[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 387

SU5 Eldtor.

He is a player called the best AD carry in Europe, and in this Red Cup, he made a significant impact, etching his name firmly in the world.

The mere fact that even I, a player from a foreign league, know that name speaks volumes about its worth.

Today, I stepped out of the endlessly exhausting hallway outside the waiting room.

-Woooooah!

The thunderous cheers from the crowd never easily became familiar.

“Whew…”

Taking a deep breath to hold on to my composure, I moved toward the arena.

On the opposite booth, Eldtor was waving brightly at the audience and me with a smile.

As is well known, he has a friendly demeanor.

I also greeted Eldtor, waving back while cheering along with the crowd.

After a round of greetings, Eldtor and I returned to our respective spots.

Now it was time to determine the winner.

‘The opponent is an AD carry. It’s better to go for a ban focused on AD carries.’

Of course, there was no guarantee that he would definitely pick an AD champion, but statistically, the likelihood of him choosing a highly skilled AD champion was pretty high.

In fact, Eldtor had used AD champions in past matches, and in this 1v1 tournament, AD champions performed exceptionally well in general.

Seated, I put on my noise-cancelling headset and set up my gear.

With the staff’s signal, the ban/pick phase officially began.

[Kalista]


[Vyrus]

For the first two bans, I decided to follow GuineaPig’s advice.

Especially in the case of Kalista, the matchup was virtually unwinnable for melee champions, so considering that, it cut down my options by half.

[Vein]

The other ban was Vayne.

Much like Kalista, she is a champion that melee champions struggle to beat. Plus, the variability of Vayne is so threatening that allowing Eldtor to have that pick didn’t seem wise.

Three AD carries banned.

The opponent’s bans were soon revealed.

[Irelia]


[Gragas]


[Lenggan]

I don’t use Lenggan often, but I thought he had shown good performance in this 1v1 tournament, making me believe I could use him as a jungler too.

Indeed, champions like Lenggan excel at catching AD carries.

From Eldtor’s perspective, it meant he wanted to eliminate as many threatening variables as possible.

‘Hmm…’

Both sides had banned their main champions.

Of course, plenty of picks were still available, but there are only a limited number of champions that are definitively good for a 1v1 tournament.

‘This should be good.’

Finishing my thoughts, I shifted my gaze to the pick stage.

[Sandra]

Objectively, my proficiency with the champion Sandra wasn’t that high.

I wasn’t the kind who excelled at the physical-heavy solo lane, and I didn’t particularly like mage champions that required precise skill shots.

However, I knew Sandra’s skill range, cooldowns, and motions instinctively.

Having faced Sandra often as a jungler, I was familiar with her.

‘I can do this.’

Thus, I confidently picked Sandra.

Actually, Sandra is quite strong in lane, and her range makes it unlikely to lose against most champions.

[Tristana]

The opponent’s pick was Tristana.

She is a champion typically used more in mid than as an AD carry and has significant strengths in pushing lanes and securing kills in a 1v1 scenario.

Especially since there was no jungler, Tristana’s advantage in jumping became even more pronounced.

‘If it weren’t for Sandra, that is.’

The core of Tristana’s kill potential hinges on her jump, which has somewhat poor hit detection.

Ignoring a grab from Blitz might be manageable, but the long execution time makes it very easy to cancel.

And that preparation time could be deadly against a champion like Sandra, who possesses strong CC and long range.

In fact, statistically, Sandra has a significant advantage over Tristana in mid.

‘But the opponent is Eldtor.’

Although the matchup favored Sandra, making a move against Eldtor wouldn’t be easy either.

If I recklessly tried to secure a kill, I could easily find myself on the receiving end of Tristana’s counter kill.

‘No letting my guard down.’

Amidst the booming cheers vibrating through my noise-cancelling headset, the game officially began.

Even with the minions yet to reach the lane, a fierce psychological battle commenced from the start.

From my vantage point, I wanted to poke down Tristana’s health while spinning my mace, while Tristana aimed to drain my mana by utilizing that dynamic.

Of course, I wasn’t unaware of Eldtor’s intent either; if I didn’t have a clear opening, I would conserve my Q skill and not allow Tristana to hit me with her auto-attacks.

It would be foolish to risk a trade of damage with no minions in play.

‘Just spinning my mace should suffice. Before the minions arrive, that’s enough.’

Just before the minions arrived, I managed to hit Tristana with two Qs.

Those hits were all made while spinning my mace’s cooldown.

Sure, hitting twice at level 1 didn’t yield substantial gains since it was before the minions arrived, but it felt good nonetheless.

However, every little difference matters in this scenario.

‘No need to rush. I’ll chip away slowly.’

The Sandra vs. Tristana lane was, in short, a battle of pure skill shots and psychological warfare.

With both being ranged champions, they had skills that could negate kill opportunities, making that inevitable.

[Tristana – Level 2]

The difference in pushing power meant Tristana reached level 2 first.

As soon as she hit level 2, Tristana leaped toward me, but I deftly dodged back to avoid her jump.

Of course, that only meant I avoided her jump; moments later, I received damage in a trade against Tristana.

As the bomb on Sandra’s head accumulated, it wasn’t just Tristana who had the opportunity to deal damage.

[Sandra – Level 2]

I hit both Tristana and the minions with my Q and hit level 2, immediately followed by leveling my E skill for a combo.

Landing a clean stun and getting one more auto-attack in, I backed off, forcing Tristana to take hits right in the middle of her minions.

Tristana probably thought it was an opportunity for a trade, but due to my response, she ended up losing out on the exchange.

Naturally, Tristana’s posture would have to shift defensively.

A slight mistake here could give me a counter kill.

‘But at the same time, she’s likely hoping I’ll overcommit.’

As stated, there was no need to hurry.

Bit by bit, as long as I could whittle down Tristana’s health, that alone would be sufficient.

In a matchup like Sandra vs. Tristana, where there’s a disparity in reach, the dodging player has to look for a counter-kill opportunity.

For instance, a moment when Sandra’s mana runs low.

However, by meticulously timing my mace spins and only hitting skill shots when I had a solid angle, I kept chipping away at Tristana’s health.

Until Tristana could no longer hold back.

‘Something’s changed in her movement.’

This indicated that Tristana had decided on something.

‘Hmm.’

But I knew.

A player like Eldtor wouldn’t openly reveal his intentions like that.

Pure psychological warfare.

In that moment, I suddenly perceived Eldtor’s true intent.

Tristana was initiating her jump motion.

Typically, a skilled player would attempt to cut off Tristana’s jump with their E skill here.

Eldtor would also know I might do that.

So, I waited.

Bam!

Just as expected, Tristana’s jump motion executed in a flash, pivoting Tristana’s location sideways.

W in.

In that instant, Tristana’s position turned like a zigzag, flying toward me.

If I was even a moment delayed in my timing, his W skill could potentially be canceled—but for Eldtor, that wasn’t too difficult.

However, there was one thing Eldtor neglected—my complete understanding of his intentions.

‘Not a chance.’

For one fully exposed, the only outcome left is a miserable end.

Sandra’s E skill smoothly connected, halting Tristana’s jump mid-flight.

Then came the full combo.

With her health already low and her flash gone, there was no way Tristana could withstand that combo.

-First Blood!

Eldtor’s Tristana fell.