Chapter 44: Playoff Round 2

It’s been a while since we gathered together to watch the game.

It’s not like we don’t play games together, but it’s been a long time since we watched together like this.

[Hit! And hit again!]
[Thump! Bang! The AD Carry’s head is also slammed into the ground!]
[Ace!]

In a best-of-five series that went all the way to the fifth game, the outcome of the first round of the playoffs was finally visible.

“It’s over.”
“DS Gaming’s class isn’t at a level to fall here.”

I grabbed a handful of popcorn for the last time, stuffed it in my mouth, and wiped my hands with a wet wipe.

“Here’s the trash can.”
“Throw it away yourself, you human.”
“You’re the closest. Instead, I won’t tease you about losing in the top lane today.”
“……”

Fluke sighed, but eventually took the wet wipe and threw it into the trash can next to him.

[After a fierce 5-set battle! DS Gaming finally advances to the 2nd round!]

The 3rd place team in the regular season, KTT, smoothly defeated the 6th place team, Darwin Gaming, and the 4th place team, DS Gaming, won against the 5th place team in the current game and will meet us.

Thus, the first round of the playoffs ended.

“So everyone went as expected?”
“Well, the gap between teams is severe.”
“There was a time when we were down there. Really.”
“If you don’t want to go down again, you’ll have to win. At least Eun Seol will be called up to the 2nd division next season, even if no one else is.”

Everyone nodded at the words of our team’s support, Bell.

“You won’t forget us even if you go up, right?”
“Just do well until the finals and think about going up together.”

I heard that the ST players in the Grand League will be transferred to lower-ranked teams in LOCK or overseas teams next season anyway.

As such, opportunities were relatively open.

It’s not strange to promote us, who are currently in the 3rd division, to the Grand League like this season, and create a new 3rd division with academy players.

“Well, let’s talk about such future-oriented things later. First, let’s look at the team we’ll face again.”

As if he didn’t want to know the complicated story, Ox rewound the live video and played DS Gaming’s game again.

“It’s a big deal that we checked all the opponent’s ban-picks here.”
“I know.”

Since the patch versions of the league and playoffs are different, the tier arrangement is messy.

In the midst of this, the example shown by the opponent in person in all 5 games in the best-of-five series is valuable information.

In particular, it was a clear advantage to be able to know the tone of DS Gaming’s ban-pick and the priority of what to choose first.

Especially, our champion pool is already wide, but if the opponent flips their insides and shows everything like this, the ban-pick becomes easier.

The coach’s mouth might be hanging on his ears.

The day the 2nd round of the playoffs begins.

Since there are only two games in the first place, the fate of the four teams that advanced to the 2nd round will be decided in one weekend night.

Of course, even if you lose here, it’s not an immediate elimination, and there’s a loser’s revival match, so there’s room, but it’s easier to win three games in a row.

“Guys, how’s your condition?”

Coach Ahn Jaehoon, as he worked as a coach during the ST1 days and has a lot of experience, didn’t show a bit of tension.

‘There won’t be an accident in ban picks…’

Of course, even if there is an accident, I will forcibly change the direction, but it’s best if that doesn’t happen.

“Anyone nervous right now raise their hand?”
“Everyone except you.”

Everyone chimed in at Fluke’s answer.

“What is her liver made of?”
“I know, right.”

“It won’t be the same material as ours. Look at the posture. Look at the posture.”
“I can hear everything, you know.”

I’m lying comfortably on the chair, but it’s not that strange.

It’s more normal than the guy who said he had to go around the canyon once before the game started, or the people who always carried a ruler to adjust the position of the monitor and keyboard.

“I’m saying it so you can hear it? Tell me the secret.”

If I had that, I wouldn’t worry.

“Just experience a lot.”

About ten years.

And win a few championship trophies along the way.

“Players, please get ready to enter now!”

I got up from my seat without saying anything more.

I don’t want to go to the final advance match, but I absolutely refuse the loser’s revival match.

I’ll get a direct ticket unconditionally.

[Okay! The 1st set match between ST and DS Gaming, which marks the start of the 2nd round of the playoffs, will begin soon!]
[The players are entering the arena!]
[Following the 1st round, the 2nd round is also very heated with cheers!]
[Then let’s meet the game right now, starting with the ban-pick!]

The ban-pick window that appeared in front of my eyes.

And the familiar space.

“First, let’s ban as planned.”

With the coach’s voice, the top three immediately banned the herbivore hunter champions.

The opponent’s hunter is basically good at handling herbivore champions, so if we induce a sword-to-sword fight, we have the advantage.

