[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 286

2:0 situation.

The atmosphere among the SY players, who were on the brink of a dire crisis, was truly heavy and gloomy.

Everyone had expected SY to win easily in the finals.

But not only were they struggling, they had now put themselves in a position where one wrong step could send them tumbling off the cliff.

“…Alright, everyone, no need to be so down. We know we’re the better team, right?”

The coach tried to encourage them, but he couldn’t manage to control the bizarre atmosphere circulating among the SY players.

“Yoon-ki, what’s wrong with you?”

At the coach’s words, Park Yoon-ki merely lowered his head. He himself thought that his performance today was utterly disgraceful.

“…I’m sorry. I just feel a bit… I’ll try again.”

“You’re overthinking things today.”

“…”

At the coach’s words, Park Yoon-ki’s shoulders trembled momentarily. Overthinking, huh… That was spot on.

Meanwhile, feedback was ongoing in the bot lane.

“I really don’t think we should give them Karuma. The laning phase is way too tough.”

“Yeah, I think we need to redo the ban/pick entirely. Focused on bot lane.”

Until now, SY’s bot lane ban/pick had been crafted to avoid a direct clash with MAX’s bot lane.

It was because analysts predicted that if they engaged in a bot lane carry duel with MAX, they would end up losing.

But now, the situation had changed.

“Just push bot one time, please.”

“…Alright, let’s do that.”

The strong demands from the Longbow GuineaPig duo left the coaches no choice but to nod. They had already lost two sets by trying to play their usual mid-jungle-centered strategy.

“Alright, let’s do well in the next match.”

After the feedback session, the SY players stood up to head towards the booth. Just then, Ryu Jin-hyuk approached Park Yoon-ki.

“Yoon-ki.”

“Yeah, hyung.”

“Just play like you normally do.”

Ryu Jin-hyuk understood why Yoon-ki was behaving this way all of a sudden.

The shadow of the Prisoner.

Yoon-ki was currently chasing that shadow.

‘No… It’s not just the Prisoner.’

The Outlaw.

A jungler who played just like the now-vanished Prisoner, emerging like a supernova.

Although he was currently in the second division, Yoon-ki and other first-division players knew that soon it wouldn’t just be the second-division players facing the Outlaw.

The reason Yoon-ki was playing unusually today was obviously because of that.

A poor imitation of the Prisoner.

The cause of that was likely because Ryu Jin-hyuk watched the Outlaw’s plays every day.

His own mid laner, a player he deeply respected, was watching videos of another team, another jungler, every single day…

Naturally, Park Yoon-ki felt his pride wounded and felt compelled to respond to that.

But regretfully, Park Yoon-ki lacked the time to make a complete transformation.

Or perhaps it was impossible from the outset to reach the target he had set.

What was right among all of that was unclear, but as a result, Park Yoon-ki ended up losing not only the advantages of the Outlaw but also his own strengths.

Ryu Jin-hyuk read this reality.

He had become certain after observing Yoon-ki’s wandering form in the previous two matches.

“You are you. Play like yourself.”

After saying that, Ryu Jin-hyuk moved on, contemplating that any further unnecessary words would only cause confusion.

After hearing that, Park Yoon-ki stood there for a moment before finally moving on.

Be myself, be myself.

Park Yoon-ki quietly whispered that phrase like a spell.

*

-Waaaaaaah!!!

Amid the cheers of the fans, the third set ban/pick officially began.

“Wow, but at this rate, MAX might actually win.”

“Ugh, I should have bet against them, damn it.”

I glared at Kim Jae-min.

“…Don’t go betting over there or anything. You’ll really get in trouble.”

Though they’re gone now, I had had some rough experiences with betting sites, which made me very averse to even joking about such discussions.

Thinking back to the stress I received then still makes my head spin.

“Hey, I’m just saying. And betting isn’t just about money; there are other points, like the points on Blue TV.”

“…Really?”

Since I didn’t know anything about that, I could only let it be.

My broadcasting platform was Red TV, and at least on Red TV, there wasn’t a betting system like the one Kim Jae-min mentioned.

‘That’s that…’

The ban/pick process began in earnest.

SY’s side was blue.

In other words, they were first pick.

The situation was not looking good for SY.

