“Everyone, you’re not making the plays we need to.”
After the first set ended, a heavy atmosphere filled the waiting room.
“Mid, if only you could have secured the advantage here, the jungler should have done something, right? Why didn’t you?”
“…I was trying to help bot, but instead, I got pulled in by Nyami’s ultimate…”
“Isn’t this first set’s performance really disappointing? Have you all forgotten what it was like before Seo Ha came?”
To be fair, mid did win in the first set, but LOL isn’t a game played alone.
If I criticize myself, it’s my fault for not helping the team.
If I blame others, the difference in the team members stands out.
“Even though YK is good, we’ve beaten them in scrims before, right? We can absolutely win.”
In fact, until just before the match, the mood had been good.
Our scrim against YK resulted in a 3-3 record for a 50% win rate, which wasn’t bad.
“We all need to listen carefully. We’re professionals. No matter how good Seo Ha is, it’s not going to last forever. If Seo Ha isn’t here next year, do you want to get relegated again?”
Our usually gentle coach, who was even like an older sibling to the other team members, had a reason for speaking this harshly: The reason we lost the first game wasn’t because the opponent was good, but because we didn’t play well.
Next to me, Jin Yuseong was quietly looking down at the floor with his fists clenched tightly.
‘The first set was a game I just messed up on my own.’
The reason for the mistake from this usually competitive guy stems from his overconfidence. Due to his advantageous range at level one, he didn’t suspect the opponent’s kill potential and leaned forward recklessly.
Moreover, influenced by overconfidence, he had taken Morphing instead of Barrier, leaving no excuse for what happened.
“And Park Jinhwan, just because you’ve done well on recent champion picks, doesn’t mean you should be rushing in recklessly, right?”
The next line of criticism from the coach pointed to top lane, specifically how many times K’Sante got ganked and failed.
“But…I was trying to gain an advantage before their jungle arrived…”
“Did it work out? What are you good at? You’re supposed to distract them from the top lane. If you fail at that, who’s going to stop Gnar?”
In fact, after two deaths from top lane, K’Sante was confined by the turret, suffering endless pushes from Gnar.
Even trying to exchange damage wasn’t possible since catching Gnar alone with K’Sante was nearly impossible.
“Thankfully Yune managed to hold them in line against Gnar, otherwise the game would have ended from the side lanes.”
“…Sorry.”
‘I kind of saw this coming from CK onwards.’
Everyone’s confidence soared following the undefeated streak from CK onwards.
But our opponent was YK. Playing the same way we’ve always played would mean a team that would exploit every gap.
‘Think of it as receiving a vaccine.’
Just as everyone appropriately received scolding from the coach, I stepped forward.
“Then, are there any changes for the ban/pick?”
“Umm…First, we pick an AP mid, and Xin Zhao in the jungle. Is that alright?”
“It’s fine with me.”
The coach’s suggestion was to pick Xin Zhao in the jungle, since it was inconvenient that the AD jungle was overpowering in the early to mid game fights.
“Can Seo Ha pick Azir?”
“Rather, I prefer it.”
“Then, let’s do Xin Zhao and Azir. If it’s fine, we’ll continue with K’Sante on top.”
After the ban/pick adjustments, the coach left the room momentarily.
I took the opportunity to talk with the team members.
“Let’s have fun!”
“Having fun…?”
Jin Yuseong looked slightly puzzled and asked if this was fun.
“There’s nothing more enjoyable in pro gaming life than playing against strong teams.”
“Even if we lose?”
“It’s only fun if we win.”
“Are we saying ‘let’s have fun’ then?”
“Let’s win while having fun.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
At my reply, all the team members, including Jin Yuseong, laughed.
Even though I said it seriously.
But since the mood has improved, this is probably good…?
“ARK showed a somewhat powerless performance in the first set, but what kind of ban/pick will they prepare for this game?”
“They will likely pick an AD card in the jungle for the second set.”
“Is there a specific reason for thinking that?”
“Certainly, although the AP jungler Taliyah is strong in jungle clearing, after Ugong hits level 6, we can’t even look them in the eye. That must have been too uncomfortable.”
“I’m also curious about how ARK will think about dealing with Lulu-Nyami.”
“True. Even though K’Sante is a front-liner, once a four-core structure forms, K’Sante will just get broken through.”
“The second set ban/pick will now begin!”
[ARK, fight!]
[Para, Hello]
[If you lost the first set, quit the room]
[Will make an extreme decision if not banning LuX]
[Not going to play Lulu-Nyami again, right?]
“Let’s go without restrictions? Both K’Sante and Lulu-Nyami have not been banned.”
“Once again, ARK takes K’Sante! In the bottom lane, the problem was the mistakes, not Lulu-Nyami, right?”
“Then, there’s no reason for YK not to choose Lucian, right?”
“ARK is once again going with Aphelios and Lulu.”
[Isn’t this ban pick already screwed?]
[Sigh]
[KKKKK]
[What is this ARK coach even doing?]
