[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 289

– One, two, three. Go SY!!!!!

– One, two, three. Go MAX!

The cheers from the fans resonated through the broadcast.

『“SY and MAX, MAX and SY. The long-awaited best-of-five! Let’s get started!”』

『“First of all, regarding Baegah’s pick, he’s definitely being rated highly against Twisted Fate. Above all, he excels at creating variables with his E skill.”』

『“Yes. And should I say, it’s the current trend? At mid to late game, the horizon skill shines as a significant advantage during poke fights! Baegah’s unique growth aligns well with the current meta.”』

In short, due to the patch changes with the crab, there was no need for early skirmishes in mid, similar to the recent context of weaker picks like Kuroki and Viktor coming out early.

“Who do you think will win?”

Seo Yeon-woo asked whom I was cheering for, but Baek Seong-an wanted to know my prediction.

For a moment, I assessed the combinations.

Of course, the conclusion was clear.

“Guess we’ll find out.”

“Right.”

Ban/Pick, combinations, players, teams.


Everything is important, but in the end, Legends of League is a game where you only know the result by playing it.

However, there was still something I could say.

“Um… I’m for SY.”

“Why?”

“Because SY usually wins in situations like this.”

SY is strong in crises.


Of course, one could argue whether this moment truly counts as a crisis for SY, but then again, it was a fact that just a moment ago they had been on the defensive.

『“For now… MAX has warded the red side.”』

Did both teams play it cautiously?


The early invade phase went smoothly without any incidents.


Both teams were wary of facing unexpected variables at such a crucial game.

Still, it could be said that MAX, having a more unfavorable invade composition, was a little more cautious, so SY gained a slight advantage in the early vision phase.

『“The emergence of Tahm Kench might be due to the support pick being cut off, but… I can’t help but wonder if SY anticipated Baegah’s pick? Baegah often gets one-shot when caught by the same champion, but having Tahm Kench can somewhat mitigate that.”』

『“Yes. Tahm Kench actually has Cleanse as well. Considering MAX’s bot combo, it seems like they’re openly intending to save Baegah if he gets caught.”』

『“But the issue is really in the laning phase… We have to watch. Tahm Kench isn’t exactly a weak pick in lane.”』

『“Yes. Especially when used solo at top, it was considered a king of sorts!”』

『“Haha! That’s right.”』

– Minions have spawned!

The laning phase officially began.


If someone asked which lane was the core right now, it’d be hard to answer easily.


That’s how crucial every lane was in this game.

‘First, both are starting with red buff.’

It could be seen as a similar route, but there was actually one key difference.

‘This means Jarvan can’t gank at level 2 early.’

On one hand, it could be considered giving up one of Jarvan’s greatest strengths, but on the other, it signifies that MAX desires a smooth start.

The pick of Baegah is a champion that truly shines after at least 15 minutes, thus making their tempo slower.

I observed the jungle routes.


Lee Sin headed straight for Red-Razorbeak, likely thinking of the 5-camp crab route, while Jarvan went for Blue-Gromp, still taking a standard full camp route.

‘Both headed to top.’

One of the game’s points was whether Graves would break through Gragas, making it a reasonable route.

As expected, both teams’ junglers headed towards top first.

『“It seems both are focusing on top right now?”』

『“Lee Sin is a bit faster, but… let’s see?”』

The current situation at top was that Graves was pressuring the lane.


It was a gank opportunity, but conversely, it was also an obvious counter-gank opportunity.


At the same time, a dive could be expected.

Maybe that’s why even though both teams’ junglers arrived at top, none made a hasty appearance.

『“They’re aware of each other right now.”』

『“Yeah, they seem to be feeling each other out.”』

Given the obvious opportunity, professional players can’t possibly not be aware of the opposing jungler’s presence.


Simply by observing the movements of the enemy top laner, it all becomes clear.

『“Now!”』

Waiting for the moment, Jarvan III began to narrow the angle toward Graves, signaling the start of the real confrontation.


At present, Lee Sin was hiding in the mid bush of the top three bushes.

『“Oh, the flag revealed Lee Sin’s position!”』

Thanks to Jarvan’s cautious movements, no kills were exchanged.


The initial top engagement ended with both sides exchanging spells, leading to just a minor hiccup.

『“That was truly a nail-biting scene. It was so precarious…”』

『“Even so, doesn’t it seem that SY, who can keep pressuring top, has gained a bit of an advantage? After all, if both junglers’ turns run out, it’ll be easier for Graves.”』

From there, the early laning phase flowed into a stable farming rhythm.


The variable occurred when Twisted Fate reached level 6, one step ahead of Baegah.

[Twisted Fate – Level 6]

[Baegah – Level 5]

As soon as Rainbow’s Twisted Fate hit level 6, he used his ultimate to go for a gank on the bot lane.

