novelraw Chapter 193 : Perfect Scrim (2)
Chapter 193 : Perfect Scrim (2)
Perfect Scrim (2)
Mystic League North America headquarters channel.
[Right Games]
[17,000 viewers]
All the viewers gathered there couldn't help but express their amazement.
- Eclipse's swordsmanship is always mesmerizing!
- lol, a swordmaster is playing, but why is this called an amateur tournament?
- He's definitely a real knight
- If there weren't minions, the opponent would die every time they respawn, right?
The top laner, Eclipse, was living up to his reputation. With him holding his ground so firmly, the opponent didn't even have a chance to approach the tower.
- I don't get why his nickname is 'Disgraceful guy'
- Me too! He's way better than he looked on Q-tube.
- Well, I kind of get it. If I were the opponent, I'd be pissed from all that poking!
- LMFO, if he was just an MC, there's no way he'd be with Purple
The mid laner, Genome, was also showing solid skills—which was all the more apparent to viewers since they hadn't expected much from him.
What stood out most was his poking—the way he'd chip away at the opponent's stamina from afar little by little.
- The bottom duo's better than I expected, so I'm relieved
- They don't stand out, but they're very stable
- Their teamwork's so natural. They must have practiced a lot!
The bottom duo, skullkim and Bakjapcho, were also highly praised. Even though they didn't overwhelm their opponents, they steadily grew, leaving nothing to be criticized.
But above all, what drew everyone's attention was the jungle, Purple's, performance.
- OMG, another victim!
- There's no way to avoid these ganks, lol
- How many kills is that now!?
- He's picked up 21 kills by himself!
- Seeing this score really makes it feel like an amateur tournament
- I disagree. Even if Purple played in the pro scene, he'd put up a similar score!
He focused on line ganking and jungle fighting, as if to show what a real "predator" is.
He racked up kills relentlessly, both with solo kills and by working with his teammates.
- It's an environment where the opposing team just can't grow!
- The very presence of Purple broke the game's balance
- I used to think of the game as a moving scale. Teammates are the weights, and as you play, you add more.
- Damn! But Purple flipped the whole plate upside down!
- LMFO! Isn't that what they call asymmetric power?!
- Now I get what Genome meant by 'Science'.
- The team with Purple wins. Isn't that what 'Uhwooper' means?
The viewers could already predict the outcome of this scrim. Not a single person thought the other team could win after seeing Purple's performance.
- Isn't this even more impressive than Lagnel from Elephant?
- Very reasonable point
- Nah, that's not it.
- Purple's at a pro level, but the opponent really is just amateurs
- To be objective, plus Alpha's team is amateur
- Pride's a medalist, but he missed hitting Purple as the target
- He should've gone to bottom lane. That could've changed the game.
- The position change was a mistake.
With the result essentially decided, analysts started to fill up the chat.
Some viewers gave amused responses.
- That's not why Plus Alpha lost.
- Yeah, there's only one reason for their defeat
- It's because they played against PerG-Day, the team with Purple!
- lol, a very 'scientific' reason
Their jokes spread laughter through the chat.
- Will it be different in a regular match?
- The situation might change, but I think the result will be the same?
- Who knows? What if they use all 3 ban cards on Purple?
- He'd just come up with another 'Perfect-Solution,' wouldn't he?
- I don't know how it'll go, but one thing's for sure.
Everyone was happily looking forward to the next match.
- We would've regretted it if we hadn't requested a broadcast from Right Games.
Games with Lee Gyeongbok in them couldn't be missed.
* * *
The scrim match with Plus Alpha was over.
- LOL, a clean 2:0 victory
- We purged them for real
- PerG-Day's benefits are confirmed!
- Uhwooper! Uhwooper! Uhwooper!
- Keeping promises, that's just common sense, right?
- But why does it feel off when we actually bring up common sense, lol
- Ah, that's because we're marinated in 'Perfect-CommonSense.'
The result was a double win for PerG-Day's team.
There was no need for a third game. Both teams returned to the waiting room.
"Well played, everyone!"
"That was fun."
"Wow, you're all amazing."
"You flatter us."
Both teams shook hands and encouraged each other.
Pride also firmly grasped Lee Gyeongbok's hand.
"I really don't say this often, but I was genuinely impressed."
That made Lee Gyeongbok open his eyes wide, and Pride offered an embarrassed smile.
"Honestly, I thought, 'How well could streamers really use their bodies?' After all, I have pride as someone with an athletic background."
He spoke sincerely.
He'd been complacent before the match, but now his mindset had changed.
"I realized how wrong I was this time."
"No, not at all. From experience, you have remarkable physical ability as well."
Lee Gyeongbok replied humbly.
"You probably haven't met anyone like me in game so far."
