Chapter 89: MSI Finals (6)

“Guys.”

Before the start of Game 3, as we were putting on our headsets and doing mic checks, Park Jin-hwan spoke in a serious tone.

We waited to hear what he had to say.

“I didn’t want to bring this up earlier, but… don’t you think you should pay some attention to top lane?”

“Even though you’re a level-down in top lane, you were a level down the entire game, weren’t you?”

At Kim Do-jin’s reply, Park Jin-hwan protested,

“Even RG and YK’s top laners get 100 CS deficits against Spread. I held my own pretty well.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And honestly, in Game 1, even with KSante’s scaling, his opponent was Gnar, and in Game 2, you guys picked Ornn and didn’t even ban Aatrox.”

Even I had to admit that we had practically abandoned top lane.

But our strategy revolved around my strong mid lane presence and Park Jin-hwan’s ability to absorb pressure in the top lane, so it was unavoidable.

‘It makes things easier for the other lanes.’

It was the reason I could get solo kills without worrying about the enemy jungler and why our bot lane could hold their own even in unfavorable matchups.

“Oppa, we all know you’re good. Honestly, holding your own against Spread is impressive.”

“So, I’m not asking for ganks or counter-ganks. Just… maybe keep an eye out for dives when I’m pushing.”

“Don’t worry, we’re picking Nidalee this game and playing around top side.”

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Park Jin-hwan finally quieted down.

‘He must be feeling insecure.’

He knew he wasn’t as good as Spread.

He probably came into the match with the mindset of going even in lane, but even with jungle intervention, falling behind in top lane was unexpected.

His specialty was surviving until the jungler rotated and contributing to the team even without gold.

“Mic check, can everyone hear me?”

The coach’s voice came through as he finally joined us on stage, and we all responded.

“Do-jin, you still want to play Nidalee?”

“Yes, I think we need her this game. She’s a better pick than Lillia if we’re going for an AP jungler.”

“I agree, but I didn’t want to pressure you. If you’re confident, let’s do it.”

Kim Do-jin had suggested a draft focused on early-game tempo.

We needed to disrupt VXG’s methodical playstyle.

Everyone, including me, agreed.

‘But…’

The Kim Do-jin I met in this life was the same as the one from my past life.

I was almost certain, based on my observations so far. But…

‘Did he ever do this in important matches in my past life?’

As a jungler, he communicated a lot in-game, but outside of the game, he wasn’t assertive.

He usually followed the coach and the team’s decisions and accepted losses gracefully.

I didn’t recall him ever actively suggesting picks like this.

‘Did I influence him somehow…?’

---

“In this crucial Game 3, we’re curious to see ARK’s draft.”

“Will they leave Corki open again? ARK is on blue side.”

“ARK’s permaban so far have been Lucian, Camille, and Gnar. If they ban Corki, one of those champions will be open.”

“Since their top laner plays a supportive role, leaving Camille or Gnar open could create a massive disadvantage. And leaving Lucian open gives away too much lane priority.”

[The dilemma of the Dragon Slayer… to ban or not to ban Corki?]

[Seriously, picking Corki after losing the first game is tilting.]

[Please remove Package.]

[ARK, let’s win this!]

“They’re banning Corki!”

“Which champion are they leaving open? Let’s see…”

[???]

[They’re letting Spread’s Camille through?!]

[That’s their undefeated card in the LPL.]

[No way…]

[This is risky.]

“ARK’s first pick is… Nidalee!”

“Nidalee’s base stats have improved, making her a good pick, but Lesser doesn’t usually favor her as an AP jungler. VXG left her open, and ARK immediately snatched her.”

“She was picked once in the LCK and performed well!”

“If he’s good at Lillia and Taliyah, he can’t be bad at Nidalee!”

[Lesser on Nidalee?]

[They’re picking Nidalee after letting Camille through?]

[OMG]

[They’re just picking comfort picks because they know they’ll lose.]

[What?!]

[Is this for real?]

“VXG, as expected, picks Camille and Sejuani.”

