Destroyer of Optimal Plays

After eliminating Freezer, their greatest obstacle in team fights, StormBlitz pushed Mid Lane with full force. With the Overlord's buff providing defense and regeneration to the whole team, they were unstoppable.

"Man, they're so persistent!" Jennifer clicked her tongue. Due to that stupid Overlord buff, her combo burst couldn't wreck enemies as quickly as before. It was still explosive enough to wipe out squishy targets, like the enemy Ranger and Electromancer, but that pesky Druid got in the way.

Somehow, that damn Druid always put a shield on Jennifer's next target, right as she was about to start her combo. The heck with that perfect timing? It's hard to believe a freshman could make such smooth plays. "Dang it, must be beginner's luck. We're so getting styled on right now."

Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the Leopards did a good job protecting their Mid Golem. They body-blocked many of the Ranger's shots, giving up their lives for this noble cause.

『An ally has been killed!』

『You have killed an enemy!』

『An ally has been killed!』

『You have killed an enemy!』

『An ally has been killed!』

After a grindy battle, only Jennifer was left to guard the Golem. But, she was gonna pull through! The Leopards' super minions pushed Top this whole time, they were about to invade the enemy's base. The enemy team was running out of time, they'd have to retreat if Jennifer were to stall them just a little longer.

No matter what, Jennifer was gonna make sure this defense operation was a success. Albert, Cody and Joey - their deaths won't in vain! Alex's didn't count though, that idiot got himself killed first like some Bronze V scrub.

Unfortunately, the enemy still had their Ranger, Knight and Druid, That sucked. Hard. The good news: these three were running low on HP and the Druid just recently used Gaia's Protection, so no more pesky shields for at least 15 seconds.

Jennifer's ult was about to come online, so she'd be in a great position to finish off these dying scrubs. This match wasn't decided yet! She was gonna destroy these cucklords!

"What we gonna, man?" Trever asked. "She's zoning us real hard."

"This is rough." Yuel bit his lip. "I didn't expect such tight defense without the Warlock. That was a miscalculation on my part."

The team was stuck in an awkward position. The enemy Golem was down to 20% HP, an amount Trever could wipe out in a matter of seconds. However, they exhausted a lot of resources to get this far, including their HP. Normally, this late into the game, Druid and Knight could tank the Golem long enough for Trever to seal the deal. However, neither Yuel not Roi had enough HP to pull that off right now. The enemy insisted to stall StormBlitz's push at any cost, so they didn't pull any punches even against tanks.

The enemy showed unrelenting determination and perseverance, that was the core of Yuel's miscalculation. Based on the individual performance of each enemy so far, Yuel estimated there's a high chance StormBlitz would successfully push through. However, the enemy players shattered this prediction to pieces. It's like the idea of losing didn't even cross their minds, they gave their all until the bitter end.

In fact, the Leopards even went on the offensive a couple of times during their defense. That put immense pressure on StormBlitz. The tiniest misplay could result in the enemy stealing the initiative. StormBlitz were supposed to be the predators in this situation, yet their prey was ready to pounce at them at the first opportunity.

That's how Dan and Gilbert were eliminated. Even though Yuel always predicted who ComboBreaker gunned for, he failed to keep his allies alive. With Breaker as the vanguard, the enemy displayed relentless retaliation. Yuel never faced such overwhelming aggression from a cornered enemy before.

Such intensity, such strength. So, this is how a real competitive match felt like. It was so thrilling! Even after he analyzed and deconstructed every opponent, the enemy continued to surprise him and overwhelm StormBlitz. Honestly, he probably wasn't even going to feel too bad about losing to such strong opponents.

Nevertheless, his brain didn't stop racing. After coming this far, he wanted to win. There had to be a way! The enemy only had one defender left!

Option 1: Yuel and Roi would occupy Breaker, while Trever would destroy the Golem. At best, Yuel and Roi would be exchanged for a Golem. Trever might or might not escape alive.

A bad idea. There were more enemies who died before StormBlitz's players, so they were going to respawn first. Considering how long the respawn times were at this point, the respawned enemies would easily push all the way to the Colossus before StormBlitz can regroup, especially with Breaker still in the game.

