[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 187

“Alright, the much-anticipated fifth set! How many of you thought we’d make it this far before it even started?!”

“Indeed. I have to apologize to the SCV fans, but honestly, many experts and fans expected SY to win this quite comfortably! But as expected from SCV, they’ve shown they have the strength to push through formidable opponents and reach the finals. It’s not over yet; both SCV and SY need to deliver their best performance!”

“Yes! Regardless of who wins today, both teams have shown incredible gameplay! I can’t wait to see who will emerge as the final victor!”

“Absolutely! Now, let’s check out the ban/pick for the highly anticipated fifth set, shall we?!”

– Malphite, they’re gonna ban him, right?

– Yeah, they banned Malphite and still won, they must be banning him.

This time, SCV is on the blue side.

In other words, SCV gets the first pick.

[Juui]

SCV’s first ban is Juui.

Well, just like SY banned Malphite, SCV respected Rainbow in their own way.

“Oh, they’ve banned Juui.”

“Given her impact in the last game, that’s understandable. In a series like this, you can’t just ignore the tier of champions.”

“Right. And Juui’s current tier isn’t exactly low either. I think it was a justifiable ban.”

– Ban on Juui? Agreed.

– To be honest, Rainbow’s Juui was pretty impressive, lol.

– Haha, if you got hit, you should ban her!

– For real, lol.

– But won’t that leave something else open?

– Hmm…

– Guess we’ll have to see.

Next up is SY’s ban phase.

[Yuumi]

“Oh, they’re banning Yuumi? That’s almost a must-ban card for the red side.”

“Yes. Following the previous patterns, I think SY finds it tricky to ban Lee Sin first. It seems they’re okay with the opponent taking him.”

“While Vendetta isn’t a player who can’t handle Lee Sin, in a way, it might be better to give him up instead of dealing with other picks.”

“Exactly!”

[Sandara]

“Now they’ve banned Rainbow’s Sandara. This follows a familiar pattern.”

“Right! Now I’m curious about SY’s choice. Will they ban Malphite or not…?”

“They probably will, right?”

“That’s definitely the expected move. SY is in a position where they don’t want to add any unnecessary variables after getting back into the game.”

“Of course! They’ve been crushed twice already! SY isn’t a team that’ll fall for the same tactic three times!”

[Lucian]

“Oh, they banned Lucian! Even though we focused on Malphite in our discussions about bans and picks, the real key was actually BlackDog’s Lucian, Nami!”

“Yes. Since SY is on the first pick, it seems like they’d rather give up Lee Sin than Lucian.”

“Now, what will SCV ban last?”

“I suspect another mid ban might come, but let’s just see for now.”

[Twisted Fate]

“Oh, they banned TF too.”

“They focused on mid so far, but hey, they still have LeBlanc available, right? I’m looking forward to what SY picks.”

“I still think they’ll ban Malphite, though…”

“Exactly. LeBlanc can still be a pain if Malphite’s around.”

Then SY’s third ban was executed.

[Malphite]

“Oh, they went ahead and banned him.”

“Looks like SY is asking if you guys have anything else prepared! Are there more cards up SCV’s sleeve?”

Finally, the bans for both teams were completed.

Though one might say that the ban phase just started, it’s a 2:2 situation, and it’s the finals.

Even before the actual game began, everyone watching held their breath.

– Daebak!

– My heart’s gonna explode.

– For real, this is pure hype, lol.

– This is the best part, for sure!

“Alright! What will SCV’s first pick be?”

[Champion selection in progress…]

At last, SCV’s first pick has been locked in.

[Aphelios]

“Yes! They’re going for an ADC first. But this gives Yoon-ki Lee Sin; is that okay?”

“Yes. Plus, LeBlanc is still available… we’ll just have to wait and see.”

[Lee Sin]

[LeBlanc]

Since Malphite is already banned, SY straightforwardly seized Lee Sin and LeBlanc in one go.

“Oh, they’re really going for it.”

“They picked Lee Sin and LeBlanc right after giving them to SCV. Is there any counterplan from SCV?”

– Seriously? They just let them have this.

– SY wins!

– Even without Malphite, they’re giving all that away?!

– Hmm…

– No matter how good BlackDog’s Aphelios is, that’s a bit much…

“Huh.”

Why does this seem so familiar?

‘Oh, well, I can’t blame myself for recognizing it.’

I kept my mouth shut; I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

The ban/pick continued.

