Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.17 Ch.1: The Softhearted Amazon

With Nia awake, it was now possible to kick the memer off the team. That already solved one of the team's biggest issues.

But, that won't magically solve all our problems. Yuel thought.

There was no question that Luke's memeing dragged the team down a lot in the last game, but that wasn't Stratus' only problem. Regardless of Luke, the team failed to get any offense rolling on any lane.

Yuel and Lars failed to bust through the iron wall of Rook and Merlin, whereas Kai failed to achieve anything notable against TheTheorist. Though, there was one big difference between these two cases.

"Kai, correct me if I'm wrong, but you didn't really try to go on the offensive that much in the last game, did you?"

"Hmm, I guess I didn't," Kai replied plainly. "There weren't any good opportunities as far as I could tell."

"Is that so." Yuel didn't have enough evidence to refute that claim.

Normally, Kai was the kind of player who could be left to her own devices so long she was in a stable mood. As such, Yuel usually paid less attention to her lane situation when there were more pressing issues at hand. And, in that particular game, he was more preoccupied with the airtight enemy defense in Bot, as well as the overwhelming enemy offense in Top.

So, did Kai really not have any good opportunities to start pushes in Mid? Frankly, Yuel couldn't answer that off-hand. He'd have to watch the replay later in order to confirm that claim. Regardless, this was a pressing issue right now.

I could check the replay now, but there's not enough time for that. Yuel thought. This isn't the only issue I want to discuss, so I can't waste too much time on it. I better get to the point.

"Was Theorist's defense really that good?" Yuel asked. "I had the impression she plays it too safe, so you should've been able to exploit her passiveness at least a little."

"Yeaaaah, she sure turtled, alright." Kai sighed deeply. "But, that doesn't mean it's easy to find opportunities to pressure her. I mean, she plays for the Leopards, so she's no pushover. I'm not gonna find any free opportunities just lying around, you know?"

"Interesting, because Vincent sure found a few good opportunities when he played against Theorist in Top," Yuel pointed out. "And, considering your playstyle, I was sure you'll be able to push Theorist around even better than Vincent did."

"His circumstances were totally different, though," Kai argued. "He was playing a counter-pick, so, of course, he found opportunities. On the other hand, I was on even ground with Theorist as far as our classes were concerned."

Sorcerer and Sage were both best known for their long-ranged options, so they were like two picks that effectively canceled each other out. As a result, the 1v1 in Mid turned into a duel between snipers. So, it wasn't hard to imagine why Kai struggled to find any good opportunities to push.

Still, I was sure that Kai will be able to get at least SOMETHING started. Yuel knotted his brows. I had a feeling their Bot duo will stump us because their defense is on par with Howard and Ellen's. So, I was hoping that at least Kai will build some momentum for the team.

Alas, Kai did nothing of the sort. Though, perhaps part of the blame lay with Yuel for making Kai play Sorcerer. She might've needed a more aggressive class to get things rolling.

With all that said, Vincent had a different explanation for the whole thing.

"If I may have a word," Vincent started. "I suspect that a big part of this particular issue lies with Beat's 'Softhearted Amazon' trait. I believe I've informed you of it before."