Option 2: Retreat and wait for the team to regroup, then try settling the match with one final 5v5. Better than option 1, but still shaky. Judging by how much trouble they had pushing Mid with 5v4 and an Overlord buff, they were going to lose that 5v5. Not to mention, the enemy was going to regroup faster thanks to their earlier respawn, so StormBlitz would start the fight at a disadvantage.

Option 3...

Option 4...

...

Option 27...

[Think! Think! There has to be something! ]He searched and searched, simulating countless scenarios in his head. The best ideas led to facing Breaker here and now, but how could he break through her? Was there anything she lacked? Anything she was bad at? No matter how many times he went over the data in his head, he pictured Breaker as a bulletproof player with abundance of skill and experience.

In fact, thanks to Breaker playing so optimally, Yuel successfully countered a few of her assaults in the recent fight. She gunned hard for Trever and Gilbert, the two damage dealers. That's the optimal tactic in virtually any team fight, so Yuel always withheld Gaia's Protection until Breaker made her move, then countered her.

Repeating this routine, he successfully kept Trever alive. However, he wasn't as lucky with Gilbert, who got rushed down by the enemy team after Breaker injured him. So, even when Yuel knew how Breaker was going to play, it wasn't possible to thwart her plans 100% of the time.

The same applied to the current situation. Even though he had a good idea how Breaker was going to play against each option Yuel came up with, that didn't help him find a decisive move to strike her down with. If such a checkmate existed, he wasn't able to read the necessary moves toward it.

"Lemme handle this chick." Roi said. "I'mma send her balls flying all the way to the stand!"

"You want to parry her attacks?" Yuel was taken aback, surprised both by Roi's sudden suggestion and by the fact he somehow understood Roi's nonsensical baseball lingo.

"Yeah, lemme at her. You two focus the Golem, I'mma cover your asses."

"Can you actually hit her basics, though?" Gilbert asked. "You better not be making things up, this is a critical moment."

"Heh, who do you think you're talking to?" Roi grinned. "I'm the cleanup hitter! There's no ball I can't hit!"

"Yeah, very convincing from someone who couldn't parry a single attack the whole match." Gilbert made a face. "You think I didn't see you try? Your swings missed beautifully."

"T-That was just warm up! Don't worry, man! I got a good feel for her timing, so I'mma hit her pitches when it counts!"

"Can't say I'm convinced." Gilbert shrugged. "But, at the same time, I don't see what else we got. What do you think, Yuel?"

"Eh? Me?" Yuel blinked.

"Yes, you. You're the shot-caller right now, remember? I've run out of ideas a long time ago. Their Top minions almost reached our base, so we don't have much time. If you got anything good, you better speak up. Now. "

"I... don't have anything at the moment." Yuel admitted.

"That's sad, we came so far too." Gilbert sighed. "Alright, then what do you say about entrusting the match to this baseball geek? I'm not a fan, personally. I think our best bet is to retreat and regroup. The odds won't be in our favor, but we may have a chance to beat them in one final 5v5."

"I... I need a moment to think." Yuel requested a timeout. Roi's suggestion threw him for a loop, he needed a moment to process this new data. The countless tactics he crafted so far didn't factor this new input, so he had to put them aside for a moment and rethink everything from scratch.

Roi was amazing at parrying. Yuel knew that first-hand, since he learned the art from the guy himself. While Yuel couldn't even dream of parrying a single attack from Breaker with his current skill, Roi might actually pull it off. If so, it'd be a huge play for the team. But, what if he were to fail?

That didn't matter, since all of Yuel's ideas so far involved risk. There's no dodging risk while aggressively pushing from behind, so, there's no point worrying about the "worst case" scenario. No matter which tactic he was going to pick, its "worst case" wasn't going to look pretty.

Therefore, he only had to consider the "average" and "best" cases. Suppose Roi was going to parry at least some of Breaker's shots, what new doors would that open? What kind of new play could be born from there?

Judging by all the skills currently cooldown, considering Breaker's optimal plays, taking into account the Golem's remaining HP and..

