Chapter 124: Sniping. (6)

“…Isn’t this a Master Yi funnel comp?”

It wasn’t just him; anyone could see it.

[“Looks like it.”]
[“Huh…”]

If the chat hadn’t been frozen, there would have been an uproar by now.

It was that shocking of a pick/ban phase.

‘They must really look down on us.’

The Master Yi-Taric combination itself was already outdated, not to mention nerfed by patches.

And now, to top it off, a Master Yi funnel comp?

‘…No. It’s not decided yet.’

Jjushim looked at the opponent’s lanes.

Yuumi was fixed as support since she couldn’t go anywhere else, but it was right to assume Taric and Master Yi’s lanes were still unknown.

For now, both champions had their original positions, but there was no guarantee they would stick to them in this composition.

“Let’s see the bans first.”

It was the opponent’s turn to ban.

[Fiddlesticks]

Once again, a ban without hesitation.

[“What’s with the Fiddle ban?”]
[“It really looks like a Master Yi funnel comp, doesn’t it?”]
[“Huh.”]
[“What are we banning?”]
[“If it’s a Master Yi funnel comp, it’s probably right to ban out the support side, right? Like Lulu or something.”]
[“Then let’s ban Lulu for now?”]
[“What about Jjushim?”]
“…Huh? Ah, ah. Yeah, let’s ban Lulu.”

Currently, Lulu was a tier 1 support pick and a very good champion that could go top or mid.
Given the opponent’s pick/ban situation, it was good to ban her in many ways.

[Lulu]

Again, the opponent’s ban turn.

[Malzahar]

Malzahar had good lane push after a certain point and, most importantly, an ultimate that was a guaranteed suppression CC.

Therefore, he was one of the few good picks against Master Yi-Taric, yet the opponent banned him immediately even though Lissandra was already picked.

It meant they were even considering the possibility of Lissandra going ADC or support.

[“They’re even banning Malzahar.”]
[“Wow, they’re really pushing it openly from the bans.”]
[“Is there anything else to see? It seems better to ban out the support side.”]

Hmm…
With these kinds of picks and bans, it seemed better to ban support-type champions who could flex lanes…

“Let’s ban Karma.”
[“Oh, that’s good.”]
[“Banning Karma?”]
[“Ban, ban.”]

[Karma]

With this, the bans were complete.
The opponent’s pick turn again.

[Morgana]

Another support champion appeared.
With this, it became a foregone conclusion that the opposing team was building a Master Yi funnel comp.

[“Ah.”]
[“There was that one.”]
[“They’re really funneling so openly.”]
[“We need to put a lot of pressure in the laning phase. What should our bottom lane combo be?”]

Allowing a pick like Morgana when they knew the opponent’s strategy was quite painful.

Morgana was a champion good at holding any lane except top due to her excellent lane push, and above all, Black Shield was an incredibly broken skill in a Master Yi funnel comp.

[“Hmm, I’ll go Vayne.”]
[“Okay.”]

Currently, Vayne was receiving quite good evaluations as an ADC, and above all, since the opponent was building a Master Yi funnel comp, Vayne was about the only ADC who could survive.

[“Then for support… how about Leona?”]
[“Not bad. Let’s go.”]

Vayne, Leona.
The bottom lane combination was complete.

Of course, it was too early to be relieved, as the opponent’s final pick remained.

[Zilean]

What if the chat window wasn’t frozen right now?

No, what if there were other casters?

Wouldn’t there have been a huge cheer at this point?

[“That’s insane.”]
[“…Honest opinion. I think we’re going to get steamrolled this game.”]
[“Agreed.”]

Normally, as the team captain, he should have boosted his teammates’ morale at this point, but Jjushim also knew.

He knew what kind of player Outlaw was.

Not only Jjushim, but his teammates, being Challengers themselves, had each experienced playing against Outlaw in solo queue.

The overwhelming skill and fear Outlaw had shown.

No matter if the teammates were Diamond or Master, with a composition like this, it wouldn’t be that big of a problem.

Above all, games where the opponent’s preparation was so evident in the pick/ban phase were notoriously difficult to win.

