Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Mid Gap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Laning phase.
It's one of the key aspects when evaluating a player's caliber—how well they can handle the matchup.
But to rise above being just a skilled player, you need to show the ability to shatter that matchup.
Akali, her health whittled down to the limit, used Flash to escape and recall.
Already ten minutes in, three recalls under her belt—no Teleport left, so she'll have to walk back.
"Grab the top objective and come straight down for Dragon fight. We've got time."
"Okay."
After ordering Ox, I recalled home, then Teleported right back to mid lane.
With the lane reset, some items built, and basic boots bought, there's nothing to fear.
Distance control in first-person view becomes even easier once you're used to it.
Especially against someone like Akali who bursts out of smoke for trades—check the smoke's range, back off beyond it, and she has to dash in with her shuriken to land Q.
Do that, and Orianna's speed boost and shield make the damage negligible.
Then I can toy with the melee champ who's out of position and blown all her skills.
Of course, landing on her when she retreats into smoke is up to me, but this isn't Proud—basic mind games like this I can do in my sleep.
Now I pin the wave near my turret, forcing hellish easy-mode choices on them.
Die pushing the wave.
Or abandon it and roam.
Try to push? With her health already low and my ultimate online while she's still under 6, Akali has to brace for death.
Hold awkwardly for XP? She's gank bait anytime, and my orb keeps hammering Envy.
Either way, mid control is mine.
"Just go straight through mid openly."
"...For real?"
"Yeah, she can't stop us."
At my words, Ox blatantly lays down Viego's swamp skill as he passes. Envy startles and falls way back.
Normally, the jungler intervening means the mid laner trades some damage at least, but she's too overwhelmed for that.
Milky Way has only Sejuani who can force an initiate right now.
But Sejuani's ult or dash-Flash combo can only catch one—and killing me leaves the rest too healthy.
Maokai ult roots, Jackson spins his staff into their weakened front line, Kai'Sa dives on top, and their backline melts.
Iz might survive at best, but not some massively fed one—she can't deal with three rushing her at once.
"I'll push this lane down."
"Akali not coming?"
"Whether she does or not, I win. Doesn't matter."
Envy hit 6 with ult, but the CS gap is massive.
Abandon big wave for bot? Sure, maybe a kill, but huge XP loss.
Leave it? They lose it all.
"Envy's not coming."
"Dive then."
While Envy clears mid, I arrive bot.
They anticipated, cleared the wave, and farmed under tower.
But no need for objective fights—our support Maokai, cozy on lane XP to 6, ults, and farming under tower crumbles.
"I survived."
Plook's curt words, and the enemy bot death log pops up.
Meanwhile, Envy nibbled one turret plate from mine—trivial.
Because that fight netted me a core item.
'She'll come, right?'
Full combo kills her.
Conversely, without ult, if she dodges the first orb, Akali can turn it around—bruiser design favors bursting mages/ADCs, so yeah, it's intended.
Sure enough, I bait intentionally, and Akali bites.
—Paat!
Ult stage 1 dash into smoke.
Flash could dodge, but then she backs off—no ult commitment, so I shield and speed up to mitigate.
Then incoming Q—I switch to first-person, lean back torso to shift gaze from smoke, dodge, and account for post-cast delays to orb where she'll be.
"Mid secured."
Sensing something, she tries to escape on minions with ult stage 2, but I have Flash.
—Tuk!
One last auto seals it.
"Plook, push your lane and TP bot right after."
"Suddenly?"
"Gotta wipe bot again."
"Just smash."
Orb attached, Jackson spins staff and charges.
Jackson wrecks bot tower for gold, kills feed Kai'Sa growth.
Time to snowball faster.
Damage comp shreds monsters—Ox plus Plook/Strike trio melts 'em.
Objective log up, we march mid boldly.
Herald already took first tower, second at half— they farm inhibitor turret.
Forced farming doesn't last.
Super minion aid lets us delete twin towers easy, Nexus exposed.
"Why are they so clumped?"
"Just smash."
"Was gonna."
Jackson's staff whirls.
—Thung!
That health with my ult damage...
"Penta penta penta penta penta!"
I'm already shouting what's needed.
"Bind that one with ult."
"No Flash or blink."
"Just hit her with W. She's low."
Maokai ult and Kai'Sa W root low-health Ez—orb finishes instantly.
Of course.
My choice was right.
Being alive... means this.