novelraw Chapter 197 : Everyone Has a Plan (1)
Chapter 197 : Everyone Has a Plan (1)
Everyone Has a Plan (1)
The strategy and tactics in the Mystic League are determined by many factors. Player skill, item builds, buff timings—there are a lot of variables, but the core is always the same.
Champions. Everything in the Mystic League begins with the entities that stand on the battlefield.
"Now, both teams have finished their ban-pick phase!"
That's why champion selection, as well as champion bans, are decisive factors that can determine the outcome of the game.
The analysts immediately began discussing both teams' choices.
"Plus Alpha's ban-pick? Very solid, I'd say."
"Yes. They banned Yami, lagnel, and DD! That's a very smart strategic move."
"That must be the influence of the scrim matches, right?"
The analysts on both sides nodded in response to the caster's question.
"In the first scrim, plus Alpha failed in their predictions. But in the scrim against LattePro, there was a position swap! Their attempts to counter that weren't wrong at all."
"Yes, exactly. Of those three, banning DD is a stroke of genius. If DD is banned, even if they do a position swap, Purple will have to choose an unfamiliar mid champion, which is unnecessary."
"Exactly. If we go by value, Purple's Barzan or Perfazan, which are still available, are definitely better picks than Genome's Shaka."
They were guiding Lee Gyeongbok to pick Barzan.
Plus Alpha's strategy was indeed quite blatant.
"If you had to pick from Purple's three champions, of course, barzan! The other two are just way too aggressive."
"That's right. Using all three ban cards on one player is a real gamble. Their idea is to force Perfazan, the safer pick, and bring out Genome's sub-champion in mid. It's the best possible play for Plus Alpha!"
"Exactly, you can really see Plus Alpha's deliberation in this ban-pick! Let's now take a look at PerG-Day's ban-pick!"
Caster Wanggeom quickly moved on.
Unlike in scrims, the official tournament had strict time limits for both ban and champion pick phases.
This time wasn't just for players to think things through, it was also so the viewers could get commentary and analysis.
Making sure neither side's perspective dominated was his job.
"Zen, k, and Orian have been chosen. What do you think of this ban-pick?"
"It's not much different from the scrims. In other words, it's safe and stable."
"That's right. With Pride being targeted and the last DD being banned, both sides will have to reveal their mid laner's sub-champion."
"So, midlane balance has been achieved. But in the scrim, pride played as jungler, right? Brave is open right now!"
In the scrims, pride did a position swap to jungler. But instead of countering that, PerG-Day decided to target the opposition's midlaner.
"This must be the famous 'Purple confidence'. Because Plus Alpha left only Barzan open and basically dared them. You can't not take it."
"Right. Bring it on as a jungler if you want! That's exactly the kind of stance it is. And Purple is not someone to shrink from that kind of challenge."
"Ah, so we see that 'Purple confidence' shine through again here."
The viewers burst into laughter at the analyst's words.
― Purple confidence is the core ㅋㅋㅋ"
― They just went ahead and taunted like that, huh"
― ???: Are you that good at fighting? Then meet me on the rooftop!"
― What is this, mystic street horrors ㅋㅋㅋ"
― Good at fighting? Yes I am. / Come on, I'll follow you!"
― Ah ㅋㅋㅋ even if you tell that guy not to, he'll go anyway!"
― That's called 'ganking' for you."
In the meantime, champion selection time ended. Wanggeom and the analysts fixed their eyes on the screen.
"All right, both teams' champions have been revealed!"
"As expected! Purple has picked Barzan!"
"Genome's sub-champion is Hellfire, brandon! Not a bad pick. He's a pretty decent champion."
― Hail the king's return! Hail the king's return!"
― The only true king is Perfazan! Only Perfazan!"
― All us Purple viewers have joined the knight order."
― Heir to the throne? Is this a sign that CrazySmurf will win?"
― Even here, there's evidence of Uhwooper?"
― As always, science is about having evidence"
― The chat filled with onomatopoeias and memes as the viewers enjoyed the moment.
While the viewers were having fun, the screen shifted to the other side.
"Oh? Pride has picked Lucid!"
"Pride has returned to bottom carry! Now the match is totally different from the scrims!"
"This is how it should be. If it was the same as the scrims, there would be no point in the main match!"
"Exactly! We'll see how this turns out—both teams are now entering the game!"
Seeing the screen change, wanggeom gave his commentary.
As the match properly began, the players scattered out.
"Ah, both sides are heading to their lanes? Looks like no plans to invade?"
"They're wary of jungle steals. They're sticking together so they can always fall back to lane as needed."
"Yeah, plus Alpha needs to avoid early teamfights. Purple's banner buff and CC are extremely strong in teamfights!"
Wanggeom tilted his head in thought.
"So this means PerG-Day has the advantage if they teamfight early. Why didn't they try to invade?"
"Since they went straight to lanes, maybe they are aiming for something else."
"Normally, the purpose of invading is to cut off the enemy jungler, right? Maybe they think with Purple, they can handle any jungle skirmish! That's some serious confidence."
