Academy League's Loser (4)
Having capped off the first set with a satisfying victory, the Brilliant team players returned to their waiting room and exchanged crisp high-fives.
"Sujin unnie, nice!"
"Pfft, they went with a blatant level 1 Rosh comp and didn't even notice. What idiots."
"What did I tell you? Rookies like that have no experience, so they can't handle surprises. You all did great."
"It was perfect, Coach! So we go with something similar for the next game?"
"Nah, no need."
At Coach Lee Han's words, the Brilliant players tilted their heads in confusion. They'd already snatched an easy win with an off-meta strategy—why skip it for the second set?
"I told you, they're rookies. Know what that's like for a rookie team? Trick 'em once like that, and even if we go full standard next, they'll psych themselves out and trip over their own feet. Second set, we pick our best comp. That's all it’ll take—they'll crumble on their own."
"Yes, sir!"
Satisfied with his players' confident replies, Coach Lee Han grinned. Picturing the baby-faced young Shining Star coach and his inexperienced squad, a smug sneer curled his lips.
'Kang Yuseong, you might have high solo queue scores, but looks like you can't hack it in a spot like this.'
Coach Lee Han popped open a canned coffee, certain of a 2-0 sweep.
"...Got it? I guarantee they'll come at us like this. Remember those two key points I gave you. Especially watch Yuna—she's on a champ she doesn't usually play, so extra caution."
"Ah, Coach. It's me, Cha Yuna. My skill specialization's just a bit low, but I can handle anything."
"Yeah, I believe you."
"Players, time to prep for the match!"
The 10-minute break ended, and the signal for the next game rang out.
"Alright, kids! Let's snag this second set and force a draw! Shining Star!"
"Fighting!"
I slipped back into the coach's capsule to spectate.
'Their picks...'
There was Oh Sujin's signature pick, the Blacksmith. And the other four were exactly the same as their scrim comp.
'Just as expected.'
Shake the rookies' morale with a pick they can't handle, then pull out your best comp next to crush their already rattled minds.
Classic tactic—works like a charm in a Bo3.
'Coach Lee Han, was it? Smart move.'
I already knew he'd sized me up back in the parking lot. Probably figured I was too young to have any real experience.
For a rookie team with rookie players and a rookie coach, that was a fair assumption. Even in the academy league, holding the throne for two years takes that kind of judgment.
But what Coach Lee Han didn't know was that I wasn't just some academy league vet—I'd dominated Division 1, the season majors where the world's top teams clashed, even TIC itself as a super veteran.
If he wanted to play mind games with me? Bring it.
Our team picked their usual suspects too.
Except one—Yuna swapped Wave Sorcerer for Trent Master, the same offlaner they'd used last set.
And with that, we all beelined for the Rosh pit.
Listen up, Brilliant. Time for a taste of advanced tech straight from future Europe.
"Kids, let's wrap this quick and go home. Just looking at their faces pisses me off."
"Same. They banned our mains, so let's play it clean like in practice—no mistakes."
As the Brilliant team hyped each other up, a message echoed across the battlefield.
Cha Yuna has been slain by Rosh!
"!!!"
"Rosh?"
"Marauder Warrior nowhere in sight, and they went level 1 Rosh?"
"No, they've got Moon Priestess and Trent Master! Stun with arrows, tank with treants—that was the plan!"
"Crazy bitches. Think they can do it just 'cause we did?"
"Everyone to the Rosh pit! Wipe 'em out!"
Brilliant happened to be positioned near the Rosh pit. They clustered up and swarmed it. With Cha Yuna already dead, it was a 5v4 numbers advantage, and blocking the entrance would trap the enemies between them and Rosh. A guaranteed win.
'It's over.'
Coach Lee Han scoffed. He felt real disappointment at Kang Yuseong's shallow stunt. Off-meta plays demand precise angles and caution—you don't just copycat blindly after getting hit once.
Greenhorns gonna greenhorn.
"Get ready to di—?!"
Oh Sujin, first into the Rosh pit, couldn't finish her taunt.
