“Did DH win?”
“So, everyone naturally assumed AX would win.”
“AX has a much stronger league advantage.”
“Really? Did Bo carry the team to victory alone?”
The team members all looked puzzled after reviewing the matchups.
“We should watch this match.”
Although I was about to leave after the scrim ended, I sat back down. While I could have watched it alone at home, these kinds of games are always more fun to watch together.
“Shall we play the full video?”
Kim Dojin operated the tablet next to him and displayed the match between AX and DH on the large screen hanging on the practice room wall.
Everyone moved their chairs to the back where the screen was more visible, so I followed them.
“Did DH pick Art?”
“Didn’t Bo dislike Art?”
“It got a buff this time, but would they really pick it in the first round?”
Summarizing the picks from the first set:
AX had the standard lineup with Oryun, Biwago, Hwehi, Lucian, and Nyami.
DH’s lineup had Aatrox, Xin Zhao, Arin, Aphelios, and Lulu.
The key point here was Aatrox. While other teams might rate its tier differently, our team considered it a top-tier pick.
“Didn’t CK teams usually not use Art with the Guardian build except in scrims?”
When Kim Dojin asked, Park Jinhwan replied confidently.
“I practiced this build with my alternate account, but only scrimmed with CK teams friendly with our coach to avoid revealing our strategy. They probably wouldn’t have leaked anything, right?”
“Even so, did they study the build?”
“With the recent buffs to Galara and Zhuma, they could’ve gone with those instead. Who would have thought they were practicing the Guardian build? I didn’t consider it until Seo Ha mentioned it.”
Park Jinhwan’s last point was indeed correct. The Guardian Art build wouldn’t become popular until later in MSI, not yet during the playoffs.
Still, with this thought in mind, I started watching the match.
“Art returned and bought the Club of Barbarism?”
Club of Barbarism, now called Beasts, was a precursor item to assassin items with physical penetration.
In other words:
“It seems like they’re building Guardian.”
As expected, Aatrox’s first core item was the Unholy Hydra, followed by the second core item, Night’s End.
Although they built the Guardian set, the basic stats buff from consecutive buffs, combined with the stability of Night’s End, created a powerful effect.
“Wow… the damage is insane.”
Throughout the game, Aatrox easily defeated not only fragile marksmen but also tanks stacked with defense items.
“Why is the damage so crazy?”
Near the end of the first set, Jin Yuseong asked me, looking bewildered.
“It’s the use effect of the Unholy Hydra that amplifies damage based on attack power.”
“I know that.”
“But when Art uses his ultimate, it increases attack power. Add the effect of Conqueror boosting attack power too, and if health drops below 50%, it deals extra damage.”
“Listening to this alone is confusing.”
“So, in conclusion, if Art grows smoothly, during mid-game team fights, he can deal roughly the same damage with 3 Q attacks to enemies with less than half health.”
As Jin Yuseong questioned whether marksmen have any rights, Bo’s Aatrox delivered a one-combo kill on Lucian by chaining 3 Qs with Flash.
It was still nuts to watch.
With that, DH brought Aatrox in three consecutive games, resulting in a clean 3-0 upset win over AX. Given AX’s planned bans and set champion tiers, it wasn’t surprising they couldn’t respond effectively.
‘The question is, how did they find this build?’
The Guardian build was a popular item progression used by renowned Art players in the professional scene.
Could it have leaked from the teams we scrimmed with?
“Should we watch the interview too?”
“They might’ve mentioned something.”
“True.”
After watching the entire interview, the answer became clear.
“To the player Bo, we have one question. You received the Player of the Game award in all three matches today.”
“Thanks to my teammates.”
“Still, your Aatrox created incredible highlight moments, didn’t it?”
“That was lucky. I found a new item build that performed better than expected.”
“Did you find it while playing solo queue?”
“…I have a streamer, or player, that I enjoy watching.”
“Hmm? Any specific person?”
“Can I mention them?”
“For any LOL player, it’s fine!”
“I often watch Para, a player from ARK.”
“Huh?”
“Uh?”