The chat filled with 'ㅇㅈ' and 'ㄹㅇㅋㅋ', agreeing wholeheartedly.
"All right, let's follow Purple's movements!"
With Wanggeom's cue, the screen switched.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Lee Gyeongbok was diligently farming creeps.
"Ah! Purple is clearing creeps at incredible speed!"
"He's jungling by the book. Since it's the main match, he can't afford to take risks!"
"Because Purple often shows such wild plays, this seems even more unfamiliar coming from him. Still, a tournament is a tournament... Wait!?"
Wanggeom abruptly raised his voice mid-commentary.
"Huh? What's this!? Purple suddenly starts running!?"
"Jungle steal? Is he going for a jungle invade again!?"
"No, they already decided not to invade. That was already scouted earlier!"
As the minions spawned from both bases, his actions changed. Analysts and viewers alike expected him to head for the enemy jungle.
But they were wrong.
"Eh!? Wait, he's suddenly heading to the bottom lane!?"
"Going for Pride!? Early ganking attempt? Is this really what Purple is doing!?"
"It's different from the scrims! Pride has his support partner and the tower—it's not going to be easy!"
"Did they practice this bottom duo collaboration? But wait, there's a ward! If he goes, he'll be spotted!"
Pride had already placed a ward in preparation for a gank. Sure enough, their positions were revealed and both he and his support pulled back toward the tower.
"Ah, if this happens, it's just a waste of time. And Pride even secured CS safely."
"Something's off. Purple wouldn't make such a rookie mistake, would he? Previously, the bottom duo acted as bait."
"Is Purple nervous because it's the main event?"
The analysts exchanged voices with a hint of disappointment. But soon, they had to raise their voices anew.
"Huh? What's going on!? Purple isn't stopping!"
"The gank already got spotted! What's he thinking!?"
"Surely he's not going to steal his own ally's CS? That'd be self-sabotage!"
Lee Gyeongbok entered the bottom lane. Minions clashed and bullets flew between the bottom duos—then he planted his flag in the midst of it.
And with that, everyone witnessed Lee Gyeongbok's scheme.
"Wooooooooooooooow!"
"What is thisssssssssss!"
"What am I even watching right now!?"
This wasn't forced excitement; this was genuine astonishment, the analysts' voices quivering, and the viewers screaming in text.
― Hahahaha what the heck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
― (Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)"
― Is this Mystic? Is this even the game I know?"
― Legend again! Legend again! Legend again!"
― Logic: Utter disaster incoming"
What Lee Gyeongbok did wasn't even that complex.
He simply deflected the attacks flying at his own allied minions... with his spear.
But the result was enormous.
"Now! Purple is blocking Pride from getting CS! I've never imagined someone would try this!"
"In all the games I've commentated, I guarantee this is the first time I've seen a play like this!"
"Meanwhile, PerG-Day's bottom duo is steadily clearing minions and collecting CS! You win, they lose! This is a classic double-standard approach!"
― Double standard, insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
― Dude! This is how Black Company harasses competitors!"
― Wow, if I were Pride, my mental would be shattered."
― For real, if it wasn't a broadcast, I'd start cursing right away"
― Why, does this actually work?"
― Can you really do this? (X) Nobody's done it until now (O)"
― Even Ecl can't pull this off ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
― Ecl only does it standing still—never by moving around"
― Only Godple could actually do this ㅋㅋㅋ"
The analysts and the viewers were all fired up, but things didn't continue to go perfectly.
"Ah, the minion wave is advancing and entering the tower range!"
"Purple! He can block bullets but not cannon shots! But even while taking turret hits, he's still denying the CS!"
"Stamina! He has to manage his stamina! If he dies, it's a net loss! He has to back off!"
He could deflect Pride's attacks, but not the turret's.
As Purple's stamina gauge dropped, pride and his support eyed the kill opportunity hungrily.
"Aah! Bakjapcho joins in!"
"He's not hesitating to use his skill! He heals Purple right on the spot!"
"Going by value, it's better spent on Purple than Skullkim! A very smart play!"
"PerG-Day! They weren't preparing for counter-jungling, but 'counter-Pride'! It's working perfectly!"
Bakjapcho's heal restored Purple's lost stamina. The viewers cheered in the chat.
― Wow, the minions just got mowed down by the tower, huh?"
― Dang ㅋㅋㅋㅋ seriously denying Pride all CS"
― The snowball difference is going to be nuts, right?"
― For real ㅋㅋㅋ he's completely cut off the income stream ㅋㅋㅋ"
― Choking out the competition—That's Black Company's way!"
The commentators' analysis echoed the viewers' reactions, but as pros, they were looking further ahead.
"Wow! Pride finally retreats!"
"The plan worked perfectly. But at the same time, Purple couldn't grow either!"
"That's right. Skullkim and Bakjapcho got plenty of CS, but Purple didn't get much gold! Meanwhile, the enemy jungler is scaling up fast!"
"Right! By staying in bottom, Purple did a lot of active jungling!"
"This creates what's called a 'jungle gap'! The harass succeeded, but he also self-denied in the process!"
