Wavering Minds

"Oh, shit!" Taison saw the lion dude jumping on him from the jungle! Shit! This was bad! He won't be able to dodge in time...!

Taison was low on HP, so that leap was gonna have an extra knock-up effect that'll completely kill Taison's chances of getting away. Craaaaap! He should've started retreating earlier to dodge all this bullshit! Damn, now it was all over... or not?

The Lionfolk crashed on the ground, but the slam didn't knock Taison up. In fact, it didn't even hit him. That scrub missed the landing! Khaha! What an absolute tool!

All this time, Taison thought it was a dumb idea to run so close to the walls, but it paid off! Howard's advice totally saved his skin.

"Huh?" Dan blinked. He should've landed on Taison and knocked up that boy, but nope. Did he jump too early? Dang it, what a dumb mess up.

It was all because Taison has been running so close to the walls, which made it awkward to target Majestic Leap on him. Dan had to make sure that Majestic Leap's target location didn't overlap with the wall at all because, otherwise, the game treated the target as invalid. Dan thought he nailed it, but...

Still, this wasn't over yet! Dan was still right in front of his prey, so he darted toward Taison! This was a huge blunder on his side, so he couldn't let it end like this. He'll get closer and CC Taison with Mighty Roar instead. That should be good enough to get the kill- ah!?

"No way, sucker!" Taison rolled aside right as the lion began roaring. [Ha! Ez dodge!]

"Ah, damn..." Dan lowered his head. This was an oopsie, a big one.

"You should've caged him with your ult first!" Yuel criticized. "His ult is still down, so he couldn't have escaped the cage!" Seriously, it was one mistake after another with Dan's plays today. At this point, Yuel couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"R-Right, I just thought it was overkill. Wanted to save my ult for later and stuff..." Dan mumbled. Yeah, that was a derp, alright. Dan should've activated The King's Dominion first to imprison Taison in a cage of lions, then Taison would have had zero chance of escaping. Dan wanted to end this unpleasant job so much that he rushed things.

"N-No problem!" Dan insisted. "I'll just catch up to him and lock him."

"Yes, that's the only thing you can do now." Yuel's voice didn't sound sympathetic in the slightest, but it was hard to blame the guy. First, Dan missed the leap. Then, he wasted the roar. It was one misplay after another with him.

[Focus already!] Dan shook his head. This performance was sloppy and outright embarrassing. This wasn't the time to think about silly stuff like Howard's future. Dan was cast as a player on Yuel's team, so he had to do his job no matter what.

[Alright, he's almost within range...!] Dan was about ready to cast The King's Dominion. Just a few more steps and- wham! A wild ice wall appeared!

"No way..." Dan crashed into the ice wall face-first.

In this narrow jungle passage, the ice wall was wide enough to block the entire path. With Dan's Majestic Leap on cooldown, he didn't have any means to get across. So, it was over. He failed to score this kill.

"Phew!" Taison exhaled. "Thanks, bro!"

"Don't mention it," Howard smiled weakly. "Good job surviving to this point. Now, recall to base and heal up."

"On it."

A huge disaster was averted. In the end, Howard's defense managed to deflect Yuel's attack. There was an element of luck involved, but luck was also part of the game. Especially, the kind of "luck" where an enemy player messed up by rushing things. Howard didn't have direct control over Dan's misplays, but there was no doubt he affected Dan's performance. Therefore, this exchange was Howard's victory.

[This should've been a kill.] Yuel frowned. That attack plan was perfect from start to end. Roi pursuing from one side and Dan cutting-off from the other, it was a pincer which allowed no escape. There weren't any miscalculations in Yuel's plan.

And yet, the plan fell through. Why? The only explanation was the performance of the players. Specifically, Dan's performance. The guy messed up three times in this one chase alone. First, he made a bad turn in the jungle and delayed his arrival, then he failed to leap on Taison and finally he failed to lock Taison inside the cage of lions. Three big mess-ups under less than a minute.

On their own, none of these misplays was a big deal. Everybody made mistakes, so things like that were understandable. But, making so many mistakes one after another like that? Something was clearly wrong here.

"That was a poor play," Yuel criticized.

"You don't say," Dan cracked a laugh. "Yeah, I rushed a little."

