Chapter 58: Playoff Round 2 (1)

“DH won?”

“Yeah, we were all expecting to face AX.”

“The regular season matchup was much more in AX’s favor.”

“Did Bon really carry them to victory single-handedly?”

The team members, looking at the match results, all expressed their surprise.

“I need to watch this match.”

I had just finished scrims and was about to head home, but I sat back down. I could have watched it alone at home, but these things are more fun to watch together.

“Should I put on the full VOD?”

Kim Do-jin manipulated the nearby tablet and displayed the AX versus DH match on the large screen mounted on the practice room wall. Everyone moved their chairs to the back for a better view of the screen, so I followed suit.

“Didn’t Bon used to hate Aatrox?”

“He’s pretty good after the recent buffs, but to first-pick him?”

The Game 1 picks were as follows:

AX: Ornn, Viego, Vex, Lucian, Nami.

DH: Aatrox, Xin Zhao, Ahri, Aphelios, Lulu.

The noteworthy pick here was Aatrox. I didn’t know how other teams ranked him, but our team considered him a top-tier pick.

“We haven’t played Lethality Aatrox except in scrims against CK teams, right?”

Kim Do-jin asked, and Park Jin-hwan replied as if it were obvious.

“I practiced this build on my smurf, but even then, it was only against CK teams that were close with the coach. I don’t think the strategy was leaked.”

“So they researched the build and are using it?”

“Even though Cleaver and Maw of Malmortius got buffed? They practiced a lethality build instead? Even I didn’t think of it before Seo-ha mentioned it.”

As Park Jin-hwan said, Lethality Aatrox wasn’t a popular build until later in the year, around MSI, not at this stage of the playoffs. I watched the game, thinking there’s no way they’d have discovered and used it already.

“Aatrox just recalled and bought a Caulfield’s Warhammer.”

Caulfield’s Warhammer, now called Ironspike Whip, was a component item for assassin items that provided lethality. Which meant…

“Looks like he’s going lethality.”

As expected, Aatrox’s first core item was Goredrinker, followed by Edge of Night. He built two lethality items in a row, but with the consecutive buffs to his base stats and the safety provided by Edge of Night…

“Wow… the damage is insane.”

We watched as Aatrox repeatedly obliterated squishy ADCs and tanky bruisers alike.

“Why is his damage so high?”

Near the end of Game 1, Jin Yu-seong asked me with a bewildered expression.

“Goredrinker’s active scales with AD.”

“I know that.”

“But Aatrox’s ultimate increases his AD. On top of that, Conqueror also grants bonus AD, and there’s even bonus damage against targets below 50% health.”

“Just hearing it makes me dizzy.”

“So, basically, if he’s scaled properly, in mid-game teamfights, his active deals almost as much damage as his full Q combo against targets below half health.”

As soon as I finished explaining, Jin Yu-seong lamented the lack of rights for ADCs just as Bon’s Aatrox one-shot Lucian with a three-Q and Flash combo.

Even watching it again, the damage was insane.

DH proceeded to pick Aatrox in all three games, achieving a clean 3-0 upset. From AX’s perspective, it wasn’t surprising that they were caught off guard, given their prepared picks and bans and established champion tier list.

‘The question is, how did they discover it?’

The Lethality build was popularized by a famous Aatrox main in high elo. I wondered if one of the teams we scrimmedd against had leaked it, but…

“Should we watch the interview too?”

“He might have said something.”

“That’s true.”

We watched the interview to the end and found the answer.

[So, one question for Bon. You received the POG award in all three games today.]

[It’s thanks to my teammates playing well.]

[Even so, Bon’s Aatrox created some incredible highlights.]

[I found a new build recently, and thankfully, it performed quite well.]

[So, where did you find this build? While playing solo queue?]

[Well… there’s a streamer, or player, that I like to watch.]

[Oh? Who might that be?]

[Is it okay to mention them?]

[Any League of Legends player is fine!]

[I often watch ARK’s Para’s stream.]

“Huh?”

“What?”

My teammates looked at me as Bon mentioned my name.

“Uh… I’ve never even talked to him.”

I wasn’t particularly close with Bon in my previous life. We hadn’t even exchanged a single word in this life, so I couldn’t understand why he mentioned me.

