Building an Aggressive Lineup

"One minute left," Sonya reminded. "So, how are we going to respond to that DK?"

"I'm still thinking about it," Cato said. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of it."

Cato did his homework about Yuel's drafting tendencies and already simulated various lines of play against Yuel's most frequent picks. But, this Dark Knight was completely unexpected.

[I mean, they did pick Dark Knight in the previous scrimmage too, but the situation there was totally different.]

Yuel played Dark Knight twice in the previous scrimmage, so it might seem as if Dark Knight was a common pick for Stratus. But, that was clearly wrong.

[He only picked Dark Knight because his lane opponent in Top was trash.] Cato reasoned. [It's clear that their strongest lineup is when Yuel plays Bot with Gunz, so I'm sure he wouldn't try something silly like playing Top against us, right? But if so, then who is even going to use DK? Blackhole? Really?]

That didn't add up. InformationBlackhole hasn't exhibited any signs of being skilled at offense, so he didn't seem to qualify as a good Dark Knight.

[Of course, maybe he totally is and Stratus has been keeping that under wrappers until now. But, I doubt it. I mean, I don't see the point, really.]

If anything, it sounded far more likely that Yuel will swap positions with Blackhole this game. After all, Blackhole could play decent Support too, as proven by the previous scrim.

[The more I think about it, the more likely this theory sounds.] Cato nodded to himself. [Of course, it's still a very shaky theory, considering that Yuel should want to play Bot, but...]

It was a feasible solution, at the very least. Yuel established himself as a surprisingly competent 1v1 combatant, so maybe he decided to try stomping Sonya in Top.

Normally, there was no reason to worry about Sonya's defenses being penetrated. However, with Dark Knight, perhaps Yuel could make it happen.

[It's soooo tempting to switch to formation A and let Yuel deal with Ronald in Top. I'm sure he'll enjoy that~]

But, that wasn't going to happen. William was still adamant about playing Bot against Gunz, still preoccupied with proving himself as the "stronger player", as childish as it sounded.

As such, they had to stick with formation B for now. This meant Sonya will have to deal with that Dark Knight.

It won't be a big deal if Blackhole remains her opponent. But, what if Yuel actually goes Top this game? Would Sonya be able to handle it? Then again, would Stratus even do something like that in the first place? Hmmmmmmm...

"I hope you remember that we have to pick two classes," Sonya nagged again.

"Yes, yes, I'm quite aware, thank you very much." Cato smiled wryly. "Well, one of the picks is pretty much decided. I gotta snag Sorcerer for Matt before anybody can take it. That's alright with everybody, right?"

"No objections here," Sonya said.

"Sounds good." William nodded.

"Alrighty, then I'll select Sorcerer for now." Cato chose Sorcerer but he hadn't locked in the pick yet.

"What's with the hesitation?" Matthew asked.

"I'm just wondering if we should instead pick two classes that can counter DK. Say, both a Top Laner and a Jungler that can shut down DK easily."

"I don't think that's necessary," Sonya argued. "There's no reason for us to adjust our pace to theirs. Give me something like Dragonborn and I'll handle their DK just fine. Though, of course, you'll likely have to gank the lane regularly early on."

"That goes without saying." Cato nodded. "I was just wondering whether I should go for a Jungler that's good at countering DK, like Vampire for example."

"I don't believe there's any need to rush the Jungler pick before we see the rest of their lineup," Sonya said. "Picking the right Jungler for the job is one of the most important decisions of the drafting phase, I'm sure you agree."

"Yes, of course. Hmm. Alrighty, then you want to counter DK with Dragonborn?"

"Yes, please."

"So, Dragonborn and Sorcerer it is."

Cato locked in the two classes. Now, the ball was back in Stratus' court.

"It's just as you predicted, my liege!" Vincent made noise. "Indeed, our opponents didn't think twice before going for Dragonborn!"

"Actually, they mulled over it for quite some time," Yuel said. "But yes, it did go according to plan for the most part. Monk was another option I was expecting, but I'm glad they didn't go there."

"Indeed, as Dragonborn is quite easier to counter!" Vincent partied. "So, shall we go with the plan you prepared ahead of time? Of course, I'm talking about the counter-pick you have already predicted before our foes even made their move!"

"Yes, I say we should go with it as long as you're on board. I know you usually shy away from aggressive picks, but your Berserker is solid."

"Indeed, I usually do not give in to the dark side of aggression. Nonetheless! At times, it becomes necessary to unleash the dark magic sealed in my right hand-"

"Okay, so Berserker it is." Yuel picked the class. [Now, one more class...]

This was going to be Stratus' last pick before the second banning phase. As such, it was the last chance to pick any critical class for the team's game plan before the enemy gets the chance to ban it.

[In our case, I'd say that's Lars's Elf.] Yuel reasoned. [The goof can play aggressively with about any Carry, but I'm banking on his superior mechanical skill with Elf this game. But, I don't think there's a need to rush this pick.]

With how aggressive Stratus' lineup was looking right now, nobody would possibly expect them to pick an Elf for Carry. After all, Elf was one of the few "defensive" Carries; it prioritized mobility and zoning over aggressive pushes.

[I can maybe see them picking Elf themselves but definitely not banning it.] Yuel reasoned. [Besides, I have the feeling they'll wait on their Carry pick. They'll probably first want to see which Carry we bring along before they decide on theirs.]

Cato sounded like that kind of cautious picker, especially against hyper-aggressive lineups. He'll probably be too scared to make any careless picks before seeing what Stratus had in mind.

As such, it was unnecessary to pick Elf this early. Instead, it was better to pick either Mid or Support.

[Hmm. I rather wait a little longer before deciding which class to pick for myself.] Yuel thought. [I'll probably have to pick a class that counters their defense, so I first need to see how they plan to defend. So, let's go with Mid first.]

"Kai, I'd like to pick your class next."

"Fine by me. Though, my plans for Pyro are dead now." Kai made a face. The moment the enemy picked Sorcerer, it made Pyromancer impossible. "Seriously, this guy only plays keep-out classes, huh."

"So it seems." Yuel nodded. "Is Electromancer alright with you?"

"Yeah, that works." Kai shrugged. "Not a very aggressive pick, but it can get the job done. It looks like I'll be leaving the early-game aggression to you all."

"You can count on me!" Luke gave a thumbs up. "My DK gonna run all over them!"

"You're the one I'm the most worried about, to be honest," Kai said. "I have a feeling you gonna crash and burn REAL bad."

"Heh, you're underestimating my powers!"

"I sure hope so." Kai sighed. [Gotta admit, it'll hella yikes how we have to trust him with this important job.]

If Kai could play Pyromancer, then she would have been able to mount some early-game offense of her own. This way, not everything will be riding on Luke's dubious Jungler Dark Knight.

[But, that damn Merlin had to go ahead and pick Sorcerer, huh.] Kai shook her head. [This guy is really getting on my nerves. Alright, then! This game, I'm busting right through his turtling!]

And so, Yuel locked in the two picks: Berserker and Electromancer. As expected, one of the picks invoked a strong reaction from the enemy team...