[It's possible. ]Yuel nodded to himself. A lot was going to ride on Roi's ability to hold his ground against Breaker for at least a couple of seconds. But, if successful, there were multiple sequences of play which would led to Breaker's defeat. Despite the many uncertainties, it was most likely the best play they had available right now. At least, the best out of everything he could come up with on the spot.

"Let's do it." Yuel said.

"You see a victory beyond that? Just curious." Gilbert asked.

"Yes, it can get us all the way to the Colossus." Yuel nodded. "But, everything is riding on Roi's ability to parry at least some of these fireballs."

"Leave it to me!" Roi gave a thumb up.

"I really hope he's not making shit up." Gilbert sighed. "Anyway, if you really believe this can convert into a victory, then I got nothing to say. We've already done crazier stuff under your lead, no point stopping now."

"Let's stay crazy until the end, guys!" (Trever)

"Yeah! Let's goooo! I'mma show that combo memer she got nothing on my batting!" (Roi)

"You better score a home run here. Focus on the batter, Sir Cleanup." (Dan)

"We'll probably lose if you screw this up," Gilbert said. "But, we'll [definitely ]lose if you don't even try. So, good luck."

It was a critical moment, the next play was going to make or break the game. The pressure should had been maddening, yet Yuel felt strangely calm. The two loud goofs shouted all sorts of encouraging nonsense, while Gilbert and Dan balanced them out with rationality. Yuel was surrounded by strong and reliable teammates, they knew how to maintain a high morale at all situations. No matter how much they struggled this match, they refused to give up. That's what it meant to be a competitive player.

"Before we begin, I need a trap." Yuel addressed Trever.

"Hm?" Trever tilted his head. "Who do you expect to step on it? Meh, screw logic. Where do you want it?"

"Around here." Yuel pinged the map.

"Wut? This close to the Golem? Dunno what you got in mind, but sounds spicy. Here ya go."

With this, preparations were set. Yuel, Trever and Roi invaded the Golem's range, opening StormBlitz's final attack. Yuel and Trever stopped shortly in front of the Golem and started attacking right away. Meanwhile, Roi proceeded ahead, covering them front the frontline

[If you wanna touch mah bois, first you gotta go through me! ]Roi faced Breaker head on. This was it. The other team was in the lead and it was the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs and no runners on bases, the cleanup hitter entered the batting box!

These pumping clutch situations, when everything came down to wire, were Roi's favorite stuff about sports. The whole team's fate was riding on his bat, he had to pull this shit off! After taking a deep breath, he filtered out the noise around him. Only the pitcher in front of him mattered.

"So, they finally came to die. Heh." Jennifer licked her lips. She thought their makeshift team was filled with nobodies, but they sure knew how to make things exciting. They had been making one interesting play after another and this attack was no different. She was sure the Druid and Knight were going to rush her, buying time for the Ranger to destroy the Golem. So, she already mentally prepared to blink through them and combo the shit outta the Ranger, winning the game on the spot.

But, only the Knight rushed her. The Ranger and Druid stayed behind and focused the Golem.... Wait. the Knight also stopped? He just stood there, a little ahead of his pals, as if saying "Come at me, bro!". What the actual heck? Was it some desperate dumb move?

Wait, no. She thought the same about their last couple of plays as well, until they worked out in ways she couldn't even fathom. Was it yet another one of these freakish plays? What were they going for here?

["Don't think too hard, it won't do you any good anyway." ]Coach often told her that, basically calling her dumb. "[Focus on the situation and on what you have to do."]

Right, it didn't matter. Thinking too hard about these things was never Jennifer's forte anyway. She simply couldn't combine thinking and acting into one package, maybe she was really a little dumb or something.

Anyway, it wasn't all bad. Combo players needed pitch-perfect execution to do their job, which required unbreakable concentration. She wasn't good at thinking and acting at the same time, but as a result - she excelled at separating the two and concentrating 100% on one at a time. This granted her flawless combo execution, which many tried and failed to achieve.

There was probably something hiding in the enemy's play, but so what? She'd simply crush them through sheer strength! That's how she played until now and that's how she gonna keep playing!

First, she'd weaken the Knight with her basic attacks, to set him up for an easy kill. Next, she'd finish off the remaining scrubs with her ult. Simple, strong and effective. That's all her plans ever had to be.