The opponent was prepared.

We were not.

“…Hey, hey, why are you all like this before we even start? Of course, we have to win.”

[“Agreed.”]
[“Fighting.”]

A few listless “fighting” cheers echoed, and then the game began.

-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift.

Jjushim looked at the opponent’s lanes.

Because the picks were so bizarre, he could only figure out the opponent’s lanes after the game started.

[Ally / Enemy]
Top: Mordekaiser / Zilean
Jungle: Lee Sin / Master Yi
Mid: Lissandra / Taric
ADC: Vayne / Morgana
Support: Leona / Yuumi

He hadn’t realized it during the picks, but looking at it now, Jjushim saw a fatal flaw in his team’s composition.

‘There’s too little damage.’

When facing Master Yi, the most important things are CC and burst damage.

However, his current team composition, while having CC, seemed to be significantly lacking in burst damage.

This was the result of building the composition to match the opponent’s picks and bans.

‘…It can’t be helped.’

Jjushim looked at the opponent’s lanes.

For now, all of the opponent’s lanes, except mid, were picks good for holding out.

‘Master Yi, Taric, huh.’

The Master Yi-Taric combination was currently obsolete.

The biggest reason for this was, of course, the system called Monster Hunter.

This system activates when a jungler with a jungle item kills more than a certain number of lane minions, drastically reducing the gold obtained from lane minions.

In other words, the old strategy of funneling the mid lane to the jungler Master Yi was currently impossible.

[“What about invade?”]

“…Let’s just defend for now.”

Honestly, he didn’t want to go into the late game smoothly against that composition, but he had no choice.

According to Jjushim’s research, variables during invades were one of Outlaw’s biggest weapons.

Meaning, at least in the early game, it was right to assume his team’s movements were in the palm of Outlaw’s hand.

He couldn’t make reckless plays in such a situation.

-Minions will spawn in 30 seconds!

The opponent also seemed to want a smooth start, as both sides just defended during the invade, and the early game passed.

The early game flow was smooth.

Both sides showed few aggressive moves, just smooth farming.

Of course, due to the composition, his team’s mid laner was constantly pressuring the opponent’s mid laner, dominating in CS.

[“Mid CS difference is 10.”]
[“Oh. Sick.”]
[“As expected of Router! Is this… Challenger?”]

Taric in mid lane was literally unable to breathe properly, barely managing to get experience.

For now, it was a good situation for his team.

In that situation, Master Yi first showed himself at the level 3 timing.

Master Yi crossed mid, took a minion and some experience, and then passed through.

At first, he wondered what he was doing, but as time gradually passed, Jjushim realized something was strange.

[Master Yi – Level 5]
[Lee Sin – Level 4]

Neither had done anything.

However, a growth difference had already emerged.

‘…She’s intentionally not triggering Monster Hunter.’

She was walking a tightrope, barely avoiding crossing that line.

It was as if every jungle camp, every minion, was all in Outlaw’s head.

‘Is that even possible?’

In the old days, perhaps, but due to Master Yi-Taric, Monster Hunter was an annoying presence that triggered at the slightest provocation in the current meta.

It was so bad that even if you weren’t running a combo like Master Yi-Taric, the Monster Hunter effect would trigger if the jungler took even a few lane minions.

However, Outlaw was taking only very small lane advantages, as if she saw right through the Monster Hunter effect.

And,

For Outlaw, that very slight growth advantage was enough to snowball.

The growth difference that had now opened up between Master Yi and Lee Sin proved it.

‘I have to do something.’

Feeling a sense of crisis, Jjushim made that decision and tried to intervene in the lanes somehow, but unfortunately, the opponent gave no openings.

They were blatantly aiming for a bus mode, not giving any angles and just silently clearing lanes.

Jjushim came to a conclusion.

“We have to find and kill Master Yi.”

Since mid lane priority was on his side anyway, they had to follow and kill the opponent’s Master Yi.

‘My judgment was too slow.’

He should have done this much earlier, but the fact that the opponent was Outlaw and the unfamiliar enemy composition made Jjushim hesitate in his decision.

