Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.16 Ch.18: Stratus' Tame Lineup

"Yes, their playstyles are quite similar." In fact, some of Merlin's tactics are almost identical to Ellen's. Could they be related in some way? Nah, I'm probably overthinking it.

"So yeah," Lars repeated. "I'm in! Gimme that Elf, yo."

"Well, I'm not as thrilled about this," Kai interjected. "Sorcerer is best used as a counter pick, not an early pick."

"True," Yuel agreed. "But, I think we have to strike preemptively here. Besides, these picks aren't very 'aggressive' so they'll do a good job hiding our true game plan."

"Huehue." Luke thrust a first into the air. "Yep, this hides our real intentions of going all out with a BANG!"

"Please don't shout our strategy out loud in front of the enemy."

"Heh, whoops." Luke scratched his head. "But, these guys can't hear anything with their headphones anyway, so no problem, man."

"I really hope so." Yuel sighed. "Anyway, Elf and Sorcerer, that's what I believe we should open with. There was no time to discuss any of this in detail during the break, so now is all the time we've got."

"You're really putting me on the spot here, huh." Kai sighed. "There isn't much I can say with less than 30 seconds on the clock. Let's just roll with it, I guess. You countered them in the previous draft, so maybe you can do it again this time. Besides, you got the control now."

In this scrimmage, Yuel was the one who was given the ability to select and lock in classes. Even though Kai was the captain, she surrendered that privilege to Yuel after realizing how pointless it was for her to hold onto it so dearly.

Yuel was the one in charge of the team's strategy, so he was going to make all the major calls anyway. As such, there was no point in Kai hogging that power for herself.

As much as it pained Kai to admit it, her word didn't hold as much power as Yuel's when it came to strategic decisions. So, even though she made sure to act as the captain in all other aspects, she decided to leave the strategic matters to Yuel.

"Just because I'm the one who presses the buttons, it doesn't mean you shouldn't voice any objections," Yuel said. "Sure, the drafting phase is largely my responsibility, but it's not ONLY mine."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kai said. "Anyway, on the Sorcerer topic, I don't have anything else to add. I'm not a fan of it as an early pick, but it's not a deal breaker."

"Okay, then let's go with that."

And so, Stratus's first two picks became Sorcerer and Elf, both targeting Merlin in whichever position he'll choose to play. Naturally, that didn't amuse the guy in the slightest.

"Can we pick Seraph, please?" Matthew requested. "I don't want them to give them a chance to ban it."

"My, aren't you a worrywart~" Cato smiled meaningfully. "You haven't even shown your Seraph on this stage yet."

"You can call me paranoid but I don't know what to expect from these guys anymore," Matthew admitted. "I never imagined I'll get targeted so hard during the drafting phase, yet here we are."

"They can't target a class they haven't seen you play."

"Who knows? Nothing is certain at this point," Matthew argued. "Besides, they saw Will play Seraph last game, so they might target it from that angle. Seriously, who knows how these guys reason."

"Alright, alright, I'll pick Seraph for you." Cato sighed. "But, don't come crying to me if they counter-pick right afterward. It's one of these picks that's best to save for last."