『“Oh no, Baegah must’ve fallen behind in experience because he went back home?”』

『“Yes! And it seems MAX has also missed the level 6 timing of TF!”』

Just a few minions difference.


But that little difference created a misalignment in the level 6 timing calls.

『“Ah, it seems MAX intended to push this lane and then call for a return timing…!”』

Being ahead by a step meant that MAX’s bot lane’s return timing was also thrown off.


Naturally, the already pushing MAX bot lane was caught from behind by Rainbow’s Twisted Fate.

– First Blood!

– Enemy eliminated!

The combo of Twisted Fate’s gold card and Tahm Kench’s W sealed the deal.


Unable to react, MAX’s bot lane was taken down neatly without any chance for resistance.

– Enemy eliminated!

『“Rainboooow!!!”』

『“A tiny difference turned into a massive snowball!”』

『“It truly is Rainbow! He’s back!!!”』

“Wow, that was impressive.”


“If it were any other opponent than Baegah, they might’ve secured a solo kill going smoothly, but that was brilliant.”


“Agreed.”

A crack began to appear in the tense game.


A somewhat significant crack.

The next battlefield was the Rift Herald.


Due to Rainbow’s roaming, with Tahm Kench pushing the bot lane, MAX had to be wary of a 3:4 situation and couldn’t contest the Herald.

If they were to get caught by Twisted Fate’s gold card, they could be instantly eliminated.

– The blue team has slain the Rift Herald!

Give and take.


However, MAX aggressively pushed the bot lane to maintain pressure.


They decided to give up the Herald but aimed to claw at the bot turret’s defenses.

But…

『“Oh, GuineaPig made a smart play, didn’t he? He pretended to head for the Herald and was actually hiding!”』

GuineaPig’s clever play nullified that plan.


No, SY’s turn didn’t end there.

『“Huh? No way…”』

GuineaPig’s Tahm Kench charged in first with his W.


Due to Tahm Kench’s resistance, no matter how much Jhin Karuma hit, he couldn’t take him down in one turn, so Karuma got caught by Tahm Kench.

And, before long, the Twisted Fate who had just returned home rushed straight down the lane with his ultimate activated.

『“Oh, this! This!”』

『“SY is not messing around! They’re pushing MAX like a storm!”』

– Enemy eliminated!

– Double Kill!

Ezreal’s double kill.


For MAX, it was the moment when the game felt like a death sentence.

From that point, there was no turning back.

The timing for the second Rift Herald was crucial.


A well-farmed Baegah attempted to catch Twisted Fate with a gold card, but Tahm Kench, adjacent, simply ate him, making an effortless save.

Of course, strictly speaking, it was different from before, as Tahm Kench’s eating ability switched to ultimate, making it usable only once, but in the current situation, that one time was enough.

The cooldown was long for Baegah’s incident horizon as well.

『“Ah, ahh…!”』

『“The anticipated scene has emerged. Baegah has grown decently, but what can he do?”』

It was the moment when all hope crumbled.

.

.

.

Summing up the rest of the match was simple.


MAX occasionally retaliated and sometimes posed a threat, but ultimately, they couldn’t surpass SY.

Graves, continually pressuring the sidelines, was effectively invincible with the Destroyer build, and Baegah’s variables were pre-emptively blocked by Tahm Kench.

Soon enough, the victor of the game was determined.

[Victory]

It was a win for SY.

『“And that’s how it ends!”』

『“GG!”』

『“Thus, SY has claimed the throne of summer!”』

“Wow, they won with a record of LWLWWW.”


“Right?”


“SY really did play well.”

After the match ended, team members began to get up one by one.


It seems they enjoyed the match up till the end, but weren’t keen on watching the subsequent interviews.

“Are you going to keep watching, sister?”


“Uh, yeah.”

Yet, I felt a strange urge to watch until the end, so I kept an eye on the winner’s interview.

The interview was generally normal.


At least until Rainbow’s turn came.

[“In the past, there was someone who supported me when I was struggling. I have some words for that person.”]

[“Yeah, what is it?”]

Rainbow’s gaze was fixed forward.


It felt almost as if he was looking right at me.

[“I will be waiting for you at the top. That’s all.”]

“…What does that mean?”


Baek Seong-an exclaimed in bewilderment, but somehow, I felt like I knew what it was.


That was a declaration of war.

「“Drink this.”」


「“Yeah?”」


「“You look dehydrated.”」

A declaration of war directed straight at me.

‘…He remembers that.’


A strange feeling welled up in me, but for some reason, my heart raced.


I want to play the game.


Right now.

“Wasn’t there scrims today?”


“Uh, you told me not to schedule them.”


“Let’s do it right now. Scrim.”