The pit, where four Shining Star players should have been, was eerily empty. Just Rosh standing guard. Physically impossible for them to slip out in those few seconds.
"What the..."
"Now!"
From the hill above, daggers blacker than the night sky streaked down. The pitch-black blades pierced straight through the clustered Brilliant players. Damage wasn't insane, but the problem was the long-lasting slow debuff.
Umbral Dagger (Q): Throws a pitch-black dagger in a straight line or tracking a target. Leaves a black trail along the dagger's path and on all champions hit. While on the trail or briefly after leaving it, Wraith ignores all terrain like hills, walls, and trees.
Lone in the Dark (W): Passive. Basic attacks on isolated enemies (no nearby allies) ignore defense and damage reduction, dealing bonus true damage.
Intangible (E): Passive. Reduces all damage taken by up to 20%. The mitigated damage is redirected to nearby enemies in a small area.
Ghost Emergence (R): Summons a clone that auto-tracks and attacks all enemy champions briefly. Clone has lower attack power, takes more damage, can't use items, but inherits passives and item effects. Wraith can teleport to the clone's position while it's active.
Carry champion Wraith's Umbral Dagger. Shin Sera.
Black trails lingered where the dagger passed and under the hit Brilliant players, sucking in light. Shin Sera ghosted along them, ignoring all terrain like a formless specter.
Leading the charge, a massive silver arrow flew in, followed by blinding holy light pouring over Shin Sera in the heart of Brilliant's formation. Finally, Kim Seon-ah leaped in joyfully, gripping her chain-wrapped stake.
Oh Sujin and Brilliant couldn't even fathom what hit them. Realizing they'd been played, they scrambled to retreat—but massive tree roots sprouted on their escape path, and Cha Yuna emerged from them.
"Hi?"
'Shit, a trap!'
By the time Brilliant realized, it was far too late.
The casters spotted something off right as the game started.
Sturdy Wood Wall (Q): Summons a rectangular wooden wall around a target area. Can trap allies or enemies inside.
Teleport (W): After a short delay, teleports anywhere on the map.
Army of Nature (E): Destroys trees in an area and summons a treant legion. Treants vanish after a duration.
Nature's Wrath (R): Releases energy targeting all visible enemies. Bounces automatically to new targets post-initial hit, increasing damage per bounce. Limited max targets.
Of Trent Master's three skills, the most useless for laning was obviously Teleport. It's busted late-game, sure—but that's late-game talk.
No Trent Master anywhere takes Teleport at level 1. But Cha Yuna did. And from her expression, it wasn't a misclick.
First time seeing this build, the casters were visibly thrown.
And it got wilder.
Cha Yuna split from her team, strolled solo into the Rosh pit, and whacked Rosh. Obviously couldn't kill it.
Seconds later, she ate it and died.
"Ugh... freaking... hurts... so... bad..."
Cha Yuna left those words and perished.
While Cha Yuna died, her teammates popped Smoke—a consumable for stealth and move speed—crossed the river, and climbed the hill overlooking Brilliant's jungle. They hunkered down, waiting like predators.
Sure enough, Brilliant's champs—all five—rushed the Rosh pit to devour the Shining Star inside.
But Shining Star had already stealthily seized the overlooking hill in Brilliant's jungle.
With all five Brilliant players in view, Shin Sera's Wraith struck first.
Slowed by Umbral Dagger, Brilliant couldn't escape the pursuit. Kim Eunjae's moonlit arrows stunned one for ages; Holy Knight's AoE nuke rained down.
As Brilliant barely fled—
"Hi?"
Level 1 Trent Master Cha Yuna—super short respawn—teleported in, cutting off their retreat. No combat skills yet, but her basic attacks mopped up the chunked Brilliant squad easy.
Now the casters and viewers got it.
Cha Yuna's death was no flub. A meticulously planned masterclass bait.
The ingeniously baited Rosh pit play.
This moment skyrocketed Shining Star—a mere academy rookie team—into explosive fame and undeniable presence.