The mid-game was about to begin. Or rather, Yuel was planning to make it begin right after the current minion wave.
As usual, Yuel and Lars cleared the minions a little faster than their lane opponents. However, only one allied bowman survived the onslaught, so there was no option of pushing the lane.
"Dang, these dudes be blocking me off every time!" Lars pouted. "I could've cleared the minions like ten times faster if not for that dang wall."
"True," Yuel agreed. "It's a very effective countermeasure."
Normally, this early into the game, a pair of Elf and Warlock should have been able to easily outclear a duo of Seraph and Cryomancer. Both Yuel and Lars had more DPS than their enemy counterparts, so they should have had a decisive lane advantage.
However, Rook found an annoying way to get in their way. He always placed an Ice Wall that blocked Yuel and Lars's lines of sight, as well as their shots. As a result, the two of them had to waste time repositioning themselves before they could open fire.
And, he's really good at it too. Yuel thought. No matter how we position ourselves ahead of time, he always finds a way to place his wall in an annoying spot. Though, I guess it's as expected from Cato. His playstyle is as irritating as it is in chess.
Thanks to tricks like this, Bot had been in a stalemate ever since the previous game. It was absurdly difficult to establish an advantage against Rook and Merlin.
But, I've finished my preparations. Yuel glanced at Rook's low HP. He's going to recall after this for sure. And, he probably assumes I'll do the same.
"I'm rotating to Mid," Yuel announced.
"Already?" Lars cocked his head. "Didn't you say you'll do it after their Support recalls?"
"He'll recall any moment now. And, if he still has any doubts left about doing so, then I'd like to help him to come to a decision."
On that note, Yuel entered the jungle. In this position, the enemy duo couldn't tell what he was doing. Was he going to rotate? Or, did he only plan to recall in secret?
Either way, he was leaving Bot, that should make it easier for Cato to do the same. And indeed, the message reached the other side.
"This looks like a good time to recall," Cato said. "I'll be back soon, so be careful against Gunz."
"Sure." Matthew nodded. "Say, do you think Chess is recalling?"
"Hmm. That's a good question," Cato said. "Logically, he should be because he doesn't have any MP left."
"He's a Warlock, though."
"True, what could he even do here? Rotate to Mid and spend all his HP to unleash a few spells?"
"Is that so unreasonable for a player like him?"
"Haha, no, I wouldn't put it past him." After all, it's Yuel we're talking about. So, as absurd as this idea sounds, it's definitely something he might try. I better inform the team accordingly.
"Their Warlock entered Bot Jungle," Cato reported. "He's probably recalling, but he might be planning to rotate to Mid. His MP is pretty much empty but he got some HP to burn if he chooses to."
With that announcement out of the way, Cato left Bot and returned to the base. This left Matthew all alone against Gunz in the lane. It was a little worrisome, but this was Matthew; he'll do his job properly. Even against a tough opponent like Gunz, it'll be fine.
In fact, even his ever-confident opponent felt the same way about this.
So, we're all alone again. Lars smiled wryly. I really wanna fight this dude at least once, but he keeps dodging me.
That was the complete opposite of how things usually went when Winner was the Carry. That dude was awesome and accepted duel invitations 24/7.
But, this Merlin dude? If Winner was AbsoluteWinner, then Merlin was AbsoluteJoyKiller. Dude just wouldn't come and fight.
Even during the few times when Lars managed to launch something that remotely resembled an attack, Merlin disengaged cleanly with minimal losses. Every dang time, dude just straight up said NOPE at Lars's passionate invitation.
But, that ain't gonna stop me from trying again! Lars grinned. Eventually, I'll get this dude, believe it!
"Don't do anything rash," Yuel warned. "He may look like a pacifist, but he'll bite back if you show him an opening."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Lars sighed. "He's basically like Ellen, right? Except, a hundred times more apathetic. It feels like dude doesn't even try to bait me."
"You could say that his passiveness is like one giant bait. He's trying to gradually frustrate you by dodging all fights."
"And it's sure working, haha. Dude be getting on my nerves alright."
Merlin was a rare breed of a Carry player. Usually, players in this role enjoyed flaunting their mechanical skills by playing offensively, but not Merlin. He was like the antithesis of the average Carry. In fact, he played even more passively than his Support, and his Support was Cato of all people.
That's one of the main reasons I just can't find a way to crack this duo. Yuel thought. With the Carry playing this apathetically, it's impossible to hit him where it hurts.
After experiencing a deadlock in Bot for two games in a row, Yuel concluded he simply didn't have the necessary skills to directly defeat Rook and Merlin. Their defense was so turtly that trying to find a crack in it was most likely an exercise in futility.
As such, there was no choice but to go with the assumption that the lane would always remain in a stalemate as long as Rook and Merlin were there. Therefore, it was best for Yuel to look for other avenues of attack.
This is why I have to nail this rotation. Yuel thought. It's a very risky one, but this is a rare chance to make something happen against the Leopards' defense, so I have to make it work.
If this rotation succeeds, it might give Stratus sufficient momentum to drive the entire game to victory. However, there was also the risk of Yuel overexerting and dying, and Kai might suffer a similar fate as well.
If that happens, we'll lose on the spot. Yuel frowned. I wish I could find a safer play, but this is how risky we have to be if we want to bust through their defenses. With that said, our chances of success will increase drastically if I successfully get there without being spotted by wards.
Thanks to Nia meticulously marking enemy wards on the map, Yuel should be able to dodge most of them by taking a longer route toward Mid. This will substantially delay the rotation, but that was arguably a positive in this case.
Judging by their movements, it seems they suspect the possibility of a rotation. Yuel concluded so based on Theorist's movements. The girl retreated deep into her tower area shortly after Yuel entered the jungle.
If I arrive there now, they'll be ready for it. Yuel thought. But, if it takes me too long, then they'll probably conclude that I recalled, which should lower their guard just enough.
It was a risky gamble. Even the smallest glimpse of Yuel's current position would put the enemy on high alert. That's why he rotated slowly and carefully. He wasn't pressed for time, so it was best to use that luxury to minimize the chances of being spotted.
In the first place, this entire operation revolved around Kai playing the bait role in Mid. Therefore, until she successfully becomes attractive bait, there won't be much for Yuel to accomplish in Mid.
And so, while Yuel was on his way, Kai made preparations on her side...
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