But the viewers wouldn't just leave humility lying there.
-???: That's because you haven't met me yet
-???: You're great, but I'm even greater
-???: That's me, the one who's even better
- Did Purple confidence get the last hit?
- 5252, didn't the game end already, lol?
- Troopers distorting things again instantly, lol
- But honestly, they do have a point, lol
Lee Gyeongbok let out an awkward laugh at the viewers' playful distortions. Even before he commented,
"The regular matches will be different."
Pride said resolutely.
"I'll grit my teeth and prepare. Let's have a rematch."
- Wow, if looks could shoot lasers, it'd happen now
- Is this the eagle-eye thing?
- This is some real determination, lol
- With the practice athletes put in, it's going to be crazy
- Why do you think their team's called Plus Alpha, lol
- A medalist challenging a streamer, let's go!?
Lee Gyeongbok nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I'll look forward to it as well."
With that heartwarming atmosphere, the Plus Alpha team left and the broadcast ended. However, the PerG-Day members stayed in the waiting room.
"Phew, good job, everyone."
Genome let out a short breath and clapped his hands lightly.
"But the more important part is still left."
While the match itself was important, what came after was even more so.
"I'll start the feedback meeting for this scrim."
This was the time to organize both the information and gameplay feedback gained from the scrim.
Genome, though the team leader, stepped aside—he wasn't the lead for this feedback.
"Well done, everyone."
With that, Lee Gyeongbok stepped forward. Genome immediately moved to bring up the replay menu, but—
"Oh, the replay isn't necessary."
Lee Gyeongbok stopped him.
"Huh?"
"You're not going to watch the replay?"
The other four members looked at him, confused. Wasn't feedback usually given while reviewing the game?
But Lee Gyeongbok waved a hand and smiled.
"Overall, the play was fine. I'll just point out a few improvements I noticed during the match."
This explanation surprised the team even more.
"What?"
"You remembered all the feedback?"
"Wait, you were thinking about that during the game?"
"Should we really just call you Purple......"
They'd been too focused on fighting and following orders to think about anything else. But the busiest one—Lee Gyeongbok—had the time to do all that?
But instead, he looked around at them as if puzzled.
"Don't you plan the best options while calling orders? Don't you ever think, 'This could have been better'? Genome, you've made calls too, right?"
He looked to Genome, who had experience as both jungler and mid laner, seeking agreement. But the answer was just an awkward laugh.
"Yeah, maybe, but I don't keep it in my head to give feedback later. And per position? Only you can do that, Purple!"
After that, Lee Gyeongbok glanced around, but found no one agreeing.
He laughed and cleared his throat.
"Ahem, anyway, let's begin. Like I said, since everyone played great, I'll keep it short and just mention areas for improvement."
He looked first at Genome.
"Your DD play today was a bit too greedy with the poking. As you know, dD has variables because of shuffle, right?"
"That's true."
"Yes. You can just use up normal attacks from the drawn cards. But if you overuse skills, you might actually miss out on kill angles."
Genome listened intently to the feedback.
"Rather than that, use skill cards to secure CS and push your minions. Make the enemy's tower deal with them and slow down the opponent's growth."
"Ohh... I'll keep that in mind."
Genome nodded, so Lee Gyeongbok turned in the other direction.
The bottom duo, skullkim and Bakjapcho, sat up a little straighter, suddenly tense.
"You both played very stably. But Pride's position change did have some effect, you know."
"That's true."
"If Pride goes back to bottom in a regular match, it won't go like today. So you might want to adjust your item builds."
"Items?"
"Yes. Switch from pure damage to more of a bruiser build. Don't get greedy for kills, and focus more on survival. If you just keep things balanced, that's enough for the bottom role."
Both of them nodded instantly. It was exactly what they'd wanted to hear.
'If we die needlessly, we'll get flamed like crazy—what a relief.'
'As long as we don't empower the enemy, we'll be fine.'
Unlike the others, they didn't have a large fanbase, which meant fewer people would defend them if they made mistakes.
But if they followed Lee Gyeongbok's feedback, they could feel less pressure.
"Lastly, ecl."
As it was Eclipse's turn, he and the rest of the team relaxed.
Would there even be any feedback for him?
He'd been so outstanding this game, everyone thought as much.
"You were flawless in lane. There's nothing more to say."
Lee Gyeongbok acknowledged it.
But he was talking about areas for improvement, not weaknesses.
"But your mid-to-late game play could use a bit of work."
"In what way?"
Eclipse asked seriously. The others listened closely.
"When you take the opponent's tower, your area of activity widens. Sometimes, even if the second tower's still up, you'll need to roam."
"By roaming... you mean leaving your lane to play elsewhere, right?"