"We need every kill we can get. We can't miss chances like that."

"Yeah, my bad. I totally derped that opportunity," Dan straightened himself. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

Dan made that promise to convince Yuel, but in truth, he had to convince himself more than anybody else. Dan's concentration slipped during that chase. He had to make sure this doesn't repeat itself next time.

[Dammit, that was such an important kill.] Yuel bit his lip. He has already planned a few steps ahead after the kill on Taison, it was such a promising future. In a 4v2 situation, Yuel's team would have had the leeway to simultaneously push Mid and Top without worrying about ganks. With only Howard and Ellen to defend, the enemy wouldn't have been able to stop any offense.

Alas, due to how things turned, Yuel had to take Taison's existence into account again. Now, asking Roi to push Top was risky considering his low HP. After Taison heals up at the base, he might be able to immediately travel back to Top via Teleport. That'll lead to Roi's death for sure.

[That kill could've decided the game...!] Yuel gritted his teeth. He had such great plans in store, but everything came down crashing thanks to Dan. The team was supposed to dominate the mid-game with this kill, but instead, both teams remained mostly on even ground.

"So," Roi started. "What's next? Do I retreat, or...?"

"Ah, right," Yuel shook his head. There was no time to cry over spilled milk. This was a team game, not chess. Individual mistakes have always been a thing. As the captain and the shot-caller, it was Yuel's job to figure out the next course of action after one play ended in failure.

[We can't attack as much as I hoped, but we can still attack.] Yuel nodded to himself. The best-case scenario he was hoping for didn't happen, but he had to make the most out of the hand he was dealt.

"Roi, recall. Dan, come help us push Mid. Lars, keep pushing Mid. I'll join you two as well."

"Got it."

"Roger."

"Pushing full force?" Lars grinned. "That's what I like to hear, yo!"

Pushing Top was impossible right now, so they'll push through Mid at full force instead. With Seraph's DPS, they might even take down the Golem after finishing the Turret.

In addition, by gathering three players together on one lane, they protected themselves from any ganks. The enemy team only had three members alive, so at worst, Yuel's strike force will run into a 3v3 situation.

Fortunately, Taison wasn't much of a threat in team fights and Ellen's playstyle wasn't quite at its strongest during team fights either. Therefore, this was a great opportunity to break through. They'll take out the Mid Turret and maybe even the Mid Golem too!

[I knew you'd focus Mid.] Howard arrived on the lane to stall the enemy's progress.

[Fast defense, as always.] Yuel smiled. It was amazing how quickly Howard switched gears and returned to Mid lane. Just a moment ago, Howard protected Taison in the jungle and now he was already in Mid guarding the Turret.

But, it was futile! With Lars's DPS, they'll break through the Mid Turret for sure! Howard will only delay the inevitable, nothing more. Things will start getting trickier only once Ellen and Taison join the defense effort.

[The turret is a goner.] Howard knew that from the beginning. However, by slowing the enemy down just a little bit here, he greatly lowered their chances of claiming the Mid Golem afterward.

[Yuel will keep pushing after taking the Turret.] Howard was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yuel's offense wouldn't stop until things come down to the wire; the disrespect that brat showed was unbelievable.

In fact, Howard expected Roi to stay and push Top despite his low HP. Unfortunately, Yuel's offense was aggressive and disrespectful, but not dumb. Telling Roi to recall was the right decision because Taison's Teleport was ready at a moment's notice and there was a convenient Checkpoint Ward near Top Lane.

[The important question is: can they finish the Golem too?] Howard frowned. It was a difficult estimation. Could the enemy destroy the Mid Turret and right afterward destroy the Mid Golem? Considering Seraph's absurd DPS, that kind of stunt might be possible even in mid-game.

However, could that realistically happen in this very specific situation? Unlike Yuel, Howard wasn't a genius who could crunch numbers. The best he could do was to tap into his vast experience and make an educated guess. He has watched and analyzed many matches throughout the years, so he should be able to give a good estimation.

"Ha..." Nothing came to mind.

"You okay, Wardy?" Ellen asked. "You look a little pale."