As my name came out of Bo’s mouth, all eyes turned toward me.
“What… I haven’t even spoken to that person.”
In my previous life, I wasn’t particularly close to Bo. We’ve barely exchanged words now, so it was strange being mentioned.
“Do you have a personal relationship with Para?”
“No, not really. I just really enjoy watching streams on my days off.”
“Bo is known for this hobby.”
“So, I admire skilled players, and I’ve been following Para since before his streaming debut.”
“Was the item build inspired by Para?”
“Recently, while I was watching a stream, Para built Aatrox with Guardian items. I tried it out, noticed it was effective, and practiced it.”
“Professional players watching each other’s streams… who would’ve thought…”
Pro players typically have strong egos and careers. It was rare for pros to regularly watch each other’s streams, making me overlook this possibility.
“Then, we need to reconsider our bans and picks.”
Somewhere along the line, the coach, who had been watching the game behind us, took out the ban/pick notebook and spoke up.
“Let’s rework it assuming both we and DH consider Aatrox a top-tier pick.”
*
[Opening the gate]
“Seems like Bo will carry DH to victory today.”
“Yeah, the caster even equipped a new item.”
“Something feels off today. DH will likely win.”
“Can Bo, who carried 10 times, really be underestimated?”
“Long time waiting! Let’s start the LCK Spring Playoffs Round 2!”
“Starting now, the top teams from the regular split are competing in Round 2.”
“Exactly. Though they say playoffs are where the real battles start, Round 2 is where the cream of the crop clash.”
“That’s right! They’re coming now.”
[Big ones coming. Big ones coming. Big ones coming. Big ones coming. Big ones coming.]
“Bro, I bet all my chips on DH again. I’ll be taking the top prize in this spring’s betting.”
“Reverse-bet troll. I’m sticking strictly to normal betting, second place at the moment. ARK’s championship will bring me first place.”
“What’s the first-place prize?”
“Every LCK team’s autographed jerseys.”
“Oh, so that’s why there’s always chaos over betting.”
“The first round last week brought unexpected results and interesting picks.”
“True. Today’s DH game! Until the playoffs, most thought they’d exit in the first round.”
“Defying that, a clean 3-0 win and Bo’s tear-jerking three-time Player of the Game!”
“But on the other hand, this team completely shattered pre-spring predictions and went absolutely crazy, finishing the regular season with 15 wins and 1 loss at number one – ARK!”
[Regardless of carrying in the top lane, does it mean you can beat Para?]
“True that.”
“She’s good-looking and plays well.”
“Did anyone see Para’s SNS yesterday? You haven’t? Go check it out; there’s a selfie!”
“Let’s hear from the experts’ predictions.”
“All 14 experts predict ARK’s victory. Though unavoidable in this case.”
“Even the overseas commentators, obsessed with reverse bets, are predicting ARK’s win.”
“What about the fan predictions?”
“About 8 to 2.”
“But what does it all mean?”
“Absolutely. They’ve already defeated AX! DH just needs to prove it again.”
[True, reverse bets already blew up. Another blow would be catastrophic~]
“ARK? You guys lost to QX. All hype!”
“Fact is ARK lost to QX once, and DH beat them twice.”
“Still, they’re the regular season champions, right?”
“First place in beauty goes to Para~”
“Let’s meet today’s key players!”
KEY PLAYERS
ARK-Caster DH-BON
KDA 3.4 VS 5.8
DPM 460 VS 800
DMG 1.1 VS 1.92
KP 70% VS 85%
14min CS Diff +4 VS +6
14min Gold Diff +270 VS +400
Solo Kills 5 VS 43
“These stats include playoffs games, making Bo’s numbers naturally higher. Still, insane.”
“Although Caster has been playing extremely well too. How will they stop Bo, who’s now swinging logs instead of just lifting them?”
“Lastly, let’s review the rosters and meet the players!”
ARK
Caster, Lesser, para, Plea, KAI
DH
BON, mind, Ale, Bishop, Luke
“ARK’s Caster, Lesser, Para, Plea, Kai! DH’s Bo, Mind, Ale, Bishop, Luke!”
