NOVEL NEXT Chapter 460
OLZ’s side is Blue.
SY’s side is Red.
So, OLZ has the first pick.
[Rumble]
First ban started with Rumble as we planned ahead.
In the current meta, if the opposing top picks Rumble, our team’s top picks get pretty limited, and Rumble’s strong laning phase can easily snatch away early control.
Moreover, based on our recent scrims with SY and TheOne utilizing Rumble in solo queue, it was a precaution we took.
[Lee Sin]
Then, SY’s first ban is Lee Sin.
Not the most common ban in the current meta, but it’s relatively frequent against our team from other teams.
Our team was also well-prepared for this pattern.
[Kuroki]
The second ban is Kuroki.
He has become one of the mid-lane veterans through various nerfs and buffs, and recently has been a powerful weapon for Rainbow.
[Viego]
The opponent was quite straightforward.
It’s not unusual for our team to face heavy jungle-targeting bans, but I didn’t expect such blatant targeting from a team as strong as SY.
Of course, jungle-targeting bans are patterns we’ve frequently encountered, so we were somewhat used to them.
[“Are we cutting out Tristana too?”]
[“Yes.”]
“I think that’s for the best.”
Picks like Kuroki and Tristana are not usable by our team but are ones the opponent can utilize excellently.
It would be odd not to cut out such picks.
[Tristana]
And with that, our team’s bans were finished.
Now, it’s the opponent’s turn to ban.
For some reason, the wait felt quite long.
As if they were mulling over something.
[Orianna]
And SY’s third ban was Orianna.
Considering the remaining mid picks, if they ban out Orianna, Rainbow could definitely gain an upper hand in the laning phase.
[“What should we pick?”]
It was our turn for the first pick.
The significance of the Blue first pick is akin to Red’s 5th pick, so we needed to grab the strongest pick available in the current meta.
[“Let’s go with Senna. Is Jaem-min okay?”]
[“Oh, Senna might be….”]
[“Just do it.”]
[“Okay.”]
Seo Yeon-woo said with a slightly reluctant tone.
[“……Should I pick it?”]
[“Yeah, go for it.”]
Our first pick was decided.
[Senna]
When Senna comes out, it’s usually expected that Tahm Kench follows suit.
Thus, if Senna is picked first, the opponent’s team has mainly two options.
They can either take Tahm Kench even if it messes up their composition.
Or, they can form a strong bot duo that can counter the Senna-Tahm Kench combination.
SY opted for the latter.
[Kalista]
[Ash]
Kalista-Ash combo.
The strong laning duo known for Kalista and the quintessential damage supporter Ash.
While it does have the downside of slightly lacking stability typical of a damage supporter, it seems they believed SY’s bot could overcome that.
In fact, they’ve shown that capability many times until now.
[“So for the second pick, let’s grab Tahm Kench, but the question is for the third pick…”]
“I think we should take Tahm Kench.”
[“Oh.”]
Baek Seong-an said.
[“I think it’s better to get jungle on the third pick. What do you want to do?”]
“Um…”
[“If we go down to 4th pick, the jungle-targeting bans will probably come out. Let’s just grab the jungle.”]
“Then please pick Nidalee for me.”
[“Nidalee? I think you might be fine with that… Are you confident?”]
“Yes.”
Traditionally, Nidalee has faced quite a bit of disdain in LCKR.
Though long ago, there was a time when she dominated LCKR, that’s merely a story from the past.
Recently, Nidalee has shed that past disgrace enough to be viable in tournaments, thanks largely to the major buffs given to AP champions.
Additionally, the meta has evolved into one where sustained skirmishes are more common, allowing Nidalee’s role as a poke champion to shine.
[Nidalee]
Now, it’s the opponent’s turn for the third pick.
Anyway, it’ll be more advantageous for them to grab their top champion as their 5th pick, so a champion for jungle or mid is bound to come out.
Typically, champions like Lee Sin would be a common response to Nidalee, but Lee Sin is currently banned.
[Xin Zhao]
The opponent’s choice is Xin Zhao.
A champion that frequently comes out against Nidalee, but not the easiest pick to handle against her.
If they’re not careful, Xin Zhao could quickly fall behind Nidalee in levels.
