Shotgun Tidal's Rampage
Peacemaker players' waiting room.
"Argh, we could've won that one."
"Didn't expect them to adapt that fast in just one set."
"Yujin, what do you think? Wanna run Bloodbath again?"
At the Peacemaker coach's question, Jeong Yujin shrugged.
"Dunno. We seem clearly better overall, but seeing how they handled it, I don't think they'll just roll over if we repeat. It's comfy for me since the lane matchup favors me."
"I think Bloodbath won't work anymore. They adapt well after getting hit once, but they fold pretty easily to brand-new strategies, right? They lost a game to Brilliant in academy league the same way."
"So what do we run then?"
"Champions they've never even seen in academy league."
"Like who?"
The Peacemaker coach pulled up his analysis laptop screen for everyone to see. On it writhed a water spirit in human form.
Tidal. From watching their games, that Lee Ha-young girl on their team has slightly slower reactions than the others. No way she can counter shotgun Tidal reaction-speed wise.
"Ugh... playing that one makes my whole body go cold. Not a great vibe."
"No whining. Can you do it or not?"
"Of course I can."
The coach nodded and flipped to the next screen. A mysterious mage draped in a gray robe.
"You do Grand Magus too?"
"Might as well settle the hierarchy for good this time. When have they ever eaten their own skills? I checked every academy league game—no teams using Grand Magus at all. High chance they have zero Spellsteal counters."
"Yeah, they just grind their main champs and suck at handling counters to their own picks."
"Minji. You got Grand Magus?"
Peacemaker's first support, Chae Minji. She grinned and nodded at the coach's question.
"Obviously. Not like it's my first rodeo."
"Good. Stay sharp till the end. We're not a team that belongs in relegation matches. Let's crush 'em!"
"Players, get ready for the match!"
The staff call. Signal that the third set—the decider for the relegation winners' bracket—was about to start. The winner advances to 3rd Division; the loser drops to the finals for the ultimate guillotine match.
He'd briefed the players on precautions before the game. Likely enemy picks and counters, etc.
With their wide champion pool, low chance they'd repeat a banned comp.
So the question was whether their new comp fell within his predictions...
Seeing the enemy comp appear, he frowned despite nailing the prediction.
"Damn, of all things, they pulled the most annoying matchup like ghosts."
Tidal Wave (Q) - Charges in a straight line as an invincible wave form, dealing damage to enemies in path. Can use items mid-movement.
Tide In & Out (W) - If Strength > Agility: Minor damage + long-range knockback + strong stun. If Agility > Strength: Minor pull-in + Agility-scaling strong damage.
Shape Shift (E) - Toggle. Gradually converts Agility to Strength or vice versa while active.
Form of All Things (R) - Transforms into target enemy champion. Uses their non-ultimate skills during transform; can freely switch between original and target forms.
Telekinesis (Q) - Lifts enemy briefly into air, then slams to targeted spot in range. Stuns nearby enemies on impact (excludes target).
Chain Shrink Ray (W) - Strong damage to target + bouncing ray to surroundings. Damage weakens per bounce; hit enemies lose attack power.
Grand Mage's Might (E) - Passive. Increases own skill damage and range.
Spellsteal (R) - Copies and stores target's most recent skill. Usable until duration ends or death.
Carry Tidal and support Grand Magus.
These damn champs steal and reverse enemy normals and ults alike—major picks even in higher tiers.
No, they get scarier the higher you go, where skill mastery peaks.
Tidal has solid carry power, great escape via Tidal Wave, and insane survivability by Shape Shifting Agility to Strength for HP boosts—despite being a carry.
Grand Magus can even steal ults, so one skill misplay hands them your premium ults on a platter.
Especially Grand Magus. Champs like Wave Sorcerer or Holy Knight with great kits are buffets for it. Lose one ult, and teamfights end.
And if Tidal ults our carry or mid to copy their skills? Brutal to fight.
Our own weapons turned against us.
'Shit, this is bad...'
Peacemaker ghosted their most nightmare picks for us from their prior champs. Even as 3rd Division basement dwellers dropping to relegation, you see why they were rated above this level.
Tidal copying three normals wholesale is one thing, but Grand Magus is counterable with skill sequencing.
But that's if he were playing...
'If only they execute it right...'
Match start.
Top lane exploded again—Yuna's offlane.
No game's easy offlane, but enemy first support stuck to lane—no roams, forcing 1v3.
Tidal and Grand Magus magic barrage shredded anti-physical Wave Sorcerer. Worst matchup from the start—no help from Eunjae or Hayoung would change it. Yuna didn't blame them.
But separate from Yuna's mental, things worsened. Tidal scaled well—not Race-level carry, but close—exploding in growth.
Peacemaker carry Jeong Yujin, water spirit riding waves. Pinned Yuna relentlessly, then inhaled stacked jungle camps under supports for hyper-growth.
Tidal's mana hunger and pricey core were non-issues; growth snowballed.
Eunjae stealthed with Moon Priestess ult multiple times to gank with team, but Tidal escaped via invinci-charge Tidal Wave and HP-pumping Shape Shift.
Strength boosts HP/regen.
Agility boosts attack speed/defense + auto damage for agility champ Tidal.
Intellect boosts mana/regen.
