NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65
Where is the world’s strongest team?
When you ask ordinary people about the best mid-laner in the world, it usually sparks countless debates, but there’s no need for disputes when it comes to the world’s strongest team.
That’s because the definitive answer comes from the proven stage — the Red Cup.
The team that wins there is the strongest team of the year.
So, where is that Red Cup winning team?
I already knew the answer all too well. It wasn’t hard at all since they were right in front of me now.
───────────────
(C1) SY TheOne – Yasuon
(C1) SY YunGi – Ezreal
(C1) SY Rainbow – Sylas
(C1) SY Longbow – Yune
(C1) SY GuineaPig – Jarvan III
───────────────
SY.
Undeniably the world’s strongest team.
‘Hmm…’
Of course, this wasn’t my first time meeting the SY players.
TheOne, YunGi, Rainbow, Longbow, and GuineaPig — I had encountered them countless times while playing solo rank as a Prisoner.
So was this my first time meeting all five SY players at once? Not really.
Typically, after pro teams finish their schedules, the players usually play solo rank unless something special comes up.
Since their queue timings are similar, the odds of them queuing together for the first game are pretty high, even if it’s not the second game.
Given the situation, if the timing is right, it’s only natural to run into SY players, all of whom consistently top the solo rank.
Not to brag, but I’ve also always managed to keep up in the top ranks of solo rank.
So it’s not entirely accurate to say that this is my first time running into all the SY players at once.
However, the key difference is that this is the first time I’m facing the complete SY team, unlike the usual case where they’re split between enemies and allies.
‘…But to run into them in normals?’
Not even just regular normals, but in matches with players who aren’t even level 30 yet.
A situation that simply defies common sense.
‘Is this a bug or something?’
No matter how many consecutive wins I had or how high my win rate was, this was just too much.
‘Thank goodness they’re not playing in their main positions…’
I’d need to start the game to know for sure, but based on the champion picks and spells, it seemed like they weren’t sticking to their usual roles.
‘Well.’
It’s just a normal game.
The aim of a 5-man normal is typically just to have fun with friends, so even the best professional gamers might settle for a laid-back approach.
Especially when it’s the world’s strongest team, SY.
‘Still, should I check them out?’
I quickly looked up SY players’ records.
I wanted to see which lane each was heading to.
‘They could be in different lanes, but more information is always better.’
Considering this was a casual game, losing one round wouldn’t really matter, but for some reason, my heart was racing at the thought of facing them again after a long time.
The SY five.
The complete set.
I was actually going up against them.
Even if they were just treating this like a bit of fun, it was hard not to feel my heart race.
‘Since I’m at it, it’d be nice to maintain a win rate of 100%.’
Honestly, when I first created my smurf account, I didn’t expect such an extreme win rate would happen.
I had ended up here by chance, but since we’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to keep that win rate in check.
‘Hmm, well, since GuineaPig has Smite, he’s definitely jungle, YunGi and Rainbow seem to be duo bot, and TheOne and Longbow are likely top and mid, I guess…’
Yasuon and Yune.
Typically, you’d think TheOne, the regular top-laner, would go Yasuon top, but since the positions were all mixed up, I couldn’t make a solid judgment.
‘In the last match, TheOne was mid.’
So it’s likely my opponent would be TheOne on Yasuon.
‘Not the best match-up.’
The matchup between Raise and Yasuon is one of those that goes wildly different depending on the stats.
Yasuon is strong in lane, and his skillset counters Raise very well.
‘Well, Yune is similar.’
Both Yasuon and Yune are champions that are tough for Raise to deal with.
If I had to compare, I suppose you could say Yune is slightly better than Yasuon, but honestly, it’s pretty much a toss-up.
A counter’s a counter.
Soon, there was no need to ask the Chinese pro player who couldn’t communicate to swap lanes in a normal game.
‘Since the opponent’s jungle is the gank-heavy Jarvan III, taking Raise top isn’t a brilliant choice anyway.’
Raise today isn’t the tanky champion that used to build defensively and deal damage; that Raise is long gone.
These days, Raise is frail.
He’s just a typical mage now.
So sending such a squishy champion to the “manly lane,” aka top, doesn’t seem like the smartest choice.
‘To do well in lane against Yune, I’ll definitely need to push the wave. But if I do that… I’m bound to die.’
It’s not just about getting ganked; there’s always the possibility of falling to a solo kill while pushing.
So if I have to pick a lane, I think mid is definitely the safer route.
-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift.
While observing both teams’ champion matchups, I found myself spinning my gaze around as the game finally started.
The theory of relativity was indeed correct.
It sure feels like my time was moving faster than theirs.
