Planning for the Long Game

『The enemy team selected Aquamancer.』

"Of course he would do that..." Cato smiled wryly. [Well played Yuel, well played.]

Aquamancer was a rather niche class in the competitive scene, but an extremely potent counter-pick against classes that had invulnerability effects like Vampire and Cryomancer. Yuel has picked it before against Taurus, so it didn't come as a big surprise that he picked it here again.

The real surprise was Stratus' other pick.

『The enemy team selected Elf.』

"My, what a peculiar pick," Cato said. "I vaguely recall Gunz playing Elf before, but it didn't leave much of an impression."

"He played Elf?" Matthew asked. "I don't remember that from the Taurus scrim."

"Really? I was sure he did." Cato frowned.

"It wasn't against Taurus," Sonya pointed out. "Gunz played Elf against our second-string last year."

"Oh yes, of course." Cato finally remembered. "As always, you have everything memorized. As expected from my secretary~"

"Who's your secretary?" Sonya made a face. "Anyway, that's the only record we have of Gunz playing Elf."

"So, remind me, was he any good with it? I don't seem to remember anything that stood out."

"It's not surprising that you don't remember," Sonya said. "His Elf didn't leave much of an impression. They must've just picked it as a defensive option against Jeniffer's combos."

"So, Gunz didn't pull any impressive stunts with that Elf?"

"No, not really. His mechanical skill was up to par as usual, but that's about it."

"Meaning, his Elf isn't much of a threat," Willaim concluded. [When somebody like Gunz leaves a mediocre impression, it means he wasn't that good with the class. Hmph. What an odd pick, then.]

"Interesting, very interesting," Cato said. "So, not only they have picked a very defensive class for their hyper-aggressive lineup, but it's also a class that Gunz doesn't seem particularly great with. Yeaaaaah, now these guys have officially lost me."

"Maybe he has powered up since then?" Ronald suggested. "Ya know, like doing some special training to become the No. 1 Elf player in the world!?"

"What kind of childish nonsense is that? This isn't a comic," Cato asserted. "But, you might be right. It's possible his Elf is much better than it used to be. Still, that doesn't change the fact it's a bizarre pick for a hyper-aggressive comp."

"Well, sounds like it's up to me to test him out," William summarized. "I'll find an opportunity to pressure him and check what his Elf is all about."

"I'll leave that to you then." Cato nodded. "So, Will, now that you know their entire lineup, which class would you like to go with?"

"Hey!" Ronald interjected. "What's with this bias? Why couldn't you ask me nicely like this when it was my turn to pick a class?"

"Oh, it's elementary, my boy. It's because I don't trust your judgment. Like, at all."

"Wha-!? Rude much? I object!"

"Good luck with that." Cato sidestepped the confrontation. "So, what do you think, Will? I think a defensive pick will do well here, considering their lineup."

"Hmm. Elf is pretty much the best as far as defensive Carries go, but..."

"True, but there are a few other options."

"Hmph. I can't say I'm a big fan of those. Besides, I'm not sure it's even necessary for me to play defensively in the first place. I mean, I'll be going up against an Elf."

"That's only the early-game, right?" Cato pointed out. "You also need to consider the rest of their lineup. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that Elf is a low-tier bait to make you lower your guard."

"Honestly, we have enough defense in our lineup as it stands," William said. "We also have to think about how we're eventually going to win after we're done defending."

"Hmm. That's also true." Cato took a step back and re-examined their lineup.

Indeed, all four picks thus far were strongly tailored for defense. Of course, that was a deliberate choice, the goal was to counter the enemy's hyper-aggressive lineup. But, Cato might've gone a little overboard there.

[In terms of endgame potential for wrapping up the game, the only thing we have is Sorcerer. The rest won't have any special power spikes toward the late-game.]

For example, Dragonborn was going to be the team's main tank. It was picked in order to withstand the early might of Dark Knight and to discourage enemy ganks, but that's about it. The class itself wasn't anything too special in the late-game.

Sonya might be able to transition into a bruiser build toward the endgame in order to increase the team's offensive potential, but that'll take a lot of time and gold to set up. And, even then, she'll only be a tanky bruiser at most, not a real offensive piece.

Similarly, Vampire was a class with great survivability for any stage of the game and it was a strong ganker. However, it wasn't a particularly impressive pusher for the late-game.

Likewise, Cryomancer didn't have any amazing late-game pushing capabilities either. He was just there to keep allies alive, to help the team survive the enemy onslaught.

