Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.17 Ch.19: Ignoring the Bait

Since Nia was near Top right now, Rook and Merlin decided to abandon the safe backline for once and step forward to assault the bowmen. They finally got an opportunity to get out of their overly defensive formation and try to equalize the lane situation a little, so they seized it immediately.

But, the duo didn't just stop there. They continued moving toward Yuel and Lars, hence why Lars was a bit confused by the whole ordeal. It was a bold play, very much unusual for that duo considering their track record until now.

And, it's especially odd considering their track record in THIS game. Yuel thought. In the previous game, they made plays like this every now and then, probably because they weren't too afraid of Luke. But, Nia is making them sweat, so they've never dared to pull anything until now.

With all of that taken into account, the most reasonable conclusion here was that Rook and Merlin wanted to blow off steam. They were forced to be on the defensive the entire game, but now that Nia was confirmed to be elsewhere, the duo finally had some freedom to breathe and do as they pleased. Basically, they chose to aggress out of spite.

Therefore, clearly, this inaccuracy was the result of the enemy's pent-up frustration. As such, Yuel and Lars should definitely take advantage of this rare mistake and counterattack!

Is that what Cato expects me to think? Yuel wondered. Sorry, but I'm not buying it. That line of thinking would make sense against other opponents, but not against this duo.

Rook and Merlin weren't the kind of players who'd get frustrated because of having to play defense for a prolonged amount of time. These two lived and breathed defense. It was their comfort zone, one which they rarely ever stepped out from.

They're like two Ellens. Yuel thought. And, I've never EVER seen Ellen complain about having to play defense the entire game. It's just something that doesn't happen.

In conclusion, the enemy's uncharacteristic advancement was high-level bait. It was directed toward analytical opponents who analyzed player behavior and formed game plans based on the conclusions. In other words, this bait targeted Yuel.

But, I'm not falling for that anymore. Yuel declared. I've had enough time to adjust to these tactics in the previous game.

Indeed, the previous game left quite an impression on Yuel. The tactics Cato employed there were very slippery and deceptive. They caught Yuel off guard enough times to burn themselves into his mind.

Similarly to Yuel, Cato often tried to shake the opponent's mental state. However, Yuel usually tried to achieve that kind of effect by striking the enemy's weakness in one fell swoop, whereas Cato did this slowly and gradually via occasional poking. It was a very Ellen kind of tactic.

In the last game, Cato and Merlin stayed on the defensive about 90% of the time. But occasionally, seemingly at random, they stepped forth to poke.

Due to how frustratingly defensive the duo was the entire time, it became a very attractive idea to strike back at them when whenever they stepped forward to poke. As such, Yuel devised many counterattack ideas around these pokes. And naturally, Lars was overjoyed to participate in those.

Alas, the result was never satisfactory. The enemy's seemingly random pokes were never truly just "random". There was always more hidden substance behind them.

Sometimes, the enemy Jungler was nearby and launched a gank in response to Yuel and Lars's counterattack. Other times, the poke was just a feint, so chasing after it ruined Yuel and Lars's positions, made them waste precious time, or even put them in immediate danger.