She took a deep breath, filtering out the world around her. For the first step, only the Knight in front of her mattered. Equipped with the mental image of her inevitable victory, she fired basic attacks at the Knight.

[Here comes the first pitch! ]Roi clenched his mouse. This was the decisive moment, here and now! He already faced Breaker's pitches before, but he was always struck out. However, thanks to these bitter experiences, he picked up on Breaker's pitching style. [Always right in middle, it gonna be a meatball for sure!]

Roi swung his blade and... it connected! The parry was a success! It insta-cancelled his attack, allowing him to swing at Breaker's second fireball right away, despite her superior attack speed. The second swing made contact too, destroying the fireball! Two home runs in a row!

"Eat that, lol!" Roi grinned. Finally, he also contributed something valuable to the team. Trever was the team's pusher, Gilbert handled shot-calling throughout most of the match, Yuel came up with crazy plans and Dan made a sick kamikaze play.

Compared to these fine plays, what cool stuff did Roi achieve this game? None, really. But, now was his time to shine! His parries were about to make the whole difference between winning and losing the match!

In a world separate from the rest, he faced the enemy pitcher as a batter. All his attention was concentrated on her moves, on her reactions. Thanks to watching her so closely, he parried the third shot as well. Ez, lol.

Honestly, it's not like Breaker's shots were bad or anything like that. On the contrary, she aimed right in the middle of his character model, making her shots as difficult as possible to dodge. However, when it came to batting, there's nothing easier than a meatball!

"A parry player!?" Jennifer exclaimed. What were the odds!? Nobody bothered learning parrying in Classmancers! It was a meme, dang it!

"Heh, seems like they also got a memer on their side."

"Must be your soulmate, Jenny. Haha."

"Oh shut up." Jennifer gritted her teeth. Parries were the bane of combo builds which relied on basic attacks, such as her Combo Pyromancer which relied on the debuff from Demonic Arm. Nobody took parrying seriously in her club, so she didn't have much experience facing it. Nevertheless...!

[Don't underestimate me, damn memer! ]Jennifer roared internally and altered the angle of her next attack. It's true she didn't have experience fighting a real parry player, but she studied counters and practiced them on other club members. No matter how niche parrying was, it's still the bane of her playstyle, so she couldn't possibly ignore its existence. Being prepared to every situation, no matter how unlikely, was the only way combo players could thrive on the battlefield!

"Whoa! A breaking ball!?" Roi swung his bat against the usual meatball, but his sword sliced through empty air. Breaker slightly altered the angle of her shot right before firing, it was just enough to throw off Roi's timing. The fireball hit his shoulder, which spelled doom.

"Shit! Sorry, I done goofed." Roi already knew what was coming. The Pyromancer's attack speed was leagues ahead of his, so without insta-cancelling - his bat couldn't keep up with her pitches anymore. There's no second chance for him, it was a strikeout.

[Yes! That's it! ]Jennifer grinned. Her first face-off against a parry player and she won! Hell yeah! Her training wasn't in vain!

Her first hit followed up by three more hits, which the Knight wasn't even fast enough to challenge. After four full hits, Demonic Arm's defense debuff was in full effect. Now, she just had to combo the Knight and Ranger to death and it'd be over.

Taking into account the skill's casting speed, she started off with Blaze of Inferno. She drew a trail of fire leading from the Knight to the Ranger, ready to unleash a blaze on both of them.

But first, she had to proc the effect of Spellbook of Doom. Before Blaze of Inferno actually started hitting the targets, she scorched the ground underneath them with Pillar of Fire. The timing was just right. As soon as Pillar of Fire proc'd Spellbook of Doom, the flames of Inferno emerged from thin air to burn her opponents.

The follow up was instantaneous, leaving her enough time to blink and add Flame Wave to the combo. That's gonna settle the match once and for all!

"Right!"

"Left!"

Trever and Roi shouted, confirming they were going to dodge in opposite directions like they planned. Yuel already foresaw Breaker's most likely play for this situation, so the team was well prepared.

With Trever and Roi dodging in opposite directions, they put Breaker on the spot. She had to decide which them she was going after, since the range of Flame Wave wasn't enough to reach them both. At least, not with ease.