“This will make top lane incredibly difficult. Whether it’s Camille’s hookshot or Sejuani’s Glacial Prison, getting hit by either practically guarantees death.”

“What has ARK prepared…? They’re picking Renekton!”

“Wait a minute. While this might seem like a standard combo, it’s actually a decent pick.”

[Won’t Camille just shred Renekton?]

[Without Divine Sunderer, it’s a manageable matchup even with full build.]

[Wak wak!]

“Renekton Nidalee against Sejuani Camille. This allows ARK to exert pressure from the laning phase and control the pace of the game. And Renekton doesn’t fall off too hard against Camille in the late game.”

“Really? Camille is known for scaling well.”

“A certain top laner who dominated an entire season once said, ‘If Camille meets Renekton, wak wak equals Camille 0-3-0.’”

“Is it that difficult of a matchup?”

“As he said, if Renekton breaks Camille’s shield with his empowered W, she can’t win.”

[Without Divine Sunderer, Camille is basically a kiting champion.]

[Even with full build, if they just ult and trade blows, Renekton wins.]

[Spread isn’t stupid enough to fight him head-on.]

[Once Renekton has three items, his W cooldown is 3-4 seconds, and with his ult, his fury generates constantly, so if Camille hookshots forward, she’s dead.]

“Sejuani is also an engage tank, so Renekton can be very effective.”

“And once again, Para picks Yone! Confident in her choice!”

“I think Yone did his job in Game 2. He’s also ARK’s preferred AD mid laner.”

[Let’s go!]

[We need a full five-game series!]

[I ordered chicken and it’s still not here… if this isn’t a five-game series, it’s a crime.]

---

[ARK]

TOP: Renekton
JG: Nidalee
MID: Yone
AD: Zeri
SUP: Alistar

VS

[VXG]

TOP: Camille
JG: Sejuani
MID: Orianna
AD: Miss Fortune
SUP: Nautilus

“Game 3 begins! Nidalee starts with her red buff, and it seems Sejuani is also planning a standard red buff start.”

“Even if Nidalee invades, Nautilus can do more for his bot lane than Alistar in the early game, so Sejuani is probably opting for a standard clear.”

[If Nidalee doesn’t snowball, she falls off hard.]

[Nidalee’s shelf life starts ticking the moment she’s picked.]

[Is Nidalee really the right pick for a high-stakes match like this? She’s a champion that tilts easily if the player’s mental is shaken.]

[Giving her a comfort pick is probably for the best.]

“Nidalee invades the enemy jungle as soon as she finishes her red buff.”

“She’s planning to push Sejuani out if she’s there and steal camps if she isn’t.”

“It looks like they’ll meet before Sejuani finishes her Gromp.”

“Nidalee’s greeting is aggressive. She’s constantly poking Sejuani with red buff empowered auto-attacks!”

“Sejuani backs off and heads towards her red buff.”

“This is what Nidalee needs to do. This also puts pressure on the bot lane, where both teams have picked strong champions.”

[Good play from Lesser.]

[If mid lane goes even, they can secure lane priority in all three lanes.]

[Good start.]

“Huh? After taking the enemy Gromp, Lesser notices that Sejuani hasn’t cleared her Raptors and heads towards her red buff?”

“Is he…?”

“Sejuani cleared her Krugs quickly, but it looks like they’ll meet before she finishes her red buff!”

“And if they meet, Sejuani will have to give up her red buff yet again!”

“Para has been pushing aggressively in mid since level 1, even at the cost of taking some damage. It seems there was a reason for that.”

“So, that’s why Nidalee could invade without worrying about Orianna!”

“Orianna only used her Q to poke and avoided using auto-attacks to prevent pushing the wave. So, Orianna was forced to use her abilities to farm.”

[Sejuani cleared: Blue, Krugs. Nidalee cleared: Red, Gromp, Red, Rift Scuttler.]

[That’s a significant difference.]

[Even top lane is winning comfortably this game.]

[Game 3 is definitely winnable.]

[My chicken still isn’t here… please let this be a full five-game series.]