight.

Because of the nature of MAX's combination, which is all about snowballing, the 4th Rift Herald was essential, and BOQ had to stop MAX from getting the 4th Rift Herald.

["MAX has taken the first position, but... can they withstand this with the opponent having Malphite's ultimate, Vayne's ultimate, and Galio's ultimate? Isn't it scary?!"]

["This position itself isn't bad. They need to be positioned wide. If they make a mistake, they can be swept away by the opponent's initiation."]

As they said, MAX's champions didn't have a hard tank in their composition, so if Malphite's ultimate or Vayne's ultimate were combined with Galio's ultimate, they could be swept away as is.

Of course, the situation could change if MAX's champions could create a counterattack angle by drawing out the opponent's initiation only once...

The problem was the moment when Vayne and Orianna's gazes met.

Vayne used her ultimate on Orianna without the slightest hesitation, and Orianna used Flash in a hurry to create distance, but she couldn't avoid Galio's ultimate covering her.

["Aaaah!"]

- First Blood!

Orianna was wiped out without even being able to use her ultimate once, due to BOQ's sharp initiation and combination.

MAX tried to respond late, but they couldn't maintain their position properly due to the subsequent ultimates of Malphite and Renata Glasc, and they were swept away by Samira, who had built up the ultimate activation stack.

- Double Kill!

As a result, Orianna, Xin Zhao, and Nautilus were literally wiped out, and BOQ achieved a complete victory in the Rift Herald fight.

"Oh... this might be a real upset?"

The atmosphere of the Wild Card match, where everyone thought MAX would win easily, began to change.