It was possible on paper, but she had only about a second to make her move. Could she find the best spot to blink to? In such a small window of time?

"Tch, don't mess with me!" Jennifer roared. Her enemies started rolling in opposite directions, trying to throw her off. Thanks to the slowdown from Pillar of Fire, it was like her prey moved in slow motion. She could see every move! They weren't getting away!

Rolling in opposite directions was a natural counter for such situations, so of course Jennifer knew about it. To become a competitive level combo player, she had to study not only the optimal combo plays, but also their best counters. She practiced countless sceneries with her teammates, imprinting all the optimal responses onto her brain.

Therefore, her body reacted without even thinking. It didn't matter she had only one second, her body was wired to make the optimal play in every situation. There was no hesitation or calculation, simply action.

She blinked forward, placing herself diagonally to both targets. From this position, with this angle - she could destroy them both! It was the only spot from which Flame Wave had enough range to hit both the Knight and Ranger. Yeah, it was the stuff! Her body reacted perfectly!

"Ah!?" She gasped. Her fingers already inputted command for Flame Wave, everything went smoothly. But. But. But, there were branches. Branches. Branches! BRANCHES!? They were getting closer and closer, about to devour her.

"N-No! No way!!!"

Indeed, she made the optimal play. She blinked to the best spot for hitting both her targets, the ONLY spot available for that. But, precisely because it was the one and only optimal move for her - it was predictable.

[Thank you for playing your best even in this tough situation. ]Yuel smiled. Truly, Breaker deserved respect. She reacted to everything with speed and efficiency, always aiming for the best plays.

And, because of how highly he regarded Breaker, he put his faith in her in this critical situation. He trusted her to move to the best location available, which is why he confidently fired Nature's Grasp toward that spot ahead of time.

Nature's Grasp was a thin skillshot, so landing it quickly on a blinking enemy was nigh impossible, especially for a mechanical scrub like Yuel. But, since he perfectly predicted her position after the blink - he made perfect contact! The tree branches reached Breaker and pulled her toward him, before she even got the chance to fire Flame Wave.

At his feet laid a Beartrap, which he asked Trever to set up. Breaker was pulled right into it, getting stunned. Trever seized this opportunity, switching his focus from the Golem to Breaker. It was over.

『An enemy has been killed!』

『An enemy Golem has been destroyed!』

From there, the push was smooth. They invaded the enemy base and fought the Colossus, destroying it before the enemy team got to respawn.

『VICTORY』

"Yeah! We did it!" Roi pumped a fist.

"That pull was hot, kid!" Trever rubbed Yuel's hair, which was annoying to say the least. But, Yuel couldn't bring himself to say anything back. His heart still raced from the events of the past minute. Everything happened so quickly, as if in a flash.

"We really did it, huh." Gilbert took a deep sigh of relief, still processing the 『VICTORY』 on the screen.

"Heh," Dan chuckled "Turns out Suicide Lancer is the new meta, guys."

It was just the first match out of five, but they celebrated as if they already won the entire thing. Hard to blame them, considering how impossible comeback they made against such a strong team. Even Yuel started losing hope toward the end, until Roi suggested that brilliant parrying idea. If not for that, there's no telling how the match would had turned out..

While everybody rejoiced they won this impossible match, Yuel also celebrated a personal victory. It's the first time his skills were put to test in a competitive match and they passed with flying colors. Facing strong opponents like Howard and Ellen on a daily basis made him questions the limits of his tactics, but they proved themselves plenty effective even on the real stage. Of course, this was still just a second string match, but it was a huge achievement nonetheless.

After each game, the teams were given a 10 minutes break. Everybody left their chairs at once, joking about "Dan the Kamikaze God" and what not. However, Gilbert stayed behind, still staring at the match's statistics.

"Is something wrong?" Yuel asked.

"We really won this, huh." Gilbert still couldn't quite come to terms with this reality. "When I made you the shot-caller, I was sure we're already doomed. I've been making the best calls I could come up with, but it didn't get us anywhere. So, I pretty much gave up."