Tidal freely swaps Strength/Agility, pumping HP in crises for survival—embodying water's fluidity. Perfect stat allocation via skill + Shape Shift is Tidal 101.
Yujin toyed with them: max Agility for attacks, flip to Strength for survives.
And...
All stats + extra Agility. Active: Ethereal Blast.
Ethereal Blast (Active): Target enemy/ally/self to ethereal state briefly. No physical attacks given/received; extra magic damage taken. Enemy: massive MS slow + base magic + main stat-scaling magic damage.
Tidal's core, seemingly made for it: Ethereal Amulet. High base Agility + Agility-scaling skills? Perfect. Active amps magic damage via its Agility scaling for Tidal.
Max Agility Shape Shift + Ethereal Blast + Tidal Wave + Tide In & Out = Shotgun Tidal.
Why shotgun? Low-HP champs die in one glance. Few survive the instant Tidal Wave approach + full combo.
Our comp? Only Wave Sorcerer survives it.
"Time to hunt?"
Yujin hummed, waving her wave-body forward. First target: mid Seon-ah.
Nightcrawler ult saves once, so Seon-ah pushed hard. No Bloodbath vision this time.
Spotting sneaky Yujin, Seon-ah startled-jumped back.
'Good, bait a bit then ult if danger... Huh?'
What Seon-ah saw: ferocious wave charging her.
It grazed her—and she died. Full-HP Nightcrawler: 0.5 seconds to instant.
"Wh-what the hell!?"
Yuna shrieked in shock. She knew Tidal was scaling, but this?
"Th-that's Ethereal Amulet!? Don't lone wolf! Seon-ah and Sera, stick with me if needed! I got spell shield—can save you!"
Hayoung called regroup, horrified. Solid call: Holy Knight spell immunity shields allies from magic.
But too late—Tidal completed Amulet unmolested.
'Damn, this game's screwed...'
Overgrown Tidal neuters Holy Knight ult's AoE physical immunity. Tidal mixes physical/magic but magic-dominant now.
Per Hayoung's call, Sera/Seon-ah glued to her while farming. But carry/mid can't farm one lane forever—Yujin struck the loner. Monstrous magic one-shot our girls; Tidal snowballed harder.
Hayoung guarded likely targets, but Yujin's shotgun combo always beat Holy Knight shield speed by a hair.
"Ugh, sorry... gotta react faster..."
"Damn, why's it hurt so bad? Hayoung, what now? Blade Mail?"
Hayoung shook head at Seon-ah.
"Useless. Tidal Wave's invinci. They dump items/skills mid-skill—no reflect damage."
"Then what? Everyone but Yuna unni insta-gibbed now."
"I'll go Banshee's Pipe. Tanks one hit + active shields nearby allies from magic. Then Yuna unni ults into teamfight."
Banshee's Pipe: self magic resist + active AoE magic shield. Smart pivot from her build.
But...
"They went Banshee's?"
"Yeah? Let 'em. Who cares."
"Looks like they're grouping for teamfight soon. Prep up. Minji, hang back a bit. Don't eat Wave Sorcerer ult, got it?"
"Got it. Trust me."
Better 5-man than picked off—push enemy top T2 tower. Tidal's 1v1 combo strong, not 1v5; they huddled, peeking.
"One, two, three... Unni, now!"
"Got it!"
Yuna blinked mid-enemy with Escape Dagger, slamming ult Seawater Eruption. Anchor smash + geysers launched four Peacemakers skyward.
"4-man ult!"
"Kill now! All in—huh?"
Yuna felt something sucked from her body. One enemy lagged far behind T2: gray-robed witch-figure. Energy shaped like Wave Sorcerer got yanked into her outstretched hand.
Grand Magus.
Enemy first support Chae Minji. Yuna caught Minji's smug Spellsteal from afar—and sensed doom, yelling.
"No! Back off! Don't come now!"
"Too late."
Minji blinked beside Yuna via Escape Dagger, whispering. Raised staff skyward, slammed ground.
"Ever eaten your own ult?"
Cracks split earth again. Team leaned in for Yuna's 4-man; seawater geysers burst under them.
"Arghhh!"
"Wh-what!?"
"Seawater Eruption!?"
5-man ult. Perfect Grand Magus counter.
Vs Grand Magus: Fire key skill then spam junk to bait wrong steal. That's the counter.
Tidal distracted them; they fed Wave ult easily—reverse-stunned pathetically.
Peacemaker skills rained on stunned 5. Banshee's wasted; teamfight over at ult steal. Now survive.
"Nngh... Sera... you at least..."
Hayoung's last gasp: spell shield on last hope Sera, then died. Sera alone. She bit lip, dashed deep bush with dagger—black trail ignores collisions/terrain till landing.
Escape into unpathable trees.
But Peacemaker denied even that.
"What're you doing?"
"!!!"
Sera, catching breath in tree, faced her double—face Yujin's.
Tidal ult: Form of All Things.
Yujin mimicked fleeing Sera, threw identical dagger into tree, followed.
"Damn you...!"
"Go to finals!"
Sera's scream-curse futile; Yujin reverted to Tidal. Amulet flashed—field emptied of Shining Star.
Less than a minute later.
Our nexus shattered.