Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.18 Ch.38: Nia's Desire to Gank

Finally, an opening revealed itself in Appretence's uncrackable defense. So, with a burning desire to strike down her nemesis, Nia headed off to Bot! This time, she was going to take down that cocky Korean guy!

Oh, wait. But I better inform everybody about this plan. She realized along the way.

Back during her first gank on Apprentece, Nia failed to properly communicate her arrival to Ben and it cost her dearly. So, she had to do things properly this time.

"I'm ganking Bot," Nia announced. For a moment there, even she was surprised by how strongly her tone came across. She wasn't asking for permission or leaving anything open for debate. No, she stated an absolute fact.

"Eh, I mean, if it's alright with everybody..." she added.

"Did you finally spot a good opportunity?" Yuel asked.

"Yes." Nia nodded confidently at first, but then she realized she'd surely be held accountable if anything went south. "Eh, well, I think I found something. At least, this looks way better than previous opportunities."

"Is that so." Yuel knotted his brows. Honestly, I don't see much difference. Apprentece seems to be playing as boldly as usual, but so far that never converted into a true opening. But, maybe Nia sees something I don't. Her game sense is abnormally sharp for these things.

Though it wasn't immediately apparent, Nia owned much of her success as a ganker to her heightened game sense. She was exceptionally good at spotting when the enemy's guard was down. She incorporated all sorts of small tells into her analysis to deliver her sneaky ganks.

It was easy to just call her a "Vanishing Phantom" and pretend like her impressive results only came from the fact she was "hard to notice". But in truth, Nia's playstyle was more intricate than that. Yuel only realized that after coaching the girl on a regular basis.

Nia was indeed good at lying low to the point her opponents forgot to factor in her presence. However, that wasn't something that was going to happen right at the start of the game. Her vanishing act was a gradual process that took an indeterminate amount of time.

In every game, it was up to Nia to tell when she had finished "erasing her presence", as she called it. But, how could she even tell? There weren't any clear in-game indications for something like that. It was all psychological.

I, for one, can't tell when it's time. Yuel admitted. That's why I always have to trust her judgment on that. And, the one time I went against her judgment in this game, there were consequences.

The first time Yuel asked Nia to gank Apprentece in Top, he was met with resistance. Nia claimed she didn't feel like she "erased her presence" at the time, so it didn't make sense to her to try sneaking up on an enemy just yet.

Yuel considered that input but ultimately chose to ignore it. He assumed that even if Nia was correct, it wouldn't change the fact that she'd be able to deliver a strong gank on Apprentece considering the guy's bold overextension.

But, I ended up being wrong. Badly so. Yuel frowned. Nia's analysis was correct in that situation. It's actually pretty impressive.

That's why for the second gank Yuel made sure to first reach a consensus with Nia. The girl resisted the idea at first as she often did, but in the end, Yuel managed to convince her that the risks weren't as high as she feared. If he failed to convince her then he was planning to give up on the idea altogether to avoid further tragedies.

That consensual gank was indeed far more effective than the first. Nia successfully erased her presence even against Apprentece and managed to surprise him. Alas, her execution was stiff because she was too worried about her low HP, a factor Yuel failed to take into account.