"Yes, I see what you mean, Will," Cato said. "Even if we deflect Stratus during the early/mid-game, it won't be so easy for us to wrap up the game with these classes."

"Exactly."

"So, are you thinking about picking a strong mid-game Carry?"

"No, I was thinking more about a late-game one. A Hyper-Carry, in fact."

"Whoa, sick!" Ronald exclaimed. "Leave it to bro to go for the cool picks! I totally support this one, by the way."

"Nobody asked you," Cato said. "So, a Hyper Carry, huh. Droid again?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of Seraph."

"Hmm. Yes, of course. It has the better escape tools, so it's better against this lineup." Despite that, Cato knotted his brows. This idea wasn't nearly as innocent as William was making it sound.

"You realize what you're suggesting, right?" Cato asked. "You want to pick a class that's helpless in the early-game, and you want to do that against a team that's planning to go ham in the early-game. Not exactly the safest of picks, in my humble opinion."

"So, what do you suggest instead? To pick a mid-game class? That may be safer, but not nearly as advantageous once we get into the late-game. Against a hyper-aggressive lineup like this, we have to make sure we crush them in one fell swoop once the mid-game ends."

"My, it sounds like somebody is out for blood~" Cato smiled impishly. "Overall, I agree with that theory. But, keep in mind that their team is at its strongest on the offensive, both mechanically and tactically. They're trying to make us play on their playfield."

"That's why I'm saying we shouldn't get dragged into their pace," William asserted. "I can't speak for everybody, but at least I'm confident I can survive through their aggressive early-game."

"My, as confident as ever, aren't you?"

"It's not that hard. And, once I clear that hurdle, it'll be easy to wrap up the game from there with Seraph, as opposed to using other classes that'll require more time and effort."

"That's true, I suppose."

"Besides, if their early offense is good enough, then we might be at a disadvantageous position during the mid-game. So, it might be too early to try turning things around at that time."

"Oh my." Cato blinked. "Are you actually expecting us to be in a bad position during the mid-game?"

"Well, it's possible, right?" William shrugged. "It's clear that this Stratus isn't the 'bottom tier team' it used to be, not with players like Chess and Gunz on the team. So, we have to be ready for a difficult fight."

[I see, I see.] Cato smiled meaningfully. [So, he's taking this more seriously now. Good, good~]

It seemed like the clash in Bot with Chessmaster and Gunz did good for William. The arrogant fellow didn't think too highly of Stratus' aces back when he watched the replays, but now he was respecting their mettle and making his decisions accordingly.

"Alright," Cato said. "If you're that confident you can get to the endgame with Seraph, then let's roll with it. But keep in mind that if this fails, then next game we'll be going with formation A."

"Hmph. We won't fail," William asserted. "But, alright. If we lose this game or even come close to losing, then I'll be fine with changing lineups for a game or two."

[For a game or two, huh.] Cato smiled meaningfully. [I see he's really hellbent on challenging Gunz. One could write a love story based on this~]

"Alright, then Seraph it is," Cato summarized. "Ronald, as his Support, you have the responsibility of safely delivering your dear brother to the late-game."

"No problem, bro!" Ronald gave a thumbs up. "I'mma deliver you all the way to the moon with my supporting!"

"Hmph. I wish I could trust that." William shrugged. "I mean, you're planning to go with a power build again, aren't you?"

"Yeah, of course, bro! That's my style!"

"You're going to do this even though our opponents will be super aggressive in the early-game, far more aggressive than you can ever get as the Support."

"No biggie! Gonna fight fire with fire!"

"Hah..." William sighed and didn't say anything else. There was no point arguing with that doofus on this topic, it'd be like talking to a brick wall.

[My, this brat is ever the troublemaker.] Cato grumped. [On one hand, I absolutely want to win the next game. But, on the other hand, I really want Yuel to whoop this little rascal so he stops doing this shit in important matches. Sigh. What a pain in the neck...]

And so, the drafting phase came to an end.

At the time, the Leopards were unaware that their understanding of their enemy lineup was completely off...

===Stratus===

Yuel (Chessmaster): Aquamancer

Lars (Gunz): Elf

Vincent (InformationBlackhole): Berserker

Kai (Beat): Electromancer

Luke (LegendaryMemer): Dark Knight

===Leopards===

Ronald (AbsoluteChallenger): Cryomancer

William (AbosluteWinner): Seraph

Sonya (TheTheorist): Dragonborn

Cato (Rook): Vampire

Matthew (Merlin): Sorcerer