Overall game, there were no pin alerts or any of that.
Just a bit of chatter going on.
[All][IlIIIIIllIlIll(Lee Sin) : ???]
[All][IlIIIIIllIlIll(Lee Sin) : Why are you guys here…?]
[All][눈나헤으으응응(Jinx) : ????? Is this real?]
[All][눈나헤으으응응(Jinx) : Wait, why is there a GM on the other team? LOL]
[All][눈나헤으으응응(Jinx): Wow… I’m a huge fan. It’s an honor. Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!]
[All][NamiMaster OdaHye(Nami) : Whoa;;]
[All][NamiMaster OdaHye(Nami) : Nice to meet you]
Anyway, I wasn’t worried and kept my eyes on the invade combo like I always do.
+
[Team / Opponent]
Top: Kamal / Yune(?)
Jungle: Lee Sin / Jarvan III
Mid: Raise / Yasuon(?)
ADC: Jinx / Ezreal
Support: Nami / Sylas
+
‘Hmm.’
In terms of pure invade potential, there doesn’t seem to be much of an advantage, but it doesn’t look like we’d be at a loss either.
However, I thought it’d be better not to stir unnecessary fights.
‘Aside from top and mid, there’s a clear tier difference.’
Initiating a 5:5 fight would only return a massacre.
One that’d be quite tragic.
‘The one saving grace is having Nightmare on my team…’
Having someone I can rely on is somewhat reassuring.
‘So, for now.’
As I stepped into mid to get some vision, just like I expected, Rainbow’s Sylas came to face me.
‘Rainbow.’
Who would’ve thought I’d see him again like this…?
It was a meeting I never imagined.
『♛』
Rainbow didn’t seem to recognize me, but welcomed me with the same playful attitude as before.
『♛』
Time had passed, yet Sylas showed no intention of leaving mid, as if he were the mid-laner.
‘You know you’re not mid, right dude?’
His items also clearly showed he was building as a support.
Sure, there’s a chance he could be coming mid with an ADC, thanks to the nature of normals… but I didn’t think it likely.
‘By the way, you seem to be doing well.’
Seeing Rainbow again brought up some mixed feelings.
Back when I had to part with Rainbow as a prisoner, I had spent quite some time regretting that decision.
Why did I do that?
Even now, I still don’t have the answer. I thought I was just doing him a favor as a friend, but it ended up adding unnecessary baggage for him.
‘But it seems like he’s shaken it off now.’
I kinda felt a little sad that I, as a Prisoner, wasn’t something that weighed him down too much, but we were basically strangers anyway, so it makes sense.
Standing in front of Rainbow mid brought back some embarrassing memories.
「“Excuse me.”」
「“…Me?”」
「“Yeah, you.”」
「“Drink this.”」
「“Huh?”」
「“You look dehydrated.”」
‘…Let’s just forget that.’
Remembering what followed that moment would surely destroy my peace of mind.
「“Is a bottle of water really a thousand won these days?”」
「“Huh?”」
「“Cost a thousand won.”」
「“Ah…”」
「“I bought gum, okay.”」
「“Really?”」
Why did I even come up with that excuse?
Even now, simply recalling that day makes me want to kick my blanket in my sleep.
The look my mom gave me that day… Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.
…Phew, inner peace. Inner peace. Just relax.
-30 seconds until minion spawn.
As we wasted some time standing in mid, Rainbow’s Sylas eventually headed down as anticipated.
He was, after all, a support Sylas.
And……
Not long after, an utterly unwanted champion appeared in mid.
Yasuon.
Specifically, TheOne’s Yasuon.
‘TheOne.’
The top-laner of SY, known as the “Great Shield.”
True to his reputation as a shield, TheOne showcases remarkable sturdy play as a top-laner.
No wonder one of the reasons GRS fell apart so quickly in the last Red Cup match was a reckless top dive that led to a reverse snowball effect.
‘Let’s see how he handles this.’
Most Yasuon players usually take Q at level 1.
That means he has no gap closers.
So, no matter how unfavorable the matchup, at least at level 1, I should be able to exploit the range advantages of a ranged champion.
Auto, W, auto, auto, auto.
Even though I was getting the better of the trade, it wasn’t a massive gain.
I also took a fair bit of damage from minions because I was being careless trying to chase Yasuon.
Nonetheless, I made some progress.
TheOne’s aggressive push wasn’t as bold anymore.
‘Seems like he’s a bit flustered.’
The reason TheOne got hit early on was probably due to this being a normal game.
He probably didn’t expect me to be so tenacious.
‘But now he knows.’
That his shield could end up shattered.
‘Alright, it’s time to break SY’s shield.’