Division 3 Winter Season (2)
The fifth match of the Division 3 Winter Season, right after their 0-4 record.
Their opponents were Dolphin eSports, sitting at 5th place out of the ten teams.
A team known for slightly weaker laning but exceptional mid-game macro and teamfight synergy.
"Yes! We're bringing you the match between Shining Star and Dolphin eSports. Joined by commentators Park Hyun-woo and Kim Seo-jun. Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Ah, Shining Star! Back in the Academy League and promotion matches, their vibe was unbeatable, but now they're in crisis, right?"
"Exactly. I was genuinely blown away by the potential, team synergy, and wild strategies they showed back then. I thought for sure they'd climb higher. But now... it's tough."
"Four losses? Sure, that can happen. But the problem is how they're losing. There's zero team unity, no trust, no grit to fight together. It's completely vanished."
"Ha~ Not a trace of it. Like ghosts took it away. This isn't the team they were. Whether it's practice issues or internal drama, who knows? But at this rate, they're done. And against Dolphins? The flashy dolphins of Division 3!"
After that, the casters analyzed our team's matchup against Dolphin, breaking down where we fell short and why they had the edge.
Nothing they said was wrong. Objectively, based on our Division 3 form so far, we couldn't beat Dolphin.
But the us from before and the us now? Totally different. Time to prove it.
"Players, get ready for the match!"
The staff call signaled the start. We huddled in a circle, stacking our hands one on top of the others.
"Seona and Hayoung aren't mastered the new champs yet, so stick to your mains today. Yuna, Eunjae, Sera—you got this?"
"Confidence is always there!"
"I can do it too!"
"Me too. I won't let you down."
"Good. I believe you. Our season starts now. Win this and aim for Division 2. Shining Star!"
"Fighting!"
"Alright, time for champion picks."
"Whoa, Shining Star picks?"
"Totally changed!"
"Mightback, Light Spirit, and Hollow Spirit! Wow, completely different from their old picks!"
Paralysis Thorn (Q) - Fires a thorn that reduces the target's movement speed and armor slightly. Effect stacks, resetting duration on stack.
Burst Thorn (W) - Deals weak physical damage to nearby enemies. Hitting the same enemy again within 15 seconds deals bonus damage, which stacks.
Mightback (E) - Passive. Reduces damage from side and rear attacks. Rear damage reduced more. Exceeding a threshold triggers Burst Thorn.
Battle Fury (R) - Passive. Casting skills boosts attack speed and movement speed for a duration, stacking up to 10 times.
Light Bind (Q) - Links self and an ally with light threads, boosting both movement speeds. All healing on Light Spirit amplifies and shares with the linked ally. Ends if too far or canceled.
Light Vortex (W) - Summons 5 orbiting energy orbs. Orbs deal minor damage to minions; explode on champions for AoE damage and slow. Spread or gather orbs.
Rampage (E) - Greatly boosts attack speed briefly and grants HP regen based on max HP. Linked ally gets the same.
Light Reinforcements (R) - After delay, teleports anywhere briefly, returning after. Linked ally teleports too if bound.
Void Afterimage (Q) - Designate a path and send a void afterimage. After short delay, pulls and damages enemies entering the path.
Seven Dimensions Void (W) - Vanish instantly; creates massive hexagonal portal ring around position. Choose exit from 7 portals, damaging surroundings on exit.
Void Grace (E) - Shields basic attack damage and damages surroundings. Shield strengthens per enemy champion hit.
Void Flash (R) - Dash to target instantly, slowing and damaging path enemies. Triggers on-hit effects. Charges twice.
The new champs we pulled out: Yuna's Mightback, boasting Eternal Combat's top tankiness against back-attacks; Eunjae's Light Spirit, demanding insane judgment for godlike support; Sera's Hollow Spirit, a notorious new champ needing mechanics, decisions, and physical prowess.
Mightback was the easiest of the bunch, but the other two were ultra-high-difficulty picks rarely mastered even in Division 1, let alone Division 3.
The casters spat explanations about the combo's risks and god-potential rewards.
Dolphin's players and coach looked rattled across the way.
Especially Light Spirit—a team-reliant champ that does nothing solo. No way they expected our broken synergy to pick it.
The past month as the team crumbled. Two weeks since Winter Season started. I hadn't slacked—pushing the other three with new weapons, even if Seona and Hayoung's rift stayed unfixed.
Now, time for those efforts to bear fruit.
First up, offlaner Yuna.
"Ugh, look at these thorns on my body. Gross."
Yuna grimaced at the spikes on her arms and back. Her pretty face stayed the same, but the rest looked monstrous—fair reaction.
She'd griped about her looks all practice.
Mightback rivals Wave Sorcerer in tankiness. Wave Sorcerer's passive cuts flat damage (great early, weak vs. magic), but Mightback slashes % damage—nearly half from rear, including magic—scaling insanely late-game.
