LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 429
No matter how many nerfs Aurelion Sol has taken recently, he’s definitely still a solid pick.
There was a time he reigned as an OP champion in solo queue, even finding himself among the must-ban tier, and the inherent value of a champion exists beyond just their current tier.
However, the distinction between Aurelion Sol being a good champion and pulling out a low-tier, weak pick in a tournament is a whole different story.
Looking solely at value is one thing.
Making such a pick in a team game, especially in a top-tier pro league like LCKR, is no walk in the park.
This is something that Baek Seong-an, our mid laner, Getback, completely ignored, and it even dismissed me as the jungler during the ban/pick phase.
[“This is a bit extreme.”]
[“I know, right? They’re picking Sol. Just pull out something like Irelia and trash him, bro.”]
[“You think that’ll work?”]
[“Why not?”]
Sure, the opponent overstepped, but responding with a pick like Irelia would be akin to prescribing poison.
Recently, Baek Seong-an had been practicing with picks like Irelia, but objectively speaking, he hadn’t reached the pinnacle of skill with her yet.
[“And with Lee Sin in the jungle… give me LeBlanc.”]
Baek Seong-an finally made the decision to cut off the opponent’s arrogance.
LeBlanc had countered Aurelion Sol before, but it hadn’t been effectively utilized many times.
While she could lead the game favorably at the start, if it dragged on for even a bit, Aurelion Sol’s carry potential could flip the game around.
Moreover, LeBlanc’s tier hadn’t been particularly high lately in the current meta, but, then again, the same could be said for Aurelion Sol.
Above all, as Baek Seong-an noted, the Lee Sin-LeBlanc combo boasts a rich history and tradition.
If we wanted to empower the jungle, it was by no means a bad choice.
[“Huh? Can you play LeBlanc?”]
[“I used to main her.”]
[“Really?”]
Kim Jae-min said skeptically.
[“Shut up and just give it to me.”]
[“You’re actually going to do it?”]
[“Yeah.”]
The pick to punish Aurelion Sol had been set.
[LeBlanc]
But our picks were not yet over.
We still had what could be considered the most crucial pick for our composition.
Aatrox, Lee Sin, LeBlanc, Zeri.
We needed a champion to provide the relatively lacking CC and initiation role in our current setup.
[“I’ll go Rakan.”]
Rakan’s tier is quite high in the current meta.
However, it was unclear why the opponent opted for Nautilus instead of Rakan, but in any case, if the pick was up, the synergy with Zeri wasn’t bad either, so there was no reason for us not to take it.
[“Yeah, Rakan is great. Let’s go with that.”]
[“I’ll pick now.”]
Our final pick was secured.
[Rakan]
Thus, our team composition was complete.
───────
Top: Aatrox
Jungle: Lee Sin
Mid: LeBlanc
Bot: Zeri
Support: Rakan
───────
In this combination of Aatrox, Lee Sin, LeBlanc, and Zeri, we completed the initiation and CC role by including Rakan.
The key was growing Aatrox and Zeri.
And the Lee Sin-LeBlanc duo would serve as a stepping stone for their growth.
Or hey, they could just grow like a storm and obliterate the game.
‘Or, if not… we might not break through the opponent or could even get smashed from the get-go.’
But I pushed that thought aside.
I had no intention of losing from the start.
Soon, it was time for the opponent’s last pick.
The only remaining pick for them was jungle.
What their purpose was in leaving their jungle pick for 5th on red side, we’d find out soon.
[Rek’Sai]
The jungle pick they had hidden until the end was none other than Rek’Sai.
Considering how rare it is for red side teams to leave their jungle pick for last, it was clear the opponent was investing significant resources into that jungle pick.
[“Oh, it’s Rek’Sai.”]
[“He’s been appearing a lot lately. He was always common in solo queue.”]
At one point, Rek’Sai was a beloved pick in not just LCKR but across the globe, but as the meta shifted and times changed, the inherent limitations of the champion led to a decrease in his presence.
Still, he had been performing steadily well in solo queue, and after his unexpected buffs following recent auto-deletions, he had found his way back to the solo queue tier one.
