[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 271

Our first match day of Round 2 was approaching.

Today’s opponent is FFF.

We’ve already beaten them once, but that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. A lot has changed with this patch.

“As you all know, the bottom lane match-up will be more crucial than ever from here on out.”

“Don’t worry, we’re going to stomp them anyway.”

“Here we go again.”

Kim Ji-hoon said.

“But FFF is a team that usually generates variables, so I think they’ll be significantly impacted by this Teleport patch.”

“I think so too….”

As Kim Ji-hoon said, FFF is a strong team, ranked 2nd in Challengers Korea, known for their brutal throwing-style plays. It’s impressive that they’ve maintained 2nd place despite their risky tactics, but the important thing is that FFF isn’t actually that strong at the bot lane.

“FFF’s previous strategy was for ADC Velotia to survive as long as possible while the supporter buys time to roam. But now… we can’t just let that happen.”

Once upon a time, the meta favored an ADC soloing on the bot while the supporter focused on the top side. Of course, the current meta favors a roaming supporter too, but the problem is that you absolutely must win the bottom lane match-up for that to work.

If a supporter roams without winning the lane, it’s practically the same as abandoning bot altogether.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s roll.”

We headed to the arena.

For today’s match.

-Wooooo!


-OLZ! OLZ! OLZ!


-Outlaw fighting!


-Honor fighting!

A thunderous cheer welcomed us.

*

『“Alright, everyone has been waiting for this day! The teams have finally arrived! OLZ vs FFF, FFF vs OLZ! Who will be the winner today?!”』


『“Since this is both teams’ first match in the 2nd Round, it’s crucial to see which team finds the so-called sweet picks first and interprets the meta quickly.”』


『“Yes! Considering the 2nd Round just started, there could be unexpected results based on each team’s interpretations.”』


『“That’s right. What kind of team is FFF? They won’t just sit back and take this! They’ve got to give those newcomers a lesson!”』

-Teach them a lesson?


-Madman is crossing the line.


-That’s a bit…


-Lol.

The commentary team faced some harsh reactions from OLZ’s thick fanbase. Of course, where there are fans, there are critics. Especially for a team like OLZ, which formed a massive fandom in a short period, there were vehement opposing views.

-Can’t the commentator say at least that much?


-Lol, OLZ fans need to chill.


-To be honest, I was an Outlaw fan, but because of those guys, OLZ isn’t appealing anymore, honestly.


-Lol.


-Seriously, if OLZ gets to the top, they’ll have the worst fandom in history, haha.

While wars broke out in the chat, the ban/pick phase began in earnest.

OLZ was on the blue side.

FFF was on the red side.

-Oh.


-Ban/pick has started.


-Get rid of all the fighting players, dammit.

Naturally, the chat crowd was mainly made up of pure fans wanting to watch the match, so both OLZ’s fierce supporters and detractors soon faced chat bans.

『“Alright, the ban/pick phase has begun!”』

[Tryndamere]

OLZ’s first ban was Tryndamere.

『“Oh, this is how it’s going.”』


『“Yes, it seems like with the devastating speed rune patch and the recent popularity, Tryndamere was a smart pick to ban.”』

Then it was FFF’s turn to ban.

[Lee Sin]

『“Uh… it seems like they want to cut out the jungle options? But many insiders believe targeting Outlaw’s champion pool is not very meaningful… Still, it looks like FFF thinks otherwise?”』


『“Yes. From another perspective, it could be viewed as not wanting to give Outlaw Lee Sin, no matter what.”』


『“Indeed! Outlaw’s Lee Sin is currently undefeated. Undefeated! Of course, they would want to remove that.”』


『“Well, you could say that for any champion…”』


『“That just shows how good he is, doesn’t it? Hahaha!”』

As the commentators chattered, both teams’ bans were quickly concluded.

+

[Ban List]

Tryndamere / Lee Sin

Viktor / Diana

Renekton / Twisted Fate

+

『“It seems like FFF has targeted picks that Outlaw can carry with. They probably banned Twisted Fate thinking he could provide strong jungle synergy with ganks and roams.”』


『“Yes, that’s right. I’m a bit surprised OLZ banned Renekton. Considering their previous top-focused style, I thought they might prioritize picking him or use him to bait out bans.”』


『“Now, let’s see what OLZ chooses for their first pick…”』

Everyone’s attention was focused, and OLZ revealed their pick.

