Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.16 Ch.34: The Fear of Confronting AbsoluteWinner

"Weeeeelp." Luke chuckled nervously. "This wasn't part of the plan. Are you guys seeing this shit?"

"I sure do." Yuel knotted his brows. This is a strong check. I didn't expect a play like this.

He simulated many different scenarios in his head for the upcoming gank. Yuel thoroughly considered what will happen if Winner doesn't show up, what if he intercepts Luke on the enemy side of the jungle, or what if he joins the fight later.

Yuel went through all the most likely scenarios and advised Luke about effective countermeasures for all of them. Yet, despite all these preparations, they ended up running into one scenario that Yuel didn't anticipate.

I was naive. Yuel thought. Our play was too predictable, so of course, they also had plenty of time to consider all the possible answers. On top of that, it seems that Cato isn't the only tactician I have to worry about in that team. I better remember that.

In Stratus, Yuel was the one who issued the vast majority of tactical orders. His teammates were competent enough to make their own decisions on the lane and in the jungle, but when it came to rotating and teaming up - Yuel was always involved in the decision-making process. He either came up with the entire play or at least optimized it with some tips.

Generally, the same applied to the Leopards as well. There, Cato was the one who seemed to decide most of his teammates' plays. That was easy to tell because many of the Leopards' plays were very defensive, in an obnoxious way that strongly reminded of Cato's chess playstyle.

With that in mind, it was a little easier to predict what the Leopards' players will and will not do. Yuel merely had to ask himself "What would Cato do here?" and then plan his moves around the answer. For the most part, that approach had been working today.

However, Winner's unexpected arrival on Stratus' side of the jungle shattered this methodology. This was an aggressive play, very much unlike Cato's usual tactics. It was very hard to believe that Cato was the one who came up with it, let alone proved it.

In fact, I'm almost willing to bet money that it wasn't his idea. Yuel thought. It's most likely something Winner decided to do on his own. I've actually seen a few examples of such behavior in the previous scrims.

When Winner wasn't chained to a specific lane, he was like a roaming samurai who sought fights and kills. That definitely didn't sound like a role Cato would assign to any of his chess pieces.

I suspect Cato gives Winner free reins as a Jungler. And, it sure pays off.

In this game, the strategic aspect was no longer just a chess match between Yuel and Cato. There was also Winner who had his own ideas. He was essentially a rogue chess piece that operated outside the confines of Cato's tactics.

So, I have to make plays that outsmart both of them together. Yuel's job had just gotten infinitely harder. It would be ideal if we can win this game and make them go back to the previous formation, but the chances of that happening are slipping away by the moment...

Anyway, back on topic: how was Luke going to deal with Winner's unexpected interception? As the shot-caller who advocated this whole plan, Yuel was the one obligated to answer that difficult question.

"Luke, retreat."

"Say WHAT?" Luke's jaw dropped. "Dude, I'm literally here to get some food because I'm starving. I can't just turn around and leave! This is my big chance to get some meat!"

"Yes, you had a chance, until the enemy killed it with this intercept. You won't get past him."

"Yeah, it doesn't seem like I will." Luke tried his best to find an opening for maneuvering around the enemy Viking, but there were none. Winner matched all his movements perfectly to guarantee that the path ahead was sealed. The only way through was over Winner's dead body, basically.