Eclipse recalled the term from his tournament studies.
"Yes, exactly. For example, when I'm at bot, sometimes you'll need to support mid line or disrupt the opponent's jungling. Syncing up with the mid laner could even open up kill angles."
No matter how skilled he was, Lee Gyeongbok only had one body. If he was helping one lane, there'd be a delay before he could help the others.
"I'll tell you the timings when needed, of course. But if you get used to the feel for it now, you'll react even faster. That time gap can make all the difference in a kill angle."
Reacting to instructions and moving on your own are different—even the same action, the latter is faster.
For an average person, the difference might seem trivial, but in the territory of experts, it wasn't something to ignore.
"Mm! Got it. I'll work on that further."
Eclipse nodded with a happy exclamation. He was glad to have new directions to improve.
"Great. Thank you all for following orders so well today."
Lee Gyeongbok finished the feedback with a smile. But the day wasn't over yet.
"Should we jump into a practice game right away?"
With the scrim over, there was still time. The team got ready for another match.
* * *
Meanwhile, PerG-Day wasn't the only team in meetings.
"Wow, they're better than I expected."
"They really are good..."
Another group in Group A, lattePro, was also sharing scrim feedback.
"I thought athletes would have poor game sense."
"Even making playoffs won't be easy..."
They briefly shared impressions of Plus Alpha's performance.
But the real discussion was yet to come.
"I still think we can beat Plus Alpha."
"PerG-Day's the issue."
"How are they so good?"
"Especially those two, it hasn't even been long since they started Mystic League..."
PerG-Day's performance was outstanding enough to make the others wary.
And most of all, what stayed in everyone's minds was—
"Lagnel wasn't even played before, right?"
"Did Elephant help them out?"
"Makes sense if you look at the opening match interview."
"Maybe Purple helped Elephant, and Elephant taught him his know-how instead."
Purple's Lagnel play.
"Don't assume they're amateurs."
The team leader, caffeine, spoke up after quietly listening.
"You all saw the scrim—they're basically semi-professionals, same as us."
The team nodded. No one was going to underestimate PerG-Day as amateurs anymore.
"Um, Team Leader."
LattePro's jungler raised a hand. Caffeine nodded for him to speak.
"How should we use our ban cards next scrim? Shouldn't we use all three?"
"Yami, barzan, lagnel. Just ban them all?"
Caffeine's expression turned grave.
He let out a short breath and looked at the others.
"Seems you all think that way."
He could understand.
Purple's performance was violent enough for it. But that wasn't pro-level judgment.
"Normally that's what you'd do. But that's not the best play."
"Then...?"
"If we use all three bans on Purple, what will the opponent think?"
The others thought about it.
Caffeine didn't wait for an answer.
"PerG-Day will know we're targeting Purple. So? They'll prepare for that, too."
"Prepare... a 4th champion?"
"Exactly. Purple will learn a fourth champion during the remaining practice period."
The team started to murmur.
"But how could he in such a short time..."
"Purple hasn't even been in Mystic League that long, right?"
Caffeine shook his head.
"Then what about the Lagnel he just showed us? Did he look like someone who practiced that champion all the time? He's already proved he can pick up a new champion in a short time!"
The team fell silent.
There was proof, after all—no room for argument.
"Our next match is a scrim, not a regular one. There's no need to give the opponent more cards. Instead, we need to reveal what the rest of PerG-Day has prepared."
Caffeine summarized.
Focusing only on Purple would gain them nothing.
"Purple's undeniably a genius. But even he has his limits."
As a former pro gamer, he'd been through countless scrims.
"The essence of a scrim is information-gathering. It's fine to lose. Data is the priority. As long as we don't let Purple blow up the game, that's enough."
Caffeine stressed this to his team.
"We'll win the regular match based on that data."
That Mystic League wasn't about pure physical skills alone.
* * *
PerG-Day finished their own practice.
"Let's call it a day."
"Great job, everyone!"
"Good work!"
The teammates began to log off one by one.
Before leaving himself, Genome spoke to Lee Gyeongbok.
"The next scrim will be even harder, right?"
"Well, probably."
Lee Gyeongbok shrugged.
"LattePro will have been watching and will prepare counters."
"Yeah, then they'll prep for Lagnel too."
Genome nodded and gave a wry smile.
"That's how it should be, honestly."
"Otherwise, the smokescreen wasn't worth it."
Lee Gyeongbok smiled back.
Genome clicked his tongue.
"Seriously, I've thought this every time—but how do you play Lagnel so well without even practicing?"
Thanks to divine energy, he'd acquired Elephant's know-how and didn't need to practice Lagnel separately.
"Gotta save the trump cards for when it matters most."
What he'd prepared for the tournament was something else.