[Maoika, Ibon, and Seju are immediately banned.]
[They’re all champions who are good at support and battle response, right? ST immediately bans champions with good sustainability.]

Seeing our ban cards, the opponent banned Rumble, who is said to be an OP pick in the top, then one in the AD Carry, and finally Nasus.

[Uh? The last ban is a bit peculiar?]
[This is usually done when using double marksmen? We’re going to kite, so Nasus, don’t cast Wither! It’s like this!]
[DS Gaming openly chooses double marksmen!]

The pick that started like that.

“First, I’ll bring V.”

It’s the third ban card that openly mentioned that many AD Carry champions will come out.

It was easy to bring a champion who is good at one-shot or pursuit.

[V! It’s all done with one fist!]
[It’s a champion whose tier has risen a lot these days! ST takes a safe first pick!]

As if they expected our pick, the opponent picked champions without 고민. (This word generally means ‘worry,’ ‘concern,’ or ‘deliberation’)

[We’re going to be really strong in the early game, can you guys handle it? They’re asking like this!]
[DS Gaming picks Renekton and Tristana in mid.]

“Okay. They took it as expected. Chang Hyun and Eun Seol. Let’s pick what we prepared.”

At the coach’s words, we quickly picked.

[Mid is the eternal friend of Korean mid laners, Azir! And the AD Carry is Caitlyn!]
[ST’s answer comes out. In mid, hold on! Instead, make a lot of gold in the bottom!]
[She’s one of the good AD Carries in the current patch version, right? She’s one of the champions who received the full benefit of the critical item buff.]

After all, it’s Strike, an aggressive AD Carry.

So it’s not bad to take the lane a little stronger, taking the risk of ganks.

And mid, well.

It’s a champion I’ve used to the point of boredom.

It’s a champion whose limbs are already cut off, but later on, even the head is divided into sections and taken away.

And even in that state, LOCK mid laners used it well.

So, considering the current patch version, I was confident that I could go half and half or more in any composition.

Meanwhile, DS Gaming took Lilia, who has good synergy with the AD mid champion, as the third pick.

Normally, an AD Carry corresponding to Caitlyn should come out here, but it seems that they thought that there was nothing more to do in their team hunter’s champion pool if the hunter champion was cut further.

[The second ban time already.]
[It starts again with ST.]

“Should we just cut Smolder?”

We’re also a combination that looks at the late game to some extent, so if we give away a champion like that, a mistake of the game company, there’s a risk that the champion will just melt in the late game, regardless of whether it’s an OP pick or not.

“Yeah. We have to cut that first.”

With the coach’s consent, the dragon guy was not allowed to appear in this set.

[This time, DS Gaming bans Braum and Rell.]
[These are opponents that are difficult for double marksmen to fight, so they just ban them coolly.]

“Ban Blitz.”
And at Bell and Strike’s request, we banned the hook champion.

With the ban cards used up, the opponent first took the support, Leona.

As expected, they took a good guy among the remaining ones because they lacked initiation.

It’s not bad that we managed to dry out the opponent’s ban-pick to some extent, from the fact that the AD Carry was picked at the very end.

And above all, no matter who the opponent’s AD Carry is, our top is ready.

“Top as prepared?”
“Yes.”

Strike chose a champion according to Fluke’s words.

Once he throws an axe and enters, he can split the double marksmen who deal damage while ignoring all the opponent’s CC skills, whether it’s Renekton or Leona.

[Olaf will cut through the cannons!]
[Once he rampages, no one can stop him until his ultimate is turned off!]
[The only thing possible is a strong one-shot! Olaf, who will rush in if he can’t be finished with one-shot, appears in the top!]

And in the remaining support position, we nailed it down since we decided to take the laning phase strongly.

[Luxanna appears!]
[Can the bottom handle this?]
[DS Gaming’s hunter has to live in the bottom!]
[Then the crocodile will rot, right?]
[There’s nothing we can do. Otherwise, in the current patch, those two combinations are too strong even if you do it roughly.]

The other side, which suddenly became busy, repeatedly hesitated and eventually picked Zayan.

It seemed that they turned to the direction of looking at the late game.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been the situation they wanted, so even if I didn’t see the faces of the opposing team, I could clearly see what the situation was like.

“Bottom lane explosion!”
“I know, so do well and tear off the turret gold.”
“Of course.”

Strike and Bell were excited and filled the background sound very richly.

[ DS Drag -> ST Bell ]

“……”

It’s just that the opponent’s kill pocket was also filled.