[Do you have a personal connection with Para?]

[Ah, not really. I enjoy watching League streams on my days off.]

[Bon’s hobby is quite well-known.]

[So, I like to watch players who are good, and I’ve been watching Para’s streams since before her debut.]

[So, was this build inspired by Para?]

[I was watching her stream recently, and she was playing Aatrox with lethality items. I tried copying it, and the performance was so good that I practiced it.]

[So that’s how it was. Thank you for the interview! Let’s give a round of applause for DH, who won the first round of the playoffs!]

‘I didn’t expect there to be a pro player watching my stream…’

Pro players were all a bunch with strong egos. Regardless of their career achievements, it was rare for them to watch other pros’ streams, so I had been a bit careless.

“Then we’ll have to revise our picks and bans.”

The coach, who had been watching the game with us from behind at some point, said as he pulled out his draft notebook.

“Since DH also seems to consider Aatrox a top-tier pick, let’s adjust accordingly.”

[Open the door]
[I think DH will win today because of Bon lol.]
[Yeah, Caster’s equipped with blade champions now~]
[I have a bad feeling today. I think DH will win.]
[Do you think Bon, who carried 10 people, is easy?]

“Greetings! We welcome you to the LCK Spring Playoffs Round 2 match.”

“Round 2 matches begin today, marking the return of the top teams from the regular split.”

“That’s right. While the playoffs are called a battle of the best, once we enter Round 2, it becomes a battle of the best of the best.”

“Exactly! They are coming. Now.”

[Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming]

[I bet everything on DH again lol. I’m taking the #1 prize for Spring Split predictions.]

[Reverse sweep gambler lol I’m steadily betting on favorites and I’m currently in 2nd place~ I’ll take 1st if ARK wins~]

[What’s the 1st place prize?]

[Signed jerseys from all LCK teams.]

[Wow, that’s why everyone’s always making a fuss over the predictions.]

“Last week’s Round 1 brought unexpected results and a slew of interesting picks.”

“Indeed. Take DH, who are preparing for today’s match! Most predictions had them being eliminated in Round 1.”

“They defied those predictions with a clean 3-0 victory and Bon’s tear-jerking three consecutive POG awards!”

“But on the other side, we have a team that also defied pre-season expectations, sprinting through the split like crazy. ARK achieved 1st place in the regular season with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss.”

[What’s the point of carrying in top lane? Can he even beat Para?]

[For real lol]

[This noona is pretty AND good at the game lol.]

[Anyone see Para’s SNS yesterday? Go check it out, she posted a selfie.]

“So, shall we take a look at the expert predictions?”

“All 14 experts predict an ARK victory. It’s inevitable, really.”

“Even the international analysts, who we always say are obsessed with reverse sweeps, are predicting an ARK victory.”

“So, what about the fan predictions?”

“It’s about 8 to 2.”

“But what does any of that mean?!”

“Right. DH already took down AX! They just have to prove it again.”

[For real~ A reverse sweep already happened, so another one wouldn’t be a big deal~]

[ARK? You lost to QX. You’re all hype.]

[The facts are ARK lost to QX once, and DH beat them twice.]

[Yeah, but 1st place in the regular season, though?]

[At least Para wins in visuals lol.]

“Now let’s meet today’s key players!”

KEY PLAYERS

ARK – Caster VS DH – BON

KDA 3.4 VS 5.8
DPM 460 VS 800
DMG% 1.1 VS 1.92
KP 70% VS 85%
CS Difference at 14 Minutes +4 VS +6
Gold Difference at 14 Minutes +270 VS +400
Solo Kills 5 VS 43

“Since these stats include the playoff matches, it’s only natural that Bon’s are higher. But they’re still insane.”

“However, Caster has also improved his form significantly. We’ll have to see how he plans to stop Bon, who has gone from a log to wielding a log.”

“Now, let’s finally meet the players, along with a final look at the rosters!”

ARK
Caster, Lesser, para, Plea, KAI

DH
BON, mind, Ale, Bishop, Luke

“From ARK, we have Caster, Lesser, Para, Plea, and KAI! From DH, we have Bon, Mind, Ale, Bishop, and Luke!”