+

[Aphelios]

[Champion selection in progress…]

[Next selection phase]

Now it’s SCV’s turn for the 2nd and 3rd picks.

If there’s something to be taken before bans, it should be taken here.

[Ruler]

“Oh, they snagged Ruler. That completes their bot lane!”

“BlackDog and WhiteCat’s Aphelios and Ruler are a real masterpiece, they’ve shown that throughout this finals.”

“Exactly! So what will their third pick be…?”

[Gwen]

“Oh, it’s Gwen! Were they preparing this? Come to think of it, King played Gwen quite well during the regular season, but many were puzzled as to why they didn’t pull her out during playoffs!”

“Seems like they’ve prepared for today. It feels that way!”

“Exactly! Now, what’s SY gonna choose next?!”

[Miss Fortune]

“Oh, they’re picking Miss Fortune!”

“Seems they thought they could be banned out if they went along this route!”

“One notable point is that neither team is picking Graves so far.”

“Definitely a bit strange. Neither team had a bad performance from Graves today.”

[Jarvan III]

“As I spoke, Jarvan is banned.”

“Yes. Among the jungle picks left, Jarvan and Xin Zhao are viable against Lee Sin, and…”

[Graves]

“Oh, SCV banned Graves. I guess they’ve seen Gwen do well against Graves often.”

[Xin Zhao]

“Xin Zhao is banned too! That leaves barely any jungle picks left, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. One thing that stands out is that SCV’s mid has yet to be revealed, but they haven’t banned any mid champions. Rainbow’s confidence is incredible!”

“Exactly! We should keep an eye on SCV’s final ban.”

[Jackson]

“Oh, they banned Jax! Gwen has an advantage against him in lane; it looks like they decided to use a ban for Top.”

“Now, THIS is where it gets truly important… what will SY pick first?”

[Rakan]

“Oh! They’re grabbing Rakan to complete the bot lane combination. Their main damage dealer might be a bit awkward now, but it feels like they’ll fill that with a top last pick.”

“And now it’s SCV’s turn to reveal mid and jungle selections. What will they bring out…?”

[Champion selection in progress…]

[Next selection phase]

Commentators and audience alike held their breath as SCV’s last pick came to light.

[Beep Beep]

[Baegah]

What the…

– ?

– Baegah?!

– What’s that?

– Are they really doing that?

– Wow, lololol.

– No way, this is crazy, lololol.

“Wait, isn’t that what Seong-an and his sister played last time?”

Once again, Kim Jae-min’s words slipped out inadvertently.

Of course, it was far too late to salvage that.

– ????


– Huh?


– Who’s Seong-an?


– Isn’t it Getback?


– Oh.


– Woah.


– Really?


– Lololol.

“Baegah!!!!”

“Wait, is this really happening here?!”

“I mean… I bet SY must be super flabbergasted right now, right?”

“Absolutely. I don’t even know what to say. It’s been ages since Baegah participated in a tournament… how long has it been?”

Then, SY made their final pick.

[Kamal]

“Uh… Kamal? Is that really correct?”

“Of course, there’s no better pick than Kamal for building a dash combo…but isn’t this a bit risky for a last pick?”

“Right. Kamal can’t really exert pressure against Gwen in lane, anyway. Regardless, what’s vital is how SY will utilize their red side advantages in that last pick. We’ll see!”

“Exactly! While I’ve said this, TheOne’s Kamal is truly an exquisite pick. A solo kill machine!”

At last, the seemingly endless ban/pick phase was completed.

+

[SCV / SY]


Top: Gwen / Kamal


Jungle: Beep Beep / Lee Sin


Mid: Baegah / LeBlanc


ADC: Aphelios / Jhin


Support: Ruler / Rakan

+

– Baegah, lololol.

– Wow, I can’t believe that just happened.

– But isn’t Baegah in a rough spot now? Wouldn’t it be better to use him as a support?

– I guess he picked it out of confidence.

– But even if SCV loses now, it would still be legendary!

– How’s the matchup between Baegah and LeBlanc?

– LeBlanc usually has the upper hand but can’t just go in recklessly as the game goes on.

– Yep. Normally, this is why LeBlanc would try to harass the enemy jungler. But with Beep Beep, I have no idea how that’ll go.

“Phew.”

I can’t help but chuckle.

I recognize this pattern.

The same pattern we used to take a set against SCV.

When our mid was comparatively weaker than SCV’s, we seized victory against them.

“Hey, how about we try this out?”

In that final moment of the finals, SCV’s form began to overlap with OLZ’s in my mind.