Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.15 Ch.10: Responding With a Defensive Lineup

"Wait, what? Berserker?" Ronald cracked a laugh. "Is it just me or this shit is getting even more ridiculous?"

"Yes, this is all rather... unconventional." Sonya frowned.

"My, I take it that's their Jungler?" Cato wondered.

"Naturally. What other role could it possibly be here?" Sonya asked. "Jungler Berserker is niche but not unheard of. Besides, an unconventional pick like this fits perfectly with the data we have on Memer, so it checks out."

"Sure, that makes sense, I suppose..." Cato wasn't entirely convinced for some reason. It makes sense, and yet, somehow, this Berserker pick almost looks like a soft counter to Dragonborn. But, that wouldn't make any sense, would it?

Suppose the Berserker was a pick for Top Lane, then what role will that leave for the Dark Knight?

Well, Mid Laner isn't entirely out of the question. Cato entertained that line of thought a little further. I remember DK was used in Mid some years ago because of its strong wave-clearing. But, nah.

Stratus has already picked Electromancer, which was definitely a Mid pick. So Mid Laner Dark Knight was out of the question.

But then, where could that Dark Knight possibly go? Surely it was neither Carry nor Support, and not Jungler either.

"Yeah, I guess DK is Top and Berserker is Jungler," Cato concluded. "I can see Memer play Jungler Berserker, so it checks out."

"Kinda weak for a 'meme', if you ask me," Ronald commented. "But welp, it's still a hella rare pick so I like it!"

It's a niche pick but I don't think it falls under the definition of a "meme". Matthew retorted silently. Is that really Memer's pick? Honestly, judging by what we saw of his picks last game, I wouldn't be surprised if that DK is his and he's planning something crazy like Jungler DK.

It was a wild idea, but to Matthew, it didn't seem completely off the table. As a pupil of Esmeralda, the woman who was the devil's advocate of unconventional plays, a Jungler Dark Knight sounded feasible.

But, I agree it sounds dumb. Matthew concluded. Looks like nobody is considering this, not even Cato. So, maybe I'm just overthinking this? Yeah, I probably am. So, no point bringing this up. I'll just look stupid when if it turns out I'm totally off the mark.

And so, the Leopards have reached a uniform conclusion: Dark Knight was the enemy's Top Laner while Berserker was the Jungler. That's the kind of lineup they'll be dealing with this game, so they had to draft accordingly.

"They're sure dialing up the offense in this round," Cato said. "I gotta say, I'm liking Vampire more and more right now."

"I agree, it's a strong option here," Sonya said. "It's clear that they'll try to wrap this up during the mid-game, so we need good defensive options."

"Do we, really?" William questioned that logic. "Cato, in your place, I'd pick an assassin and pressure them with ganks."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd do that." Cato smiled wryly. "But, I'm not that kind of Jungler. Slow and steady wins the race, that's my motto."

"Hmph. Suit yourself."

In the end, William's advice was ignored and Cato went ahead with Vampire. The class's strong defensive capabilities will allow Cato to withstand that hyper offense the enemy was assembling.

And so, next came the second banning phase.

Stratus focused on sealing the defensive Support options of Druid, Vanguard, and Cleric. Meanwhile, the Leopards focused on sealing aggressive Carry and Support options by banning Impaler, Pirate, and Knight.