Despite raising their voices, the analysts kept a calm perspective. That's why they were called experts.
Hence, they evaluated the situation as follows:
"But that only applies to 'ordinary' players! Purple is different! PerG-Day's in a very favorable position now!"
"Exactly! Who is Purple? Judging from the stunts he pulled in bottom lane, you can immediately tell—the perfected jungler, the 'perfect jungler'! For him this kind of gap means nothing!"
Only ordinary players needed to outscale.
Lee Gyeongbok's foundation was that very skill—so for him, even the 'jungle gap' now favored PerG-Day.
To rebalance things, the enemy jungler would need even more resources.
"Wow, what an unprecedented and shocking strategy! But because it worked, PerG-Day is now seizing the momentum!"
PerG-Day was the obvious favorite now.
* * *
There were no upsets.
Group A's first match ended with PerG-Day winning twice in a row.
Overseas viewers watching the stream were full of praise.
― Craziest game I've ever seen in my life!"
― lol, 'crazy' isn't even right, it's 'perfect'!"
― Either way, both words fit"
― You'd never see this even in the pro leagues"
― Right! This is exactly why we have amateur tournaments!"
― The irony is, this is only possible because there are so few key players, or just one, as in this case."
― Unconventional play! That's why these tournaments exist!"
― I doubt you'd see this kind of play in any other amateur event lmao"
― Agreed. Other than Purple, nobody else could pull this off."
― Damn, don't know if I'll last until the membership video gets uploaded."
The chat was festive, but it didn't last long.
― WTF? Why is Group B's match starting?"
― Wait, wasn't today supposed to be just Group A's matches?"
― I don't even know any teams outside Group A"
As soon as Group A's first match ended, group B's first match began.
― Don't tell me they do one match per group at a time?"
― Is it over for today then?"
― No way! I've only had two beers so far."
― lol, chill! Group A's 2nd match will start after this!"
― It's for fairness."
― Fairness? What do you mean?"
― If they did all the games consecutively, the team playing first would be at a disadvantage."
― True, teams need time to rest, so they alternate."
Some viewers protested, others kindly explained.
Despite this, some complaints lingered.
― What? Group A's 2nd match doesn't have PerG-Day?"
― Is this fair? The loser, plus Alpha, has to play again right away?"
― Nope, it's the order set for the tournament."
― It's proper for the loser of Game 1 to play next. Because if the winner gets two wins, the third game is meaningless."
― That's right, because they'll already qualify for the playoffs!"
― lmao, so they make sure two wins aren't decided in a row. Simple rule."
― If PerG-Day had lost, they'd play next."
― But that's impossible. 'Scientifically' doesn't make sense."
― According to the 'Uhwooper' formula you'll have to wait until Game 3. lol"
For the unfamiliar teams, viewers focused on explaining the format. With this, most viewers accepted the reasons.
― So it's a break time for us now."
― Guess I'll use this time to catch up on chores"
― Damn, gotta put my beer back in the fridge so it doesn't go flat."
― Might as well check Reddit"
The chat slowed, then quieted down.
Strictly speaking, what they wanted wasn't just the tournament—it was PerG-Day.
Especially Purple's plays.
* * *
Group A's 2nd match and Group B's 2nd match both wrapped up.
"Ah, that's unfortunate, but it ended up this way."
"Yeah. Plus Alpha bows out with two straight defeats."
"Shame, really. Plus Alpha was a top contender for the championship."
Between LattePro and Plus Alpha, the winner was LattePro.
The analysts expressed their regret, and Wanggeom let out a short sigh.
"It's not that Plus Alpha lacked the skills, but they were just unlucky with the draw. Because of the group assignments, they had to experience disappointment."
"Exactly! The viewers watching the tournament will know as well."
"These players could've shown even better play, it's just such a shame."
Wanggeom cleared his throat; he couldn't keep the mood so down.
"But competition is always ruthless. The Plus Alpha players know that well. Not to mention, team leader Pride is a medalist!"
"Yes, and CrazySmurf isn't over yet, right? There's always next season!"
"Yes, let's give Plus Alpha a big round of support from the viewers! And it's time we prepare for the next match!"
Prompted by Wanggeom, the analysts matched his energy, raising the show's mood again.
"So now, the Group A playoff candidates have narrowed to two! PerG-Day and LattePro, both teams with one win so whoever wins this game will qualify!"
"With tied KDA's no longer a possibility, the only thing that matters is victory!"
"Both teams are such strong championship contenders! It's hard to believe this is only the qualifier for the playoffs."
"Exactly! It feels like a semifinal with this level of tension!"
Wanggeom wiped his sweaty palms on the jackets worn by both casters.
"Hey, wanggeom!"
"Why are you wiping your hands here!?"
Wanggeom laughed at their reactions and continued.
"Just kidding. You two look more nervous than anyone! Now, let's meet the players who must be the most nervous right now!"
"Yes! Who will make it to the playoffs?"
"Will it be PerG-Day? Or LattePro?"
The final match of Group A.
"It's time to find out who advances to the next stage!"
The playoff-deciding match began.
.