"Haha, it's nothing..." Howard blinked multiple times. His concertation has been gradually slipping away throughout this match. This was just a set of three games, so why was he so exhausted?

It was all Yuel's fault. That guy kept attacking and attacking and attacking, using any opportunity he had. Howard had to stay on his toes the entire time and cover up every possible weak spot in the team's formation. Yuel could exploit even the tiniest of openings and turn it into a snowball, so Howard couldn't allow anything to pass through.

Honestly, Yuel was like the bane of Howard's existence. It was a clash between the ultimate offense and the ultimate defense. This game only proved how deep was Yuel's understanding of offense in this game. Even though Yuel went for a mid/late game composition that had to play more defensively, he never missed any good opportunities to attack. Thanks to that, Yuel created this current unfavorable situation for Howard's team and it would've been ten times worse if Howard failed to rescue Taison back there.

Because of stuff like that, Howard couldn't rest for even a moment. Surrendering any initiative against Yuel and Lars was a surefire way to get stomped. Howard had to keep guarding and defending against everything. It was a huge pain, but he had no other choice.

Only against Yuel, Howard had to concentrate on defensive shot-calling for pretty much the entire match. A single misstep was going to be fatal. Frankly, it was exhausting.

[Heh, look at me crying like a little bitch.] Howard chuckled. This was unbecoming of somebody who aimed to be a pro. At the nationals, he'll surely run into opponents with a superior offense. If he can't even deflect the offense in this match, how exactly will he win the nationals? No matter how tiring it was, he couldn't fall apart here!

[C'mon, focus.] Howard inhaled and exhaled. Will Yuel's attack convert into taking down the Mid Golem? Howard should be able to tell, he has watched and analyzed so many matches together with his sis.

This scenario wasn't that rare. Seraph was pushing a Turret and two allies supported him. It was a straightforward scenario that always interesting to analyze due to Seraph's famous DPS. Considering the Turret's current HP, considering the DPS of the involved players and considering...

"Should I come back to defend?" Ellen asked.

"... no," Howard finally arrived at a conclusion. He recalled a similar scenario from a pro match his sister played. In that game, she defended the Golem against a Seraph and two enemies all by herself, while the rest of her team went ahead to push elsewhere. In the end, the Seraph got close but he couldn't take the Golem, and that was a pro-level Seraph player, not some middle schooler.

"Push Bot," Howard ordered.

"Hm?" Ellen tilted her head. "My, you want me to push? In this situation?"

"Yeah, that's the best play right now," Howard nodded. "They won't be able to take the Golem anyway, so we may as well take one of their turrets while they push."

"You sure they won't take the Golem too? I mean, they got Seraph."

"It'll be fine." [Probably.]

"Alright, if you say so," Ellen saluted. "I'm heading to Bot, then."

[If my estimation is wrong, then we're screwed.] Howard braced himself for the worst and poured his everything into stalling the enemy's advance, all on his own.

[Ellen isn't defending?] Yuel squinted his eyes. Why was Ellen pushing Bot? This had to be some sort of mistake...

[Did Howard conclude we won't be able to destroy the Golem?] That's the only explanation that made sense. If this push fails to take the Golem even without Ellen's presence, then it made sense to make her push Bot; it was like trading the Mid Turret for Bot Turret. Golems gradually restored HP over time, so any failed attempt to destroy a Golem might end up the same as not getting to push the Golem at all.

[There's a chance Ellen's push is just a decoy to split our forces, but...] Yuel frowned. That didn't sound like something Howard would pull.

For the most part, Howard's defensive shot-calls have been fairly straightforward. They simply covered up holes in the enemy's defense. Usually, when the tables have been turned on Yuel's team, it was when somebody overcommitted to striking an opening that Howard covered up.

Therefore, it wasn't like Howard to go out of his way and prepare a decoy that lures the enemy into an unfavorable position. On the other hand, that was definitely Ellen's forte. In just today's match alone, she has already pulled off that stunt countless times.

Was this another instance of Ellen baiting them? Maybe. But, even if that's the case, Ellen still had to get Howard's approval for this play. Howard wasn't the type to take a risk during such a critical situation, so he must have been confident that, even without Ellen being there to defend, Yuel's team won't be able to destroy the Golem.