"You didn't make any mistakes, at least not from what I can tell." Yuel said. "Your calls were solid, it's thanks to them that we lasted for so long."

"But, they were nowhere near good enough." Gilbert shook his head. "I was sure the only we can win is by playing defensively and waiting for the enemy to mess up. But then, you came around and turned everything on its head, starting with Dan's kamikaze. That suicide play was so mind-boggling, I could never come up with something like that. Seriously, just what are your and Howard's brains made of?"

"Well..." What could Yuel possibly say? It's not the first time he's told by others they couldn't understand how he came up with his strategies, and it surely wasn't the last. Even after coming all the way to the competitive scene, he still couldn't escape this curse. So annoying.

"Well, whatever." Gilbert shrugged and stood up. "You've proved yourself this match, so be ready - you're the shot-caller next game too."

"R-Really!?"

"Of course, why the surprise? You totally owned the late game. Everybody will agree you're the better shot-caller."

"But, you also did a good-"

"No, no need for that." Gilbert tapped on Yuel's shoulder and smiled wryly. "I've been hanging long enough around Howard to realize I'm nothing special. If handing you the shot-caller role is going to increase our chances of winning, I'm fine with that. I'll do what I do best, so you do what you do best. Simple as that."

"I understand." Yuel nodded. "I'll make sure to not disappoint."

"No big deal, I'll just take the role back if you mess up." Gilbert chuckled. Was it just a joke? Or, perhaps what he truly wished to happen? After all, despite everything Yuel said to console Gilbert, he actually wanted to hold onto the shot-caller role and never let go of it. Their feelings must had been mutual on the matter, but Gilbert was mature enough to surrender the role for the sake of the team.

Just half a year ago, Yuel was a mere examinee applying for the Classmancers club. Since then, he climbed all the way to the second string and became its shot-caller. It was arguably the highest position on the second string, right beside the captain. In a sense, he was closer to the first string than anybody else here. Soon, he'd definitely climb to the first string and take Howard's position for himself! The closer he got to his goal, the stronger his spirit burned!

But, before any of that, there was still a long fight awaiting him in the second string.

"You gotta be shitting me..." Jennifer just sat there, staring blankly at her screen. How? Why? Didn't she make the best moves available for her? Didn't she play that last move perfectly?

"Man, can't believe we lost this..."

"These guys are actually pretty strong, dang it."

The morale of the Leopards was at an all time low. They dominated the whole game! They were going to win for sure! These confident thoughts blew up in their faces, delivering a heavy blow to their high spirits. Only one player escaped that, since he was at low spirits in the first place.

"Well," Alex shrugged. "They got us the moment they took the Overlord."

"That's bullshit!" Jennifer slammed on the table. "You gave up, didn't you? I saw that shit! You stood there like a damn scarecrow when the Druid pulled you! We could've won if you just got your ass outta there in time!"

"Big words for someone who also lost by being pulled." Alex sneered. "Very captain-like of you to shift all the blame on your teammate."

"You little shit...!" Jennifer's fists trembled, she ached to leap on that lazy idiot and tear him apart. But, she knew he had a point.

The momentum really shifted in the enemy's favor after they took the Overlord. That was a huge oversight on her side, Alex even warned her about that possibility. It didn't excuse him from being a quitter, but it proved she shared some of the blame too.

"Alright, no big deal!" Jennifer produced a loud clap, echoing throughout the hall. "They caught us a little off guard in the end there, but we've been kicking their asses the whole game. So, we're clearly better than these scrubs. Change gears and be ready to get revenge, boys!"

"Yeah!"

"They won't get lucky next time!"

The whole team was psyched. Despite the devastating defeat, not a single member of the Leopards thought they were going to lose again today. The captain's enthusiasm spread throughout the team like an infection, even Alex wasn't entirely unaffected.

[Heh. She has the brains of a monkey, but at least she can talk big.] Alex sneered. [That's literally the only reason Coach made her the captain. As long as the enemy don't break her, everybody gonna keep fighting hard. Sigh, what a drag.]

After tasting defeat in the first round, the Leopards were more pumped than ever. They gonna pay back the favor next game! The StormBlitz vs. Leopards scrimmage was just getting started!