The reason for the Rek’Sai pick at this point was pretty clear.
Lee Sin counter.
Traditionally, Rek’Sai has always served as a counter to Lee Sin, whether he was high or low in tier, and now that Rek’Sai was at a high power level, he could entirely erase Lee Sin from the game.
Additionally, given the characteristics of their composition, they might have a tough time in the early game, and it seemed like they intended for Rek’Sai to act as a bridge to help navigate that early phase.
Finally, the ban/pick phase came to a close.
The picks for both teams were as follows:
[OLZ / MAX]
Top: Aatrox / K’Sante
Jungle: Lee Sin / Rek’Sai
Mid: LeBlanc / Aurelion Sol
Bot: Zeri / Kai’Sa
Support: Rakan / Nautilus
Overall, you could say the feeling was polar opposite.
Our composition needed to snowball early on, while, in contrast, MAX’s composition would only get stronger as time passed.
Therefore, the most crucial battle was undoubtedly in the mid-jungle where our team needed to break through the opponent’s pressure.
If Lee Sin and LeBlanc couldn’t break through the enemy mid-jungle, it would be a tough match.
[“Alright, let’s do our best.”]
[“Fighting!”]
[“Good luck!”]
“Fighting!”
As I suddenly shouted, my teammates turned to look at me with bewildered expressions.
[“…What’s up?”]
[“You scared me.”]
[“Why’s she acting like that?”]
“Ahaha, let’s do our best.”
At that, Seo Yeon-woo chimed in like she was responding.
[“F-fighting!”]
[“Whoah, why’s she acting like that?”]
[“Haha, yeah, fighting! Let’s go!”]
As Baek Seong-an joined in too, Kim Jae-min started shaking his shoulders.
[“Why’s everyone acting weird? What’s up with our team’s vibe today?”]
[“I don’t know, but it’s fighting time──!”]
[“Fighting!”]
When Kim Ji-hoon joined in, Kim Jae-min could no longer just sit idle and shook his head.
[“I don’t care, fighting──!”]
With that raucous shout, the game officially began.
OLZ’s first debut match.
*
Beyond the noise-canceling headset, I felt the vibrations booming.
-One, two, three. OLZ fighting──!
-MAX fighting!
That probably wasn’t exactly how it went, but I imagined something like that.
I guess it felt like a sort of brain playback?
With the fans’ cheers replaying in my head, the game kicked off in earnest.
-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!
As always, the familiar voice of the announcer rang out, and immediately pings were cast.
[⬇] [⬇] [⬇]
[⨷] [⨷] [⨷]
[“You know what to do? Spread out and check the vision.”]
[“Got it.”]
[“Understood.”]
Just like we practiced, we spread out into our positions to check the vision.
Given our composition vs. theirs, we figured it’d be best to start without particularly focusing on one side right off the bat.
[⨷]
[OLZ Jammin (Zeri) has spotted MAX KingGodEmperor (Kai’Sa)]
[“Kai’Sa’s here.”]
[“Nautilus is with him too.”]
It seemed the opponent had the same idea, not wanting to gamble on an invade, opting instead for a stable approach like us.
If they were going to play it safely like that, even if we chose to invade, we’d probably just trade flashes, without much gain.
[“Are we counter jungling?”]
“Yeah.”
Thus, my early pathing wasn’t anything special—just your standard red start.
Of course, in every game, bottom lane dominance was crucial, so I didn’t bother with a leash, but I figured the opponent wouldn’t either.
‘First, I’ll run a route of Red-Blue-Crux to hit level three as quickly as possible.’
The opponent must be thinking.
With Lee Sin-LeBlanc and the mid being Aurelion Sol, they’d naturally want to focus more on mid.
Plus, taking out mid’s spell early was absolutely essential for that.
In fact, LeBlanc was already on the move, seemingly ready to trade damage the instant Aurelion Sol showed any weakness.
From MAX’s perspective, they’d certainly get signals that the jungler was heading toward mid.
‘There’s no way he’s going to play it that predictably.’
I said.
“Yeon-woo.”
[“Yeah. I’m ready.”]
Get ready to crush top.
That was the sole purpose of my arrival.