Small Force vs. Big Force

[No, I can't win here.] Jin had to admit. The enemy forces vastly outnumbered him, so there was no chance to turn the tables around. [But, if I prove I can stand up to Ignis even in this situation, then it should give me some credits.]

So, that begged the question: how should a small army fight against a bigger one?

Unlike the military commander of a real army, Jin didn't have direct control over his minion. So, he could only operate within the restricted rules of the minions' AI, which followed very basic principles and didn't leave much room for creativity.

Nonetheless, there were some tactics for coping with this kind of situation. It required taking a risk, but Jin had to shoot for it.

[I never thought I'd play like this in a high-level match, but I have no choice.] He advanced toward the enemy commander. As absurd as it sounded, the plan was to start this fight by striking none other than the most dangerous foe.

"Please tell me you're not planning to continue this fight," Howard intervened.

"I have to give it a shot." Jin didn't have time to explain his reasons.

"It's beyond reckless," Howard insisted. "Not only you're at a disadvantage, but you might also get ganked. Hawk has been MIA for a while now. I suspect he's counter-jungling."

"Most likely," Jin answered without stopping his advance. He reached the enemy frontline and brandished his blade, slashing through Ignis's arm.

"I'll be honest, this is foolish." Howard's tone turned stern. "I didn't expect somebody who's aiming to be a pro to play like this."

"I know. This play is far from ideal," Jin agreed he retreated to the side of the lane. "But, it's something I have to do."

Hitting Ignis triggered the entire enemy army. They all focused their attention on Jin instead of attacking his bowmen.

As dangerous as it was, at least it provided more longevity to his little squad. As long as Jin distracts the enemy forces, his bowmen will stay safe and continue raining arrows on the enemy.

"Hrm." Howard wasn't convinced in the slightest, but the die was already cast. There was no stopping this absurd play anymore. "You should've at least cooperated with the Jungler on this."

"I suppose so." Jin gave a handwavy response. He didn't have the time to be distracted by chit-chat.

In this dangerous and disadvantageous situation, a single misstep could cost him his life. He had to fully concentrate on the challenge in front of him.

"Fine." Howard gave it a rest as he realized the importance of that as well. "Dan, drop everything and rotate to Top. Even spend your leap if you have to. Just get there ASAP."

"Oh man, I had such a snazzy farming route ahead of me. Everything just finished respawned." Dan pouted, but he didn't argue with the command. The urgency in Howard's tone made it clear how important this mission was. "Okay, I'm on it. I'm gonna be there in a jiffy, my guy!"

[And, how are you going to help me, exactly?] Jin scoffed.

On paper, Howard's call made perfect sense. It was best to cooperate with the Jungler for what Jin was trying to accomplish.

In fact, Jin also considered reaching out to the Jungler before going forward with this risky attack. However, the idea only crossed his mind for a brief moment, then vanished without a trace.

[I'd rely on a good Jungler, but this one is just bad.] Jin thought. [William would at least be helpful in a situation like this, and even Cato could get something done. But, this Jungler? I don't expect much. If anything, I'm more concerned he might get himself killed if he comes here.]

Regardless, there was no time to argue with this development. Jin had to keep running around to distract the enemy minions. Each of his steps had to be flawlessly calculated. He didn't have the luxury to be distracted by petty matters.

[Worst case, if something happens to the Jungler, it'll be Howard's responsibility.] Jin concluded. [I just have to make things work on my end. That's the only thing worth worrying about right now.]

Jin masterfully drew the enemy army away from the center of the lane, toward the upper border of the map. But, unfortunately, this was as far as he could go. From there, he could only retreat back into allied territory, which wasn't ideal.

[But, I have to keep driving them.] Jin reasoned. [As long as they're chasing me, they can't harm my minions and they barely get to attack me either.]

The bowmen's arrows threatened to reach him every now and then. However, he made all arrows whiff by maintaining optimal spacing and by tactically pausing at carefully calculated moments, tricking the bowmen into nocking their arrows for nothing. Doing so required delicate execution and unbreakable concentration, but it was doable.

Manipulating minions was one of the many arts of war that were drilled into Jin back in Korea, so he had confidence in his execution. As long as he stayed focused, he'll lead these minions by the nose and get a chance to turn the tables around.

But, naturally, Ignis wasn't sleeping while this while taking place. So, while Jin was distracting her minions, she went after his bowmen.

[Tch, this brat sure knows how to move, I'll give him that.] Ignis had to admit that the kid's minion manipulation was pretty much flawless. Most players would get hit by at least one arrow by now, yet this Chinese brat consistently stayed out of range, just by a hair's breadth.

[But, you're really pushing it, kid.] Ignis shook her head. [You should've retreated while you had the chance. Like, what are you even hoping to achieve here? You really think I'll let this pass?]

Ignis raised her big sword and sliced through the enemy bowmen. She wrecked them one by one, turning them to dust.

These bowmen were like the lynchpin of the kid's entire plan here. Therefore, taking them out would put an end to whatever nonsense the brat was trying to pull here.

[Aaaaand done.] Ignis nodded in satisfaction. All minions were deleted. The kid remained alone.

Admittedly, his not-so-terrible maneuvers bought his bowmen some precious time. Before Ignis cut them down, the little guys rained enough arrows to eliminate Ignis's injured swordsmen. But, that was all they achieved.

