The Princess's Analysis

"Whoa, that DK is such a ballsy pick," Karen commented. "Either they're brave or they're hella dumb. Sis, are you sure these guys are really worth our attention?"

"Hmm." Fiona knotted her brows. That Dark Knight pick caught even her off-guard.

Both in chess and in Classmancers, following the meta was the key to victory. In the same way chess players studied the optimal openings, Classmancers players picked the superior classes and formed the best team compositions.

That was the primary guideline by which Fiona studied Classmancers, and the various coaches she hired endorsed this approach as well. Naturally, that also included Fernando Rodriguez, the Leopards' famous coach.

The only coach who ever tried to teach Fiona differently was the one who insisted to call herself "Esmeralda". The witch's unorthodox approach was the main reason Fiona didn't mesh too well with the teachings. Even though some of the woman's crafty advice was definitely valuable, a lot of the concepts didn't sit right with Fiona.

Out of all the coaches, Esmeralda would likely be the one only to not bat an eye at a Dark Knight pick. She'd even go as far as claiming that a Dark Knight pick was perfectly fine, even against a powerhouse like the Leopards.

As far as that oddball of a woman was concerned, Classmancers was a game without hard rules. It only had guidelines that people could greatly benefit from following, but otherwise, nothing was set in stone.

According to her, there were always exceptions to everything. Esmeralda insisted there was always value in trying out new things that strayed away from the meta, no matter what others thought of it.

It was an interesting point of view, one could even call it "revolutionary". But, in the end, it was simply too unrealistic and inefficient.

Humans had a finite amount of time and resources for polishing their skills in any one particular field. Nobody understood that fact better than Fiona Landberht, who competed in many different sports at the same time.

In order to climb to the top of each competitive field, it was necessary to study and master the "meta" of the game. That was the fastest and most efficient method for turning into a high-level competitor.

As such, inefficient off-meta picks like Dark Knight were simply unacceptable. The class definitely had its unique strengths, but it was far too fragile and flawed to be utilized in real tournaments.

[From the top of my head, I can only recall a handful of pro games in which Dark Knight was ever picked.] Fiona thought. [And, if memory serves, none of these were A-League teams. As such, even the few examples that exist are not worth taking seriously.]

The A-League housed the teams that had the most robust experience in the field. As such, only their opinions on the meta were relevant to consider.

Therefore, if no A-Leaguer ever seriously picked Dark Knight, then clearly the class was not meta under any circumstances. A mere middle schooler couldn't possibly discover a strong use for Dark Knight that the best pros missed.

As such, this Dark Knight pick was undeniably faulty in the current meta. This wasn't an opinion or an estimation, but a hard, cold fact.

[And yet, I find myself wondering.] Fiona admitted. [Is 'he' going to show us an innovative tactic of some sort that can counter the Leopards using a Dark Knight?]

Normally, Fiona would dismiss such nonsensical ideas on the spot. And yet, two years ago, Fiona was defeated by precisely this sort of nonsense.

Somehow, Yuel Fermond found an odd line of play that threw Fiona off her game. His ideas in that game were nearly as nonsensical as this Dark Knight pick, yet the man managed to make them work.

[Of course, if I had just calmly analyzed the board back then, then I would have immediately discovered the flaws with his plays. Alas, I was a bit too inexperienced at the time...]

When the chess engine analyzed the two games Fiona lost, it immediately discovered swift and efficient counter-plays to the bizarre moves Yuel Fermond mounted. These were not the simplest counter moves to find as they required a fair share of foresight, but finding them should not have been that far beyond Fiona's level at the time.

Yes, she should have been able to stay calm and take her time finding these answers. And yet, Fiona failed to do so.

Yuel's plays were so off-putting, so far removed from standard theory. It was almost on par with playing against Cato's usual nonsense, except ten times more bizarre.

For one, Cato played the way he did because he worshiped defense. But, why did Yuel Fermond pull the moves he did? What was the core motivation behind all these unorthodox ideas? The answer escaped Fiona to this very day.

[Of course, I would not lose to such nonsense again if we played today.] Fiona asserted. [But, in the same way I have improved my mettle over these past two years, I am sure Yuel Fermond did the same. So now, two years later, what new manner of trickery is he going to show me?]

When a dark horse player like Yuel Fermond was involved, even a Dark Knight pick did not seem too out there. Maybe, just maybe, the man actually had a method of actually putting this inferior class to good use against the Leopards.

[It is a hyper-aggressive class.] Fiona analyzed. [Therefore, against a hyper-defensive team like Cato's, there might be some merit to dialing up the aggression tenfold and testing out the waters... No, I should stop. It is no use for me to try and understand the minds of those who make irregular plays on a regular basis.]

Dark Knight was a poor choice, such was the absolute truth Fiona Landberht stood by. And yet, she was also interested in seeing how this pick would play out. Because maybe, just maybe, it will positively surprise her in some manner.

Unlike Fiona, her younger sister lost all faith in Stratus right away.

"Sis, are you SURE it was worth coming here to watch this guy's game? What's his name, again? Yarl or something?"

"You most likely refer to Yuel Fermond. And, just to make it clear, we did not come here to watch [his] game in particular or anything of the sort."

"Oh, is that so?" Karen tilted her head. "But, this is the first time you've personally come to watch a scrim. Before, you've always said it's a 'waste of precious time' because we can just buy the replay and watch it later."

"I still stand by that statement overall. The replays of the scrimmages contain all the information we need for analyzing our opponents."

"Yep, I agree. But then, why are we here, again?"

"I simply had a little bit of free time before my piano lessons, so I figured I will drop by to see how this match pans out."

"Huh. So basically, you're hella interested in seeing how this Yarl guy fares."

"It's Yuel, not Yarl. And again, I insist that I did not come here specifically to watch his team's performance or anything of the sort. Perish that nonsensical thought at once."

"Oh~?" Karen snickered. "Okay, okay. So, we're actually here to watch Cato get his ass handed to him, right?"

"Now it sounds as if you are projecting your own interests."

"Hehe, maybe~" Karen stuck out her tongue. "But gotta say, so far, I'm disappointed. I thought that Yarl guy or whatever was supposed to be amazing?" [After all, he did beat sis once in chess. I mean, I know she had an off day that one time, but it still takes some serious skill to take her down.]

Karen kept all these thoughts to herself, knowing all too well that it was a touchy topic for her sister. No matter how tough and indifferent Fiona acted about it, that one unfortunate defeat clearly haunted her to this very day.

That was most certainly the reason why they were here today, watching a game that nobody would normally expect to be anything more than one-sided stomping. Fiona undoubtedly believed she'll see something more interesting than a straightforward crushing defeat.

But, so far? Stratus was a "meh" team at best. They fell behind really early in the previous game and lost miserably. Honestly, Karen wasn't impressed at all.

"I would say they put on an adequate performance," Fiona argued. "There is a clear skill gap between the two teams' players, but Stratus persisted until the very end and almost mounted a comeback."

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess they weren't too terrible if you put it that way." Karen shrugged. "Well, let's see if they can do any better this game. So far, the DK pick is REALLY not inspiring confidence."

"I agree with that."

Just like them, most of the audience wanted to write off the Dark Knight on the spot. And yet, considering how Stratus nearly turned the tables on the Leopards in the previous game, many were hoping to see another similar upset this game.

Will Stratus live up to any of these expectations? Or, will they crash and burn horribly?