Bloody Rose (3)
Both teams took their time selecting champions.
The moment we locked in Earth Spirit and Hollow Spirit, the enemy snapped up Silent Magician and Elementalist like they'd been waiting for it.
In the end, we pulled out four of the picks we'd used against Peacemaker, while their lineup featured the anti-spirit support Silent Magician, Han Areum's signature Elementalist, plus Dark Priest, Off Brutal Spearman, and Time Locker as their carry.
Infinite Wisdom (Innate) - Permanently absorbs a bit of Intelligence stat from any enemy champion she kills herself or that dies near her.
Silence Curse (Q) - Inflicts a silence curse on all enemy champions in the target area, dealing continuous damage and slowing them. If a cursed champion uses a skill, the curse duration increases.
Insight Strike (W) - Toggle. Each basic attack consumes a small amount of mana to deal bonus damage proportional to her Intelligence stat. Attacks with this ability briefly steal the enemy's Intelligence stat.
Silence Prophecy (E) - Places a magic circle on the target. Deals damage and silences the target if they use a skill or when the circle expires. Bonus damage scales with the Intelligence stat difference between target and caster.
Silence (R) - Silences all enemies across the map for a short time. This cannot be blocked by spell immunity.
Ice Element (Q) - Activates one Ice Element. Each active Ice Element increases health regeneration rate. Maximum of 3 elements can be activated.
Lightning Element (W) - Activates one Lightning Element. Each active Lightning Element increases attack speed and movement speed. Maximum of 3 elements can be activated.
Fire Element (E) - Activates one Fire Element. Each active Fire Element increases attack power. Maximum of 3 elements can be activated.
Spell Creation (R, Innate) - Combines active elements to create spells. Can store up to 2 spells; creating a third overwrites the first.
Time Travel (Q) - Teleports to the target location and recovers all damage taken in the last 2 seconds.
Time Delay (W) - Greatly slows cooldown recovery speed of all enemies' skills on cooldown in a radius around herself, while also reducing their attack and movement speeds. Each delayed skill strengthens the slow effect on the target.
Time Bash (E) - Passive. Attacks have a chance to follow up with an extra basic attack dealing bonus damage and a brief stun.
Time Lock (R) - Deploys a hemispherical field at the target point, freezing time for all allies and enemies inside. Only Time Locker can move within; stealth effects are broken, and external items/skills cannot extract trapped targets.
They took the bait.
I flashed a triumphant smile at their picks. All strong champs, but I'd anticipated this and ordered Seon-ah to prepare counters.
As the red side's fifth pick, we brought out Seon-ah's Shadow Assassin for the first time in ages—since the auditions, really, her original main.
Shadow Dagger (Q): Throws a dagger at the target, dealing damage and slow. Applies basic attack enhancements, item effects, and ultimate effects.
Shadow Strike (W): Teleports to a target enemy or ally. If enemy, greatly increases attack speed for a very brief moment.
Evasion Master (E): Passive. Increases basic attack dodge rate. Also invisible on the minimap when no enemies are nearby.
Deathblow (R): Passive. Basic attacks and Shadow Daggers have a chance for a very powerful critical strike.
As expected, before mid Shadow Assassin became meta, the casters have no clue.
Shadow Assassin is a carry. And weak in lane. Mid? She'd get shredded by skill damage from mages.
That's common knowledge. At least in this era.
And today, that "knowledge" would be thoroughly shattered.
Following my instructions, Seon-ah skipped all health potions and sustain items, buying only a single Stout Shield of Agility to start laning.
Han Areum scoffed at Seon-ah's build.
Fragile health pool, no potion, and she wants to lane against a mage? Stick to what you know—this is some next-level trolling.
Planning to bully her from level 1, Han Areum activated Fire Element and dove into lane. Three red orbs swirled around her as she comfortably farmed CS with her boosted auto-attacks.
Her opponent just meekly farmed from behind with level 1 daggers. Whatever grand strategy Han Areum had feared? She relaxed.
Nothing special. Why not send Hollow if that's all she's got?
At level 2, Han Areum took Ice; level 3, more Fire, ramping up the pressure. Around then, Seon-ah hit 3, maxing Dagger, and made her move.