They adopted a similar ban/pick strategy to the first set in the second set but ended up losing just like in the first set.

This had resulted in the worst outcome: a classic case of the strong team believing they were right.

“Given the situation, we can’t avoid talking about ban/pick. A substantial revision in direction seems necessary.”

“Exactly! To put it bluntly, SY’s bot lane isn’t a lane that typically loses, so they can’t just run away and lose!”

While the commentators’ voices rose in excitement, SY picked their first ban card.

[Karuma]

SY’s first ban was Karuma.

It was definitely a pattern different from before.

“Is the pattern finally starting to change?”

“Well, we’ll have to see more to know, but… anyway, SY is the one under pressure right now. They need to try something.”

“Indeed!”

Now it was MAX’s turn to ban.

[Twisted Fate]

“On the other hand, MAX seems to be trying to go with a pattern they’ve used before. Looks like they’re using a ban card against the mid lane.”

“Yes, it seems that binding Rainbow’s hands is the most pressing issue for MAX, which brought this kind of ban/pick.”

Back to SY’s ban.

[Yuumi]

“…It’s definitely changed. Is SY thinking of going all-out in the bot lane without any ADC bans?”

“Looks like it, right?! It seems like a true showdown is about to happen in the bot lane.”

MAX’s turn to ban.

[Kuroki]

Another mid ban.

“Ah… It feels like MAX is showing a lack of concern about any bans SY throws at them. It’s a sign of confidence.”

“Or it could mean they’re just that concerned about Rainbow? That could be fair. Regardless, the current meta is focused on the bot lane, but SY’s core remains centered around mid and jungle. It’s that mid-jungle that struggled, leading to their relatively easy losses in Sets 1 and 2.”

“Exactly! MAX doesn’t need to change their strategy! They just have to keep winning!”

Now, it was SY’s third ban. From this ban, we could somewhat gauge what SY aimed to pursue in the third set.

[Ruler]

“Three bans against the supporter are out!”

“This must feel like an acknowledgment for Lineover, right?!”

“Haha! Of course, that’s part of it, but I think they’re genuinely considering a wild play in the bot lane!”

“I agree.”

SY’s bans consisted of three bans against supports.

Now all that remained was MAX’s third ban.

“Well, I wonder what choice MAX will make…”

[Viktor]

“…Ah! So this is how it goes. Now SY’s gone for three bans against supporters, and MAX has gone for three bans against mid!”

“It’s proving to be an interesting flow. I wouldn’t say this is quite the right moment to assert that, but it’s worth noting that champions like Renekton are now available!”

[Caitlyn]

“…Ah. So this is how it unfolds. To be honest, it’s a bit surprising but it seems like they experienced quite a bit of struggle in the bot lane due to Sets 1 and 2, resulting in this adjustment in ban/pick.”

“Indeed. With that, MAX should have suitable picks to choose from…”

[Renekton]

[Jhin]

“Ah, as expected.”

“Well, since Caitlyn was the first pick, picking Aphelios later would be much more of a burden. King God Emperor isn’t someone who lacks confidence with Jhin either.”

And finally…

The ban/pick was completed.

+

[SY / MAX]

Top: Gragas / Renekton

Jungle: Jarvan III / Diana

Mid: Orianna / Raise

Bot: Caitlyn / Jhin

Support: Lux / Tahm Kench

+

Is this where it ends, or is it the prologue to a comeback?

No matter what it leads to, one thing is certain: most fans don’t actually want SY to suffer a disappointing loss.

Regardless of who they were cheering for, they wished for today’s finals to go to a full set.

That was the sentiment most LCKR fans shared.

“Looks like they forced the Tahm Kench in because of Jarvan. Can they hold their ground in the laning phase?”

“Yeah.”

It’s true that Jhin is a pick that holds an advantage in the laning phase against Caitlyn, but to be precise, 70% of the bot lane’s impact depends on the supporter.

Above all, isn’t the Caitlyn-Lux combo one of the most notorious among combos?

“Still, Tahm Kench isn’t exactly weak in the laning phase either, so I think MAX’s bot lane can still hold their own.”

“That’s true. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Amid everyone’s attention,

-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!

At last, the third set began, with both teams’ fates hanging in the balance.