[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 396

1v1 Tournament Semifinals.

And finally, the ban/pick for the first match, marking the start of the last day of the All-Star Event, began.

“If it were Rainbow, a fellow mid laner, what champion would he choose?”

I had casually asked Rainbow about this once, but he also couldn’t give me a clear answer.

“What should I ban against Nightmare?”

“Well, his champion pool is pretty wide.”

That’s true; Nightmare’s champion pool is clearly different from Rainbow’s.

Nightmare himself isn’t a player who boasts a powerful laning phase like Rainbow, so it’s only natural that there would be differences in the champions he uses.

Of course, this is only speaking in global terms, as Nightmare is undoubtedly one of the top-tier laners.

‘So then…’

My thought process didn’t take long.

The opponent is Nightmare. The champions I need to cut out were practically already decided from the start.

[Tristana]

[Sandra]

[Cassiopeia]

These were the three champions I chose to ban.

Champions that normally show incredibly strong performances against melee champions.

[Renekton]

[Gragas]

[Lee Sin]

You could say that this was somewhat similar to the bans we had seen from the opponent so far, but there was one significant difference.

All the banned champions were jungle champions.

It felt as if I was aiming at OLZ Outlaw instead of just an outlaw.

‘Hmm…’

I couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased about that for some reason.

It must be because I knew that the team GRS had recognized me for a long time.

The team GRS meant that they understood and acknowledged me as a professional gamer, not just the image I displayed during the All-Star Event.

‘Then… It would only be right for me to reciprocate that acknowledgment.’

Since my opponent banned jungle champions like this, it would be disrespectful to counter with champions like Irelia or others.

Your ban and thoughts were correct.

I intended to respond to that by choosing from the jungle champion pool for this match.

Of course, there’s no such thing as decency in the world of competitions, but my opponent happens to be a significant figure in GRS, who could be considered a benefactor, so I was willing to go a bit easy on him.

After all, I’m going to win anyway.

[Viego]

My pick is Viego.

Viego is primarily used as a jungler but is also frequently played in mid.

The champion Viego has such high value, and his unique clearing abilities and dueling potential make him fit well in the laning phase.

[K’Sante]

Eventually, the opponent’s pick revealed K’Sante.

It’s a champion that Nightmare hasn’t shown much before, but that doesn’t mean he never uses it.

K’Sante is a champion that offers significant value in ban/pick strategies because he can swap between top and mid, and he also shows power when boldly played in mid.

‘K’Sante… Were you expecting me to play a melee champion?’

K’Sante’s appearance is rugged, but his laning phase relies on doing one-sided damage trades with close-range kiting using his Q skill’s range.

It’s typical for K’Sante that, before he learns his ultimate, he isn’t incredibly strong in duel exchanges.

You could even say it’s similar to how Renekton, with his fierce appearance, engages in rather simplistic trades during the laning phase.

‘Anyway… they sure look more intimidating.’

Regardless, due to K’Sante’s characteristics, if he can’t do close-range kiting, the laning phase becomes incredibly tough, so it’s naturally not easy against ranged champions.

Of course, it’s no walk in the park for the ranged champions either, dealing with K’Sante, who is sturdy, has strong damage, and two mobility skills, but that’s just the nature of the game.

That was the reasoning behind my thought that maybe the opponent had somewhat predicted my pick.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter.’

Whether the opponent predicted my pick or not, what I need to do doesn’t change.

I need to beat him.

*

-Waaaaah!!!

Amidst the huge vibrations felt beyond the noise-canceling headset, the game finally began in earnest.

Barely arriving at the mid lane, I spotted the opponent’s K’Sante.

『👍』


『ᵔᴥᵔ』

As always, the two champions faced each other in the mid lane, exchanging emojis as a greeting.

Of course, even during that, the psychological battle was subtly ongoing to keep each other from getting a skill shot in.

‘K’Sante…’

The matchup between K’Sante and Viego was important because both champions have close-range poke abilities, so managing distance while exchanging skill shots was key.

Even if the impact of each blow isn’t that huge at first, a few hits could completely change the lane dynamics.

‘But in terms of those skill shot exchanges, Viego is at a slight disadvantage.’