In other words, the fear of Outlaw that Jjushim instinctively possessed prevented him from making the plays he normally should have.

“I’ll take a look at bot lane. Let’s get an advantage bot and then take dragon.”

[“Roger.”]

Commonly, Master Yi is referred to as a late-game hyper-carry champion.

One of the characteristics of hyper-carry champions is that they are weak in the early game.

That’s why many people know Master Yi is weak early on.

But that was only due to his basic skill set as a champion without mobility, Master Yi’s dueling power was by no means weak.

“Huh?”

Especially if it was a Master Yi hiding in a bush like now.

-You have been slain by an enemy!
-First Blood!

A very brief moment of carelessness.

The unfounded belief that since Master Yi had been RPGing all this time, he would continue to do so.

That very belief led Jjushim to his death.

And…

Lee Sin’s death was only the beginning.

After Master Yi officially hit level 6, he forgot his previous silence and began to move in earnest.

-An ally has been slain!
-Enemy Double Kill!

Master Yi could not be stopped.

-You can’t stop the enemy!

His allies, belatedly sensing the crisis, hurriedly prepared to join, but when they tried to stop him with Lissandra’s CC, Morgana’s Black Shield blocked it, and just when they thought they could force a kill by pouring firepower, Zilean came and revived him.

Above all, once Outlaw got Master Yi’s movement speed under control, all of his team’s non-targeted skills became useless.

[“No, how can he dodge Lissandra’s W cast right in front of him with movement? Does that even make sense?”]
[“What’s with that movement speed, seriously. My skills aren’t hitting.”]
[“Is he even human?”]

Leona’s ultimate and E skill.

Lissandra’s Q, W, and E skills.

Mordekaiser’s Q and E skills.

Lee Sin’s Q and E skills.

How many of those skills hit Master Yi in this game?

Jjushim knew the answer. Because he had no memory of seeing Master Yi get hit by a non-targeted skill.

Jjushim felt like he was having a terrible nightmare.

You know, like when you try to fight someone in a dream, but your fists don’t connect and you just flail around?
It was exactly like that right now.

And…

By the time he barely regained his senses, his team’s Nexus was already exploding.

[Defeat]

The unbelievable word was clearly imprinted on his eyes.

For how long had he been blankly ruminating on the word “defeat”?

[“Jjushim hyung, the viewers are asking you to unfreeze your chat.”]

Hearing his teammate’s voice, Jjushim barely came to his senses.

“…Ah, uh. Okay.”

-[Chat window has been unfrozen.]

And, the viewers’ anger poured out.

-JG diff
-My
-JG diff
-Ah
-Ruin
-Jungle diff
-Out
-My
-Ruin
-Law
-Jungle gap
-Law
-JG diff

[‘HeraldOfDemise’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Jungle difference, jungle difference, ya ya ya, ya ya ya, ya ya ya, ya ya ya”]

[‘NalDaDoLai’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Hyungnim, you’re very pathetic. Go f*cking die.”]

-My
-Ah
-Ruin
-Out
-My
-Law
-Ruin
-My
-Law
-My

[‘JjushimDan)JjuRuRuRu’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Leaving the Jjushim Corps.”]

[‘JjushimuiNoye’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Honestly, I knew you’d get f*cking rolled seeing your pick/ban, but I didn’t know you’d get rolled this hard. What the hell are you doing?”]

[‘FactPaekRyeokBae’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Information) This bstard sniped Outlaw, calling her a wintrading. Fcking idiot.”]

-Agreed lol
-My
-Ruin
-Ah
-Out
-Law
-Law
-My
-Ruin

[‘JungleDifferenceFairy’ has gifted 10 Star Balloons.]
[“Are you fcking serious, losing to a Master Yi-Taric comp in this meta? You fcking idiot, go f*cking die, please.”]

-Agreed.
-It makes no sense, really lol.
-Is this… Challenger?
-Seeing this bstard hit Challenger, isn’t it actually this bstard who’s wintrading?
-Seriously lol.

This can’t go on.

I need to find the problem and solve it.

“…First, let’s get some feedback on what the problem was.”

Thinking that, Jjushim turned on the replay.