Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.18 Ch.30: Babysitting the Team

After taking out the enemy's Top Turret, Jin immediately recalled to base. The injuries he sustained during the enemy's attack were grave, almost too close to comfort. So despite the great momentum he gained in Top, he was unable to push further at this time.

But, once I return, I'll push all the way to the Golem. Jin promised. This game is already as good as done, so let's just wrap it up quickly.

It would have been nicer if the opponent just surrendered and spared Jin all this hassle. However, Stratus was a team that had a fighting spirit, if nothing else. Therefore, even under these helpless circumstances, it was unlikely for them to submit without putting on a fight.

Oh well. Let's just do it. Jin finished gearing up at the base and headed back to his lane.

"Oh, you're already going back?" Cato asked. "Say, do you mind rotating to Mid after you finish with the next wave?"

"Why?"

"There isn't much for you to do in Top right now, right? I mean, you can try pushing if you want, but there's no way you're taking out the Golem anytime soon."

"True. Too early for Golem," Jin agreed. "But, I still prefer to push Top. Rotating to other lanes is waste of time."

"The laners over there will really appreciate your help, though~"

"I don't need appreciation. I just want to wrap up this game. It's over."

"Yes, it's most certainly over." Cato nodded. "But, Stratus won't go down without a fight. I know their shot-caller, he's the type to come up with unexpected plays in a pinch. We can't underestimate him."

"You fear a team like that? Nonsense."

"Or, is it?" Cato smiled impishly. "I vaguely remember that somebody here was almost ganked to death a short while ago~"

"If you talk about the Drow's gank, then I had the situation under control. I wouldn't die to something like this."

"But, you have to admit it was dangerously close. If Will wasn't nearby, you might've died, don't you think?"

"Hmph." Jin scoffed. "It was a little close, that's all."

"That was just a taste of what their shot-caller is capable of," Cato said. "The greater the pinch, the more ridiculous his shot-calls will become. That's the kind of pesky guy he is."

Still, none of that convinced Jin. "That Drow gank shot-call was no good. It was easy to counter."

"Yes, it was easy enough to counter IF you anticipated that kind of play in advance. But, anticipating any of that nonsense was the hard part. I did anticipate it though, muhaha!"

Indeed, everything was thanks to Cato's sharp foresight. He knew his chess opponent better than anybody on the team, therefore he was ready for some kind of nonsense.

I bet you're feeling quite frustrated right now, right Yuel~? Cato grinned. This is exactly the kind of nonsense you used to beat Fiona, right? You resorted to some absolute madness that swallowed her whole. But, I'm not like that. You can't break me so easily.

Unlike Fiona, Cato wasn't a slave of the meta, at least not entirely. He understood that a player's self-expression sometimes made them deviate from the established meta and that it was fine.

The meta is just guidelines, not hard rules. There's a big benefit to following it, but sometimes straying from it can be just as effective. I mean, I stray from it on a regular basis~

Cato was very much aware that the Leopards' hyper-defensive playstyle was outside the meta's recommendations. Nonetheless, it worked just fine as long as he properly integrated this less-usual playstyle with the meta.