And that’s largely due to the presence of mobility skills.

Compared to K’Sante, who can quickly close the distance or retreat, Viego’s mobility is pretty underwhelming, except for his ultimate.

That doesn’t mean I can just recklessly engage in a trade, though. If Viego tries to engage while charging W, K’Sante could ignore the CC with his W or dodge it entirely with E.

In that case, I’d be on the receiving end of a one-sided trade.

‘Furthermore, starting from level 6, the trades will be even less favorable for me.’

If I engage in a poor trade with K’Sante and end up under my opponent’s turret, it could lead to a kill.

I need to be focused.

‘But still, I have to give it a go.’

Though I had talked about why the laning phase against K’Sante would be tough, Viego isn’t without advantages.

There are roughly two strengths I can bring to bear.

First, Viego is a no-cost champion, and second, before level 6, he has the upper hand in trades against K’Sante.

‘And above all… K’Sante’s damage skills are all non-targeted.’

In theory, if I can dodge all of K’Sante’s skills, winning the laning phase is a piece of cake.

And that goes for K’Sante as well.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

A skill shot battle.

*

-The minions have spawned!

With the minions arriving, the laning phase commenced in earnest.

As I pressed the tab key to check the opponent’s items, Li Zhi-Xuan took a moment to catch his breath.

And it was easy to see why; the item that the outlaw bought at the start was completely out of the ordinary.

‘…Shoes?’

In a matchup between K’Sante and Viego.

When one thinks of this matchup, they typically imagine a fierce laning phase rather than a meticulous one.

Melee versus melee.

K’Sante versus Viego.

Just listing out simple facts brings to mind moments that will make you sweat, right?

However, the outlaw’s perspective was different.

‘Is he planning to engage in a skill shot battle? Dodge K’Sante’s Q while landing his own?’

You could say that his choice of items was somewhat presumptuous, but Li Zhi-Xuan didn’t mock him.

If the outlaw believed he could do it, then he probably could.

‘But it’s not going to be easy.’

Li Zhi-Xuan didn’t let his tension ease as he looked to start the laning phase carefully.

There’s a saying about champions with close-range Q skills, like Yune, Yasuon, and K’Sante.

The best way to hit your skill is to not use it.

What this means is that when using their skills, you should only use them when you are about to hit.

And so, Li Zhi-Xuan watched closely for when the opponent used his skills, planning to match that timing.

But the outlaw, instead of coming out cautiously as anticipated, surprisingly used Q a beat faster, and Li Zhi-Xuan reacted but could only respond a beat late.

Viego’s Q hit, but K’Sante’s Q sliced through the air.

‘Pretty good…!’

And one exchange turned into two exchanges of skills.

Viego’s skill range is 600.

K’Sante’s skill range is 465.

Even though Viego’s skills are longer, that difference isn’t that large.

Or at least, I thought so…

‘I can’t hit… at all…!’

Was this all to set up for buying shoes ahead of time?

Despite what seemed like a rather proud choice of starting items, the outlaw began to take the lead in the exchanges.

‘…This isn’t good.’

Li Zhi-Xuan’s K’Sante was continuously missing his Q.

And as if to punish him for it, Viego’s Q struck K’Sante, with the occasional auto-attack landing as well.

‘Is this… possible?’

Not once did I manage to land a single skill shot.

No matter how I tried mixing in E and W to throw some punches at Viego, it was as if he was taunting me, dodging all of K’Sante’s attempts.

“Hah, hah…”

At some point, a hollow laugh escaped Li Zhi-Xuan’s lips.

He readily admitted it.

He couldn’t beat the outlaw in a skill shot battle.

So he decided to withdraw and look for opportunities after reaching level 6.

That was the intention, but…

‘Viego has just switched to a slow push.’

The pressure that the outlaw had been mounting, as if ready to pounce on K’Sante, suddenly calmed down.

As if nothing had happened.

‘No way…’

He read me.

The outlaw had read not only that he had taken the initiative but also that Li Zhi-Xuan would change his tactics because of it.

‘Ridiculous…!’

Li Zhi-Xuan’s gaze shifted to something utterly incomprehensible.