18 Breaking People’s Brains

"It looks like team Rocket has first pick. They've gone Sharpshooter. What are your thoughts?"

"Absolutely terrible," replied Kelly.

"Seems fine," replied Miranda in unison.

"First pick and both of you are already disagreeing. Are you sure you two are teammates?" joked Warren.

"Why don't you go first?" Miranda was curious what Kelly had to say.

"Ahem. Well. First picking carries in general is a bad idea, especially ones with linear playstyles. Now the enemy team can pick classes that counter Sharpshooter and it just won't be as useful anymore."

"Makes sense." Tyler nodded understanding. "Miranda?"

"Seriously, if Sharpshooter is by far their carry player's best class, then it makes sense to pick it early. Otherwise the other team might pick it. After all, Sharpshooter is one of the more popular carry classes."

"That doesn't stop them from counter picking," pointed out Tyler.

"Nope."

"But it does turn it into a value judgement." Kelly had her serious thinking face on. "It comes down to whether you think you get more out of picking Sharpshooter than the enemy does from counter picking."

"So you think someone's made that call?" pondered Warren.

"No clue." Kelly crossed her arms with a frown. "I can probably guess next game but right now it seems like it's just a comfort pick like Miranda's suggesting."

"Not just comfort. They could be doing something like baiting their opponents into picking high armor classes and then running an ability based build or perhaps it's Sharpshooter mid or…"

Kelly poked Miranda's cheek causing her to stop. "Be at least a little serious," she admonished.

"Oh, c'mon. I'd play them."

"Miranda, you play anything. You even played full mana Monk one game."

"Doesn't Monk not use mana?" asked Warren.

"That's only one of the reasons why it's a dumb build," stated Kelly matter of factly now engaging in a full on poke fight with Miranda trying to bat her hand away.

"What are your thoughts on the teams now?" asked Tyler bringing them back to the ongoing class selection. Team Rocket had followed up their Sharpshooter pick with Golem and Mute. 1mm0rt4l had chosen Ninja, Gatling and Telekineticist.

"They're super meta." Kelly stopped poking Miranda. "Sharpshooter and Gatling are considered two of the best ranged attack carries right now. 1mm0rt4l will be trying to kill the Sharpshooter. Rocket will be trying to protect it. Rocket will follow up with an assassin so they have someone to kill the Gatling. 1mm0rt4l will pick a tank class of some kind to defend the Gatling."

"How do you know that?"

"The meta right now is very bot centric. It's all about whose ranged attack carry can deal more damage. The most efficient way to stop opponents from dealing damage to just go kill 'em. That's why assassins are so popular since they can go kill the opponent's ranged attack carry. Then you need tanks and other classes to protect your own."

"Mhm, mhm. And you?"

"Don't ask me, I don't play meta." The other three people's faces planted themselves directly into the desk. Obviously Miranda was quite knowledgeable about the game and could come up with a reasonable answer. She probably had one too but didn't even try and gave a bullsh*t excuse.

"Really now." Tyler sighed in exasperation. "You have no thoughts?"

"I think they're picking meta. Kelly just said what meta is."

At least this time the answer was more reasonable. Team Rocket did not pick an assassin instead picking up a second tank, Paladin, and Gelisorceror. 1mm0rtal picked up Rogue and Werewolf.

"What team would you want to be on?"

"Rocket seems stronger. All they have to do is farm up, group up, and then defend who is it on the Sharpshooter? Jehsea? Yeah, just defend Jehsea and he'll win them the game. I guess I'll go Rocket. The burden of execution is all on 1mm0rt4l. They have to kill Jehsea or they'll just lose the team fight. But that's impossible. Everyone on Rocket defends Jehsea in some way. They even have Divine Intervention, Complete Silence, and Ice Age. 1mm0rt4l cannot succeed."

Kelly nodded with finality. The audience murmured assent, content with her analysis. Most of them felt that what she said was true even if they were rooting for one team or the other.

"Rocket will win." Miranda concurred with Kelly which only affirmed the general consensus even more. Her next comment blew them away. "But they shouldn't."

"Why not?" Warren asked the question most of the audience immediately thought of. "Are you saying that 1mm0rt4l is actually stronger or has some hidden strength?"

"Nope. It will play out exactly as Kelly stated. 1mm0rt4l will keep trying and failing to kill Jehsea and Rocket will win. They just have too many defensive options for 1mm0rt4l to deal with."

At this point most of the audience was either baffled or not paying attention. She clearly wasn't thinking straight if she didn't think the stronger team would win. After all this game was about teamfighting focused on ranged carries.

"So why should they win then?"

"From the way both teams drafted, it looks like they intend to play meta. Rocket outclasses 1mm0rt4l. That's why they lose. If they don't play meta, then Rocket wins."

"How so?"

"Reasonable answer or unreasonable answer?"

"Reasonable," said Tyler straightaway.

"Rocket's greatest strength is its greatest weakness. When they are grouped up, they are unstoppable. Their Sharpshooter will carry team fights. But that means they need to be where the Sharpshooter is. 1mm0rt4l has three people who can push and deal damage. All they need to do is be taking objectives wherever the Sharpshooter isn't. That can be Pillars, Chimeras, even the Tyrant or Divine Guardian. As long as they're pushing, they can end the game faster and Rocket cannot win."

It didn't convince all of the audience, but a lot of them could see her point. Some of them agreed, others considered it and couldn't make up their minds. Most just thought she was being a contrarian on purpose and making up a rationalization.