Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story

Vol.4 Ch.23: Joy and Concern

"Phew." Yuel sighed in relief. Somehow, his bluff worked. He couldn't make it in time to help Lars against Taison so, in a desperate attempt, he tossed a Blaze Bomb in their direction. Yuel knew the bomb won't reach, but he hoped the explosion would distract Taison.

And, it did. For a split second, Taison turned around to check what was going on. For just a moment, it stopped being a pure 1v1. In that tiny window of time, Lars turned the tables around.

"Got 'em!" Lars pumped a fist. "Easy!"

"Sure, 'easy'." Yuel made a face. Taison totally wrecked Lars in that fight. Sure, Lars put on a decent fight and brought Taison low enough to be finished off with two Trickshots, but overall Taison overwhelmed him.

Taison's 1v1 skill was even scarier than the statistics implied. Did he hone his 1v1 skills even further throughout the week? Was that part of Howard preparations? Either way, this fight showed everybody must avoid 1v1-ing Taison at all cost. If Lars with a Trickshooter can't win, then nobody can.

Still, it was impressive. Lars somehow made an entire comeback in that situation. Even though Yuel suspected the bomb distraction will affect Taison, he didn't expect Lars would convert that brief moment of vulnerability into a kill. It was a mind-blowing play.

"I have to admit," Yuel said. "You really surprised with that kill. Did you know Taison will be distracted by the bomb?"

"I dunno, dude. I just heard a BANG and I was like 'Yo! Shit about to go down!' and I just went for it!"

"Just went for it...?"

"Yeah. I was looking for a chance to shoot Tai but I was kinda in a pinch, right? So, I couldn't decide whether to fight or retreat. But, when that BANG happened, I just jumped him, yo!"

He was thinking about fighting back? In that situation? Yuel had no words. Lars was clearly heading toward defeat, yet he didn't stop searching for an opportunity to mount a comeback. Even when all the odds play against him, this hungry beast will keep thinking about how to devour his enemy.

"You really do some crazy plays, you know that?" Yuel couldn't help but smile.

"That's the most fun, yo." Lars grinned. Seriously, it was impossible to keep up with this goof. No matter how many games they played together, Lars always found a way to surpass Yuel's expectations.

This miraculous turnabout was even greater than Lars realized. Thanks to how the fight played out, Yuel confirmed his suspicions regarding Taison's weakness.

According to the statistics, Taison was a monster in 1v1 and halfway through the year, his win ratio surpassed those of Trever and Lars. It was even a little higher than Lars's Trickshooter, the only class with which Lars had a consistently higher win ratio than Trever in 1v1.

On top of that, Taison even passed Lars's rank in the 1v1 Ranked mode. Taison was at Challenger V, whereas Lars was at Diamond I.

These impressive achievements made it look like Taison tremendously improved as a player throughout the year. However, in practice, Taison didn't show such amazing improvement in practice matches.

When Taison played Carry in Bot, he didn't stand out more than before. He was a strong player, but not a match for Lars or Trever. While undoubtedly strong in 1v1s, Taison was rather sloppy everywhere else and especially in team fights.

So, compared to the impressive 1v1 stats, it didn't feel like Taison actually improved that much as a player. Then, why was Taison so strong only in 1v1? That question has been bugging Yuel ever since he found out about the 1v1 statistics. By understanding what was so different between 1v1 and other situations for Taison, it'll be possible to arrange unfavorable circumstances for him and to avoid the scenarios in which he'll be dangerous.