“Gnar is banned at this point, and YK picks Gwen! And…Para’s pick is Azir!”
“Following that, Pumpkin’s choice is LeBlanc! Is it a battle of pride?”
“Indeed, compared to selecting LeBlanc in the first set which didn’t completely shut down Yune, right?”
[Woah!]
[Para’s Azir is top-notch!]
[In the end, it’s Para ‘help me'”]
TOP: K’Sante
JG: Xin Zhao
MID: Azir
AD: Aphelios
SUP: Lulu
VS
TOP: Gwen
JG: ViWago
MID: LeBlanc
AD: Lucian
SUP: Nyami
“Then, let’s begin the game!”
“From the start, the bush battles in bottom are fierce.”
“Aphelios can apply pressure with their range, and Lucian’s early game focuses on W harassment.”
“Playing Aphelios by Plea lightly dodges Lucian’s tossed W.”
“Such dodging is important. If it lands, the accumulated Malunfal stack also provides quite a significant damage.”
[Is LeBlanc a counter to Azir?]
[ARK looks like it’s winning this round!]
[Hm… Stop giving Aphelios to Jae already, give Para a carry pick!]
[Azir is at a top level of mid-lane carry potential.]
[Really? This supposedly all-rounder champ, who deals damage, initiates, and provides survivability, seems so bad!]
[All-rounder (early game damage is iffy, survivability cooldown is 24 seconds, initiation can be dodged with Flash.)]
“How do you see this mid lane situation?”
“If there’s no interference from either side, it’s a fifty-fifty. However, to maintain this balance, Azir needs to utilize the shield from the E skill, but using this skill makes the player more susceptible to ganks.”
“Could the reason for changing LeBlanc’s rune to Electrocute be related to this?”
“This likely reflects a decision to secure kills clearly in ganks or team fights.”
[Pumpkin’s LeBlanc is scary af!]
[Absolute mess in the first set but recovered with kills, legit!]
[Sigh, ARK, fighting!]
[Hey manager, ban Galio please!]
[There is no manager here lol]
.
.
.
“For now, nothing significant has happened up until the 15-minute mark.”
“Indeed, both teams’ respect for each other is very evident. One slip-up and you’re done.”
[This game is so boring]
[Ugh, I’m falling asleep already lol]
[Gtg]
[This is boring af]
“For now, the creeps in the jungle are five for ARK and one for YK. Both teams have shared one dragon each.”
“The bottom duo is clashing in the mid…”
“What on earth is happening?!”
[??????]
[What? Why is Lucian dead?]
[Huge mistake!]
[????????]
“What is going on!?”
“We need to check the replay…it’s coming up now.”
“Lucian rushed forward to get the buff to secure mid dominance…Ah, here Lulu used the shield and Barrier to hold on for a turn.”
“However, they didn’t rest on survival alone. This moment saw an aggressive play from Aphelios.”
“Shooting from range with both Moonlight Bow and Inferno Shot. Truly, this can be called an ultimate Aphelios combo.”
[What the heck is this?]
[It’s giving me a headache just watching it!]
[Isn’t the Moonlight Bow combo universal? I thought he was holding Inferno Shot but why is he using a crescent slash?]
“While attacking in this position, Aphelios used the Inferno Shot Q skill and canceled the attack motion by using Moonlight Bow Q, then following with another regular attack.”
“And between all that, he also cast the ultimate skill, managing astonishing combinations of three attacks and three marks from the Moonlight Bow, securing the kill within such a short time!”
“Perhaps influenced by the first set, Plea has been playing more passively in the lines than usual. Maybe this moment was the reason?”
LOL Gallery
Title: Plea Crazy Aphelios Kill Angle
(When Aphelios, who has little health, pushes forward and grabs Lucian)
Just insane pros, right?
Isn’t that a champ skill?
Right, when the same marksman takes full combos, he’s bound to die.
Isn’t the MiFo ultimate supposed to kill five at once if it hits?
But this combo was so clean indeed. If he had missed even one attack, it wouldn’t have killed.
What’s the elf thing that shows up with Aphelios’s ult?
Younger sister?
Nah, older sister?
It’s his shuttle.
LOL Gallery
Title: Para Insane Toss
(Para’s Azir tosses four enemies into the enemy team during the dragon fight and follows up with damage while using Zhonya’s Hourglass)
Wow, lifted four and still dealt damage, Zhonya active! lol
Para sees games differently, alright.
Even when we were losing the first set, Para kept breaking YK’s tempo.
Now ARK is rising since the AD is playing properly.
LOL Gallery
Title: LOL Champions Korea Spring ARK vs YK Second Game Results
ARK ended the second set with a clean baron fight, bringing the match back to square one.
First and foremost, ARK’s pure skill set is just better laugh laugh.
Para carried it heavily in the second set laugh laugh.
Even lifted four enemies.
Without Para’s heavy carry, this team would just explode laugh laugh.
Let’s win the third set.
