Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Troll Pick
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A conventional approach was bound to fail. Hwang Dong-min knew this all too well.
So he considered it for a moment.
“…No, let’s stick to what we were doing.”
But in the end, he shook his head.
It was a psychological aversion to what was, for all intents and purposes, a troll pick.
He'd rather lose than pull out a pick that was highly likely to draw negative attention in a tournament being watched by so many people.
‘So it's a no-go, huh.’
Lee Shin pursed his lips.
Then again, no sane player would want to use a dodge-worthy pick in a tournament that was being broadcast.
So, Lee Shin gave up on bringing out his signature pick.
But there was one variable.
Around the 14-minute mark of the second set.
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have slain an enemy.]
[A tower has been destroyed…]
[…]
Kill score: 4 to 16.
Tower trade: 7 to 0.
The game had once again imploded, starting from the mid lane, and had long since spiraled out of control.
Up to this point, the flow was similar to the previous game, so there wasn't a particular problem.
The issue arose when Kim Ha-seong, likely thinking he had already won, started chasing Hwang Dong-min around and spamming emotes.
Thumbs up!
“Oh? Right now…”
“Yes. It looks like he could have killed him but chose to let him live.”
“Hahaha! Kim Ha-seong is putting on a show.”
It was a level of celebration that was perfectly acceptable in an intercollegiate tournament.
The caster took it in good humor, but Hwang Dong-min, the one on the receiving end, did not.
It would have been one thing if he’d been taunted like this in a regular game, but here he was, being openly mocked in front of countless viewers.
Naturally, he couldn't help but be furious.
[The Nexus is being destroyed.]
[Defeat!]
“…”
And so, after a crushing defeat in 25 minutes, during the waiting time for the third set.
Hwang Dong-min turned his head to look at Lee Shin.
“Shin.”
“Yes.”
His face was simmering with rage.
He glared at Kim Ha-seong beyond the waiting room and spoke.
“…Let’s try that thing from before.”
* * *
The first two sets had ended in a landslide.
Kim Ha-seong had flawlessly demonstrated the prowess of the tournament's only Challenger player.
Overwhelming farming ability and mechanics.
And even strategic command.
The caster asked.
“Could this time be different?”
“Well, I’m not so sure. Seeing Lee Shin move to mid and the drastic changes in their picks, it seems they have some sort of plan… but realistically, it will be difficult.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, their opponent is a Challenger, after all.”
Ultimately, he was likely to become a monster in the late game and dominate.
A carry potential that was hard to stop even if you knew it was coming!
That was why, before the match began, Lee Shin had made just one promise to Hwang Dong-min.
‘I’ll make it a 4v4 for you.’
‘…’
Lee Shin, confident he could erase the enemy mid laner from the game.
It was no easy task against a Challenger mid, but Lee Shin was sure of himself.
He’d done it many times before.
[Welcome to the Summoner's Battlefield!]
Right after the game started, Lee Shin spoke to his teammate.
“Jungle, come whenever I call.”
-Okay.
“Let’s look for a play at level 3.”
-Got it.
After giving his jungler the early orders, the laning phase began.
He was laning against Galiman, a melee mage.
While last-hitting minions with his skills, Lee Shin used the difference in their basic attack ranges to constantly poke Galiman.
*Pok. Pok-pok.*
His health was slowly but surely being whittled down.
The caster remarked.
“He’s taking quite a bit of damage, isn't he?”
“It’s because of Lee Shin’s item choice. He bought a blade and a refillable potion, didn't he?”
“Ah! You’re right. He’s a mage champion, but he bought a blade instead of a ring.”
“It’s a choice you see from time to time. Basic attack harass is much stronger in the early laning phase. It seems he’s conscious of how badly they were crushed in the previous set and wants to put a definite emphasis on laning.”
A blade purchased instead of a ring for maximum basic attack harass.
And that wasn't all.
When Lee Shin landed his sixth basic attack on Galiman.
*Vwoom!*
Lee Shin’s LeBlanc emitted a golden aura.
The caster shot up from his seat in surprise.
“…Rapid Fire?!”
The Rapid Fire rune.
A rune effect that activates after hitting a champion with six or more basic attacks, increasing attack range and attack speed upon activation.
Therefore, it was a rune typically taken by ranged, attack-damage carries.
But here was LeBlanc, classified as an AP assassin, using it.
“Could it be a mistake?”
“No.”
The commentator refuted the caster's natural question and calmly explained the reason.
“This is a plan to play the laning phase in an extremely aggressive manner. The idea is to completely shut down the opponent, even utilizing their own jungler if necessary.”
LeBlanc versus Galiman.