[Karuma]

『“Ah, as expected! It seems there’s a rumor going around that Karuma’s tier has risen significantly!”』


『“Absolutely! With the Teleport patch making bot lane more important than ever, there aren’t many versatile picks like Karuma which can also swap lanes. He shines in lane and is great for roaming. He is a champion that can do it all!”』


『“Currently, there are combos like Caitlyn and Lux or Jhin and Yuumi in the bot lane, but no matter what, the combo with Karuma is the strongest!”』

-Good good.


-Outlaw, the god of bans and picks.


-But can Protein play Karuma? He seems to barely play him in Solo Queue.


-They probably practiced that in scrims.


-Besides, Karuma is an old pick, so if Protein is a bit rusty, his proficiency shouldn’t be a huge issue.


-True, true.

OLZ chose Karuma first.

A strong blue side first pick situation was illuminated. Or perhaps, FFF was still not completely organized on Karuma’s tier.

[Caitlyn]


[Lux]

『“Ah, this is how it is.”』


『“We’ll give you Karuma. But we’re taking Caitlyn! That’s the gist of it.”』


『“And now Yuumi is free… I wonder if OLZ might consider rotating Karuma to mid and grabbing Yuumi in this ban/pick phase. Although recently, it seems Karuma is mostly played as a supporter…”』


『“Whatever it is, we’ll find out as we go!”』


『“Exactly!”』

-Hmm…


-Not bad.


-Just picking Jhin or Yuumi seems better, doesn’t it? FFF’s bot lane is pretty weak.


-True, lol.


-They must have some sort of plan.


-They’re professionals; they’ll handle it.

And then…

The ban/pick phase concluded.

+

[OLZ / FFF]


Top: Gragas / Gwen

Jungle: Xin Zhao / Jarvan III

Mid: Kuroki / Akali

ADC: Jinx / Caitlyn

Support: Karuma / Lux

+

『“The bot lane setup… seems quite intense, right?”』


『“Yes. Even if Gwen of Ogis is here, it won’t be easy to break through Honor’s Gragas, and in the mid lane, neither Kuroki nor Akali are early-game powerhouse champions, so the bottom lane match-up seems more crucial than ever!”』


『“In fact, FFF’s bot lane hasn’t been rated very highly up to now. But in this meta, they’ll have to prove themselves against OLZ’s bot lane!”』


『“That’s right! No matter how flashy the OLZ newcomers are, FFF is a heavy-duty contender in Challengers Korea, and they need to step up!”』


『“Alright, let’s begin the match!”』

*

The game officially started.

-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!

“Let’s go, everyone.”


[“Let’s do our best.”]


[“Fighting!”]


[“Carry us!”]


“Please make it happen.”

Casual chatter flew around.

The early invade phase passed without any incidents. It seemed both sides were feeling the pressure because of picks like Lux on the enemy team and Gragas or Karuma on our side.

“Don’t leash.”


[“That’s what I was planning.”]


“Are you just going to do it?”


[“Sorry.”]

As the laning phase began smoothly, I focused on the bottom lane. The flow there could completely dictate my movements.

Just as the minions were about to arrive.

Flash!

The enemy Lux, hidden in the bush, went for an aggressive flash forward to land her Q.

FFF’s bot lane was going for a gamble.

However, Kim Jae-min’s quick reflexes made him dodge Lux’s Q incoming right in front of him with a Flash.

[“Not gonna work.”]


[“Start with Lux.”]

With Kim Ji-hoon’s calm response, Lux was soon isolated after using her flash.

Kim Ji-hoon’s Karuma swiftly used W and connected with Lux, who was now without a flash.

Even though Caitlyn healed, there was no way Lux could escape with Ignite already placed on her.

-First Blood!


-Enemy defeated!

A level 1 kill before the minions arrived.

It was clear what this meant.

“Nice!”


[“Yeah, what’s a Jaem-min anyway!”]

Our bot lane crushed FFF’s.