Thus, it could be seen as a risky move to secure early dominance.
[“I thought they might pick something like Lillian, but it seems they’re going for it quickly. Honestly, that’s good for us.”]
The first pick phase has finished, and now it’s our turn for the fourth ban.
[“Should we just ban out Sol? What do you think?”]
“I think that’s fine.”
[“Then let’s go with that.”]
[Aurelion Sol]
Sol has swung between various buffs and nerfs and has arrived at his current state as an OP champion.
While the past Sol wasn’t weak in lane, just holding on could lead to victory, the current version has been nerfed to the point where both his survivability and late-game scaling have become relatively standard.
Yet, despite this, his high late-game potential remains a threat.
Ultimately, there are hardly any players who can effectively pressure the mid lane against SY, so banning Sol is one of the frequent strategies when facing them.
After allowing SY to take Sol, we’ve never had a smooth victory, thus making Rainbow’s Sol a threatening card indeed.
We’d rather keep that card shut out of the game.
[Arin]
SY’s fourth ban is Arin.
Now it’s back to our ban turn.
[“What should we do?”]
“Um….”
While this pattern isn’t a rarity in our data, the issue is that it’s SY we’re facing.
Can we really do this with the level of trust we have in our strategy against SY?
Will it really work?
We had our doubts, but there was no choice but to stick to what we believed in.
“Let’s ban out Heimerdinger.”
Seeing that neither team has selected their mid champions yet, we figured going for high-value picks that could cut into the opponent’s roster wouldn’t hurt our chances.
[“Okay.”]
[Heimerdinger]
As we cut through the mid champions, SY’s final ban order arrived.
What will SY choose?
[Taliyah]
The opponent’s 4th pick is Taliyah.
It was the expected pick, but honestly, it felt like a gut punch in the ban/pick phase.
I knew they might select it but secretly hoped they wouldn’t. It was just like that.
[“Yeon-woo, did you think about what you’re going to play? I think we should snag mid first… let’s go with Azir.”]
[“Okay.”]
[“Take your time picking. Think it over.”]
“Yes.”
Our 4th pick was decided.
[Azir]
And now it was finally time for top picks.
We could no longer delay, as ultimately, the Blue team had to pick their top champion.
As a result, we were left with few options.
[“What do you think will be good, Yeon-woo?”]
“I’ll go with K’Sante.”
[“Are you sure? They might pick Vayne against you.”]
“I’ll withstand it. Besides, we can line swap if needed.”
[“That’s true, but…”]
Just not long ago, if you picked a tank awkwardly in the top lane against a strong team like SY, they would counter with something like Vayne as a late pick.
However, as Seo Yeon-woo stated, the rise of the lane swap meta has indeed created room for adaptations.
“Let’s go with K’Sante.”
[K’Sante]
Now SY had only two major choices left.
They could either pick another tank to enhance their composition’s stability or grab stronger picks like Vayne or Twisted Fate to strengthen their laning phase.
[Twisted Fate]
SY chose the latter.
Perhaps, it showcased SY’s characteristic confidence.
Finally, the ban/pick phase was complete.
[OLZ / SY]
Top: K’Sante / Twisted Fate
Jungle: Nidalee / Xin Zhao
Mid: Azir / Taliyah
Bot: Senna / Kalista
Support: Tahm Kench / Ash
Overall, our team has a far more stable base for the composition.
While we do have a slight lack of damage dealers, the opponent’s lineup isn’t one that can easily break through our front line.
Ultimately, if our composition pushes forward, they would be hard-pressed to resist.
“Let’s do our best.”
[“Go go.”]
[“Fighting.”]
*
Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!
The game officially began.
I have so much to say about the chaotic meta these days.
Strong champions have emerged in the top lane, and lane swaps are frequently used to counteract them.
Of course, depending on the bottom matchup, they could also opt to reverse the lane swap.
It’s a battle of psychology.
Thus, the visual battle in the early invade phase has become more intense than ever.
[“They’re invading hard. We need to be careful.”]
Though we have a strong Tahm Kench early on, the opponents have both Kalista and Twisted Fate.
If we mess up during the invade phase, it could go south quickly.
Now it’s time to decide where to focus our vision during this early invade stage.
The moment of choice has arrived.