Ignis's frontline might have fallen, but her bowmen remained intact. And, they were more than willing to drill a couple of arrows into that cocky brat.

[So, tell me, kid. What did you even achieve here?] Ignis shook her head. [I still got the upper hand by a long shot. You got some nice moves there but they brought you nowhere. If anything, you just cut off your own chances of escaping.]

At least, that was Ignis's evaluation of the situation. And, to a degree, her opponent concurred.

[This definitely isn't a good look.] Jin thought. [But, so far, everything is going according to plan.]

He was left all alone in the lane, tasked with confronting Ignis and her three healthy bowmen. These were terrible odds, to say the least.

However, that was exactly the finale he envisioned from the get-go. He was waiting for this exact situation, with this exact timing, so he could bring an end to it.

[Right on time.] Jin glanced at the cooldown on Shield Bash. The counter has just hit zero, informing him that the skill was ready to use. That was the trump card he was betting on all along.

And so, Jin switched gears. Instead of fleeing from the bowmen, he turned around and charged forth with his shield.

One full round of arrows rained on him, delivering damage that wasn't negligible. But, that was the end of it. The bowmen didn't get a chance to nock their arrows a second time.

Jin rammed into the bowmen with his shield and stunned them. Next, he followed up with Blade Swing, slicing through the entire line of bowmen in one fell swoop. That was enough to wipe them all out.

Neither side had any minions left, so it became a pure 1v1. From an overwhelming disadvantage, Jin found a way to bounce back and even the odds!

But, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He had to pay about 15% of his HP for this trade.

[And, I'm also at a disadvantage when it comes to skills.] Jin reasoned. [My Shield Bash is down, but her Fearless Charge should be up by now. And, she has War Cry, too.]

Even though Jin worked so hard to neutralize the enemy's advantage, this was the best he could achieve. The enemy still held the lead, albeit it was a smaller one than before.

As far as Jin could tell, this was the best outcome he could possibly reach in this situation. He started off at a "grave disadvantage", and he changed the odds into a "slight disadvantage".

[Still, a disadvantage is a disadvantage, no matter how small.] Jin reminded himself he was facing a pro here. In high-level play, even a tiny bit of advantage could make the whole difference between winning and losing, especially in a duel.

[I think I've achieved enough here.] Jin nodded to himself. [I showed everybody I can turn a "4v7" situation into a 1v1 with minimal cost. That should be convincing enough.]

Of course, it'd be the icing on the cake if he could also defeat Ignis on top of that. However, it'd be foolish to pursue this fight any further. It was best to retreat here.

Alas, Ignis had other plans for him. Right after she cleared Jin's bowmen - she rolled toward him!

[Is she going to force this fight!?] Jin flinched. This was no time to idly analyze the situation. He had to get out as soon as possible!

Unfortunately, the evasive maneuvers he used against the minions put him against the wall at the very edge of the map. As such, his escape options were limited.

He could roll parallel to the wall and reach allied territory, or roll toward the center of the lane in the hope to outmaneuver the enemy from there. The former sounded like the obvious choice, but it wasn't that simple.

As odd as it might've sounded, the latter had some interesting benefits to it as well. However, there was no time to analyze the pros and cons at the moment. Jin had to act. Now.

[I'll go with the more stable option.] Jin rolled along the wall. It was the fastest way to get back to allied territory. His ultimate goal was to reach the tower, and this was clearly the shortest path there.

At first glance, this sounded like the correct play. However...

"Ha! I knew you'd do that!" Ignis grinned madly. She had her prey exactly where she wanted.

Before she finished the roll, she canceled it into Fearless Charge, aiming diagonally at her fleeing foe.

[Gotcha!] Ignis shoved the brat into the nearby wall, stunning him in place. Now, it was time to teach this kid his place!

[This isn't good…!] Jin could feel his heartbeat quickening. Perhaps for the first time this match, he found himself in a truly dreadful situation.

[She read me like a book.] Jin bit his lip. [This was definitely the more predictable escape route.]

If Jin had more time to consider his options, he might've chosen to roll toward the center of the lane after all. Staying away from walls was supposed to be the 101 of countering Warrior, but there was no time to weigh the importance of that against other factors.

It was harder for Warrior to get a stun going compared to how naturally it came to Knight. However, in exchange, Warrior's stun was that much longer.

Ignis slashed him twice before he recovered. And, her third slash was also effectively unavoidable at this range.

[I misplayed here.] Jin frowned.

It was difficult to make the right call in the heat of the moment, but that probably didn't matter to the audience. As far as they were concerned, Jin made a bad call and got trapped by Ignis. That was going to leave a lasting impression...

[At the very least, I have to avoid dying.] Jin hurried toward his tower as soon as he recovered from the stun. As long as he gets out of this situation alive, the damage to his reputation should be minimal.

[It's unfortunate.] Jin thought. [Right after I managed to even the odds, something like this had to happen and leave a stain on my performance.]

The current predicament might completely overshadow his earlier achievements. His hard work to leave a good last impression might come to nothing. So, at the very least, he had to avoid dying.

[I'll survive this.] Jin concluded after a quick analysis. He was down to 60% HP, which was plenty for making his escape from the scene. However, that's provided Ignis will remain his only problem here...

"Hey there."