In a matchup where you could land one-sided basic attack harass like this, there was no rune better suited for poking than Rapid Fire.
He had even purchased a blade to increase his basic attack damage.
*Pok, pok-pok!*
“…He’s taking a lot of damage! He’s chasing him down and hitting him!”
Galiman was getting beaten up one-sidedly.
The commentator shook his head.
“There’s not much he can do about this.”
Both the basic attacks and the Q skill used for harass were ranged, targeted abilities.
It was an attack that not even the number one ranked player could dodge.
Galiman had no choice but to stay far back and soak up experience.
“Doesn't this mean Yeonhui University is starting with an advantage?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Why not?”
“Because of the Rapid Fire rune. It’s useful for harass now, but in the late game, it’s practically useless.”
“Ah…”
Because LeBlanc doesn't rely on basic attacks later on.
Thus, as time went on, the power of the Rapid Fire rune would naturally fade.
Conversely, Galiman was a champion whose potential exploded in the mid-game once he had some levels and items, so missing a few minions was practically meaningless.
“So they need to secure a kill here.”
“On Galiman?”
“Yes.”
“Is that possible? He has Flash and an excellent mobility skill.”
“I agree it’s difficult, but they have to make it happen. Not after picking that.”
Level up!
The moment the commentator spoke, LeBlanc hit level 3.
Galiman, on the other hand, was still level 2.
He was just about to hit level 3.
“Come now.”
Lee Shin took advantage of this brief window to call his jungler, intending to execute their planned play.
“I’m going to land my chain. Try to hit your Sonic Wave on him there.”
-Got it.
Lee Shim approached from the enemy's escape route, planning to catch the opponent in a pincer attack with LeBlanc.
But Kim Ha-seong wasn't one to be caught so easily.
“Whoa? He’s suddenly backing off, Kim Ha-seong.”
“Looks like he sensed it.”
“Was there a ward?”
“No. He wasn't spotted by a ward, but he must have felt something was suspicious.”
The only reason Lee Shim would be nowhere to be seen at this timing was a gank.
Kim Ha-seong astutely deduced Lee Shim’s position and preemptively fell back.
It looked like a failed gank attempt.
But in a situation like this, Lee Shin forced a kill opportunity.
*Flash!*
“I’m using Flash.”
A Flash faster than the call!
He abruptly closed the distance and threw his chain.
The chain, thrown so suddenly that his opponent had no time to react.
*Shlk!*
“He Fla—no, he landed it?!”
It struck Galiman’s body perfectly, even though he was surrounded by several minions.
*Flash!*
Startled, Kim Ha-seong used a late, matching Flash to try and break the chain, but Lee Shin followed with his saved-up Distortion skill and managed to land the snare.
Galiman was frozen in place.
*Thwack!*
Lee Shim’s Sonic Wave landed squarely.
Galiman, whose health was already below half from Lee Shin's constant harass, couldn't withstand their full combo.
“Give me the kill.”
-Okay.
[First Blood!]
The kill gold went to Lee Shin.
Lee Shin pushed the wave and immediately recalled.
After the situation had concluded, the commentator spoke with a look of amazement.
“That was a great play. Lee Shin’s harass really paid off, didn’t it? That kill was only possible because he’d gotten his health so low.”
“His skill shot was excellent, too.”
“That’s right. His decision to close the distance with Flash first instead of Distortion, fearing his opponent might react, was particularly good.”
“Thanks to Lee Shin, Kim Ha-seong has recorded his first death of the tournament. Does this give Yeonhui University a chance to win?”
The commentator answered cautiously.
“Hmm… I’m not so sure about that. Their team composition’s strength hasn't fallen off yet.”
He said they would have to see how this first kill translated into their next play.
Lee Shin provided the answer with his next item choice.
“Huh? His items are…”
“…?????”
Reaping Scythe and Berserker's Greaves.
Items that increased attack damage and attack speed, respectively.
Neither was a typical mage item… but Lee Shin chose them as LeBlanc’s next purchases.
It didn't matter.
Lee Shin never intended to play LeBlanc as a mage in the first place.
*Pok. Pok-pok!*
Arriving back in lane, Lee Shin immediately resumed his harassment.
With the additional attack damage item, his basic attacks hit even harder.
His attack speed was also increased, allowing him to stack Rapid Fire in an instant.
-Shield of Justice!
Unable to take it anymore, Galiman began charging his taunt and approached.
‘You won’t hit me.’
Since only Lee Shin had boots, the difference in movement speed allowed him to simply walk out of the taunt’s range.
And the moment the skill was on cooldown, the harassment began anew.
*Pok. Pok. Pok-pok.*
Galiman’s health steadily decreased.
Kim Ha-seong, perhaps trusting in