[We really won't make it?] Yuel frowned. According to his calculations, the outcome was indeed down to the wire with just three of them pushing. However, Yuel planned to add Roi the offense as well. So, with four pushers, the enemy Golem should be done for.

Unfortunately, this wasn't pure math. In terms of raw damage output, four pushers will output more than enough damage to destroy the Golem. However, said damage won't necessarily behave like in theory because due to the human factor. There was always the possibility that somebody will mess up things up and the pushers won't get enough damage on the Golem.

[Roi and Dan are especially suspect.] Yuel threw glances at the two troublemakers. These two have been playing alright for the most part, but the few slip0ups they had were awkward and led to terrible consequences. If anything like that happens during this push...

[Is that what Howard is betting on? Or, is there something else he knows that I'm not taking into account?]

『An enemy Turret has been destroyed!』

There was no time left; Yuel had to make a decision. Should Roi join them in Mid? Or, should Roi go defend Bot against Ellen's pushing?

[I don't know what's the correct answer here. But, if Howard is so confident this push won't get the Golem, I better play it safe.]

"Roi, go defend Bot," Yuel ordered.

"Oh? I thought you'd tell me to push Mid. Okay, I'm on it."

"Meanwhile," Yuel addressed Lars and Dan. "We'll keep pushing."

"Roger."

"Let's push all the way to Colossus, yo!"

[That won't happen, but we'll get close.] Yuel nodded

Once they penetrate Mid Lane, the road to the final boss will be open. Their radiant futures in the competitive scene were right within grasp! Just a little more and they'll win!

But, it was too early to celebrate. They had to push as hard as possible, but they couldn't let their guards down until the very last moment. That's why Yuel asked Roi to defend instead of joining the attack. Better safe than sorry.

[Oh, right, there's Roi too...] Howard somehow found himself surprised by Roi's existence.

Back when Howard was weighing the odds that their Golem will survive, he completely forgot to take Roi into account. In a 4v2 situation, Yuel's team would have certainly destroyed the Golem in one fell swoop. Telling Ellen to push Bot instead of defending almost became a fatal misplay.

[Phew, bullet dodged.] Howard sighed.

Still, this was peculiar. Normally, Yuel would send everybody on the attack, especially when there was a great opportunity like this. So, why did Yuel choose to put Roi on the defense in this situation?

[Heh, maybe we intimidated him.] Howard amused himself with that thought. From the very first game today, it was quite obvious Yuel was overly cautious about Howard. And, Howard made sure to do everything in his power to keep justifying such concerns with his airtight shot-calling. His judgment and shot-calls have thwarted Yuel's plans countless times throughout the day, so Yuel had every reason to be cautious.

As a result, maybe Yuel overestimated Howard's judgment regarding the Golem's defense. Howard messed up his estimation because he failed to factor Roi in, but Yuel couldn't have possibly known that. So, maybe Yuel thought that Howard was 100% confident about protecting the Golem even in a 2v4 situation. If any of that was true, that'd be pretty hilarious, right? Haha.

In this decisive final game, at this late stage of the game, even the chesskid with a risk fetish was wary of defeat. Yuel got scared of Howard's ability and bailed out just to be safe. If Yuel stuck to her original playstyle and went all-in with this push, the situation might have become unrecoverable for Howard. But, thanks to Howard's reputation preceding him, a disaster was averted!

[But, I won't be able to get away with it every time. I have to bring this game to an end.] Howard successfully defended the Golem with Taison's help. The enemy shaved off 60% of the Golem's HP, but it was still very much alive.

Meanwhile, Ellen demolished the Bot Turret because it was already at low HP. Roi only got there in time to prevent the possibility of their Bot Golem being taken, but Ellen didn't have such intentions in the first place. She departed into the jungle and got away scot-free.

From this point onward, the match will transition into a phase that'll revolve around team-fights and securing objectives. Who will be able to push faster? Which team will reign superior in team fights? The end game was nigh!

The state of objectives on each lane:

Yuel's team's vs. Howard's team

Top Lane: Turret (80% HP) vs. Turret (90% HP)

Mid Lane: Turret (15% HP) vs. Golem (40% HP)

Bot Lane: Golem (100% HP) vs. Turret (80% HP)