Wave Sorcerer edges 5v5 with ult stun, but Mightback thrives in chaotic brawls. Matched Yuna's wild style perfectly.
She'd drilled my lessons over the month.
"After passive, always show back. Play like you only face forward to dive or CS. In lane, spin if hit—rear hurts less. Free Burst Thorns rack stacks. At 4+ stacks, they fear you. Then push CS and trades. Okay?"
"Hm... showing back feels lame, but got it."
"Later, they'll flee at your back alone."
Offlane's hell, but Yuna endured. She'd flash back on incoming attacks, CSing while sprinkling Burst Thorns for poke and stacks.
Threshold hits? Free Burst Thorn. Foes ate stacks and retreated.
Yuna farmed freely then.
Smooth offlane let our game flow. Bot carry Sera farmed comfy under Eunjae and Hayoung double-sit; mid even.
Then, as Yuna stepped for CS, Seona called.
"Sis, mid's MIA?"
"Circling you?"
"No, vision both sides..."
"Y-Yuna sis! Tower bush! Dive!"
Hayoung screamed, spotting foes briefly on minimap.
Enemy carry, support, mid—4-man dive on Yuna.
"Shit, mana dry!"
But we'd practiced this. Yuna startled, then calm, calling fast.
"Eunjae! Tower side! Sera, portal over!"
"Got it!"
"On way."
Light-wreathed spirit Eunjae channeled. Ult Light Reinforcements to top.
Purple-aura Sera channeled portal scroll to top tower.
Could bind Sera and ult together, but cooldown would've left Yuna unbound when needed. Eunjae solo ulted; Sera portaled.
That judgment I'd beaten into them shone.
Two of three bot leaving? No top losses allowed. Hayoung gold-poor on wards, no portal.
But...
"Eunjae, Sera! Buff incoming! Take it!"
Giant angel descended, beaming Hayoung's Holy Knight ult Guardian Angel on them—physical immunity. Massive buffs.
Then both vanished from bot.
Back to top.
"Sis! Help!"
"Hurry! Dying!"
Light threads from Eunjae bound Yuna.
Light Bind. She Rampaged, potting herself.
Bind shares amplified heals; Rampage shares AS and HP regen.
Pot + bind + rear tanking? Yuna's HP surged faster than damage.
Thorns stacked; free Burst. Ult attack/movespeed; Rampage AS. Full power.
Stack-capped Mightback charged. Dolphin frontline melted.
Even sucking Yuna while Eunjae healed? Immunity buff blocked.
"Wh-what?!"
"Gahhh!"
"Impossible! Too strong! Kill her!"
"Ugh... tanky bastard! Won't die!"
Yuna's autos deleted their mid. Surging HP? Dolphins panicked, fleeing.
"No you don't~"
Eunjae's 5 orbs spun out. Graceful wave spread them, slamming Dolphin flanks.
Support damage packs punch + slow. Dolphins limped on heals.
But not just Yuna and Eunjae.
"Where you going."
Purple champion blinked across, snaring backs.
Sera's Hollow Spirit ult. Slowed to crawl.
Which meant...
"Damn..."
Slash. Black energy cleaved them. Too late to run.
"Fuck... kill the Hollow at least! Focus fire!"
"Nah."
Shield up; AoE damage.
"CC her! Save who you can!"
"On it!"
Dolphin support hammered Sera—sacrifice play.
But massive 7-portal ring spawned. Central + hex around.
Sera vanished; hammer whiffed air.
"No..."
Despair hit as Yuna's flail crushed her.
Eunjae cut bind—ult ending.
"Time's up! Heading back! Sera, clean up!"
Light Reinforcements returned her bot. Cut to avoid dragging Yuna wrong.
"Thanks, Eunjae~"
Yuna thumbs-upped fading Eunjae. Too far for her to chase—Sera's turn.
Nearest escape: 2 o'clock portal.
Sera emerged; explosion downed another support. One carry left.
"Impossible... no way!"
Horror-faced, she fled back-showing. Missed Sera's afterimage behind her.
Carry froze, turned.
"What...?!"
Void afterimage pulled like black hole.
Before scream, Sera's second ult slashed. She'd dashed past tower range, jungling out.
One sec later: slash. Carry cleaved. Top cleared.
1v4 dive flipped to 3v4 teamfight. We aced without losses.
"Shining Star!!!"
"Same team as last week? A 4-man dive... handled perfectly?"
"Wheeee! Crash! Dolphins tumbling down the slope—dozens of rolls!"
"Basically dead, right?!"
"Pretty much! Huge investment, zero return—massive losses! Like dumping your fortune into delisted stocks!"
This was our true Division 3 match.
The victory report's beginning.