Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.20 Ch.6: The More, the Merrier

The first game between the Valkyries and StormBlitz began. Based on the teams' lineups, it was clear the game was going to be a race against the clock for both sides.

"Late game is our deadline," Fiona said. "We have to end the game before that. Or, in the worst-case scenario, we must establish enough map control by the time late-game hits."

Fiona's team had classes that favored the early-game and mid-game, therefore they had to win fast. Going into the late game was inherently disadvantageous and there was no tactic Fiona could use to change that.

An aggressive early-game team was practically doomed the moment it fell behind. The last resort it had was to transition from an aggressive build to a defensive one and hope for the opponent to blunder. However, it was usually too late at that point.

All of this made the drafting phase an extremely important phase of the game. It was not an exaggeration to say that 30% of the outcome was decided all the way back there. It was like a chess game that took place right before the main event.

As the team's tactician, Fiona took it upon herself to study all aspects of the drafting phase. Surely, Yuel Fermond handled the drafting for his team as well, as did Cato for the Leopards. Mind games such as these felt natural for chess players.

Although, Cato said he also had a "trusty secretary" to help him out in that department, probably Theorist. Two heads were often better than one, so it must have been helpful to have a trustworthy partner with whom Cato could brainstorm ideas.

On the other hand, in the Valkyries, Fiona was all alone on that front. As it stood, the other members did not have sufficient understanding of game theory to provide fresh advice, and they did not seem interested in the topic either. They only cared about their own classes without considering the bigger picture much.

I would like to fix that, but this team has more important issues to fix first. Fiona sighed. It is better for them to focus on themselves while I handle the strategic front on my own.

Besides, truth be told, Fiona was more comfortable working like that. Just as in chess, she wanted to be in full control of the game plan and the pieces. As far as she was concerned, having one main strategist at the helm was most efficient.

Of course, it also meant Fiona had heavy responsibility on her shoulders. The team's win condition was to gain early momentum and push to victory as quickly as possible, but they could not act carelessly, especially not against a tricky team like StormBlitz.

It is time to see how well I managed to study their play style. Fiona thought. I have gone over all their game footage countless times, but the real experience might still be different.

According to the extensive analysis, StormBlitz was a defensive team that efficiently covered all its weak spots. As such, even when something looked like an opening, there was a good chance StormBlitz already covered it. Trying to strike that imaginary opening would only lead to a devastating counterattack.

With that in mind, it was dangerous to immediately jump on any attractive opportunity that presented itself. Especially, against Athena who often created such fake openings to bait out her opponents.

In her head, Fiona understood all that. Hopefully, all her teammates were on the same page by now after weeks of studying the enemy.

But, all of this was easier said than done. In the end, the game would not move forward unless Fiona launches some attacks on the enemy. Not to mention, as the early-game-focused team, the Valkyries had to be the ones to take initiative.

Sitting idly and waiting for opportunities is a fool's errand. Fiona thought. I have no choice but to bring the fight to them.

The earliest opportunity to deliver an attack was at the very opening of the game. It was a brief phase during which both sides were busy warding the jungle as they waited for jungle camps to spawn.