"Time to play."
Seon-ah stopped safe-farming from afar, stepped up to auto CS—and Han Areum's auto slammed into her.
"Where you going?!"
"Ugh..."
But...
"What the—?"
Han Areum tilted her head. Level 2 Fire auto damage felt weak. She knew Stout Shield's effect, but never felt it mid against melee—until now. The damage reduction was noticeable.
"Ah, banking on that shield with no potion? Tougher than I thought. But how long can you last?"
She kept harassing relentlessly.
Seon-ah took hits, health dropping, but stubbornly autoed minions for CS, hurling daggers at Han Areum whenever off cooldown.
"Getting cocky, huh..."
Chips of health from daggers forced Han Areum to max Ice Elements. Her regen ticked up a bit. She was dominating lane, no doubt.
Not one to back down, Seon-ah kept throwing. At 600 gold, she recalled.
Good, almost 4... She's at 60% health. Just like Coach said.
Seon-ah endured, poking with daggers, until she finally dinged 4.
As instructed, Seon-ah put her point into Evasion at 4. Her form blurred. Dagger at the advancing Han Areum—then Shadow Strike.
Black smoke billowed as Seon-ah vanished, reappearing behind her.
"Ta-da!"
"Gah!"
Han Areum jumped back in surprise. But she wasn't scared—she smirked, seeing it as Seon-ah's mistake.
"Came to die? Wish granted!"
Seon-ah ignored her, eyes locked on the orbs orbiting Han Areum's body.
Sure enough, the orbs shifted: red, red, red → blue, blue, red. A white flash gleamed from Han Areum.
Burning Soul!
Summons a Burning Soul. Each attack reduces target's armor (stacks). Ice level boosts health, range, duration; Fire boosts attack power. Both at 4+ summons two.
Han Areum unleashed her pre-loaded Frostbite as Burning Soul spawned.
"Haaah!"
Applies Frostbite debuff: minor damage, brief freeze. Subsequent damage triggers more magic damage + freeze (slight cooldown). Ice level: longer duration/damage, shorter re-freeze CD.
Standard Elementalist combo: Frostbite freeze → self + Burning Soul chip away with stuns, stacking armor shred. Simple, strong, infuriating. And it snowballs harder with shred.
Usually, diving like this means you swing once and die or flee. But...
"Ugh... Still... holding...!"
Stout Shield let Seon-ah tank it better than expected.
Level 2 Fire Burning Soul wasn't packing much punch, and Shield blocked ~50% of its damage near-perfectly. So Han Areum needed autos, Frostbite procs to finish—but...
"Wh-what?! Why won't you die?!"
Even accounting for Shield, Seon-ah's health barely budged. Han Areum panicked.
Simple reason: Evasion Master passive.
Elementalist's core tools—Frostbite, Burning Soul—rely on auto hits.
With only 2 spell slots out of 10 possible, follow-ups are autos only. Burning Soul? Pure auto summon.
Dodging even a few early autos (no AS yet) is massive.
"I... told you... I'd win!"
Seon-ah's blurred form weaved attacks while her Strike-boosted AS shredded Han Areum. Already chipped by daggers, the mage's health plummeted.
"Don't... get cocky!"
Orbs all turned red. White flash.
Fl-Flare!
Seon-ah gulped, tensing.
1.5s delayed massive fixed damage explosion at target point. Infinite range; damage split among targets in AoE. Scales with Fire level.
No allies or minions to split with Seon-ah. Full damage—fixed, ignores passive. Fatal.
Seon-ah kept slashing, eyes glued to Han Areum.
As healths bottomed out, Han Areum raised her left hand slightly, then flicked her wrist down. Exactly as described.
She cast it! Dodge!
Frostbite expired. Seon-ah broke off, sidestepped, kept max auto range.
Less than a second later, solar beam scorched her former spot. She'd have burned alive.
Dodged... that?! Impossible!
Seon-ah sighed in relief, hurling Shadow Dagger. It pierced Han Areum's gut.
"Guhk..."
Health zero. Han Areum spat blood, knees buckling as she collapsed.
The first solo kill ever on Han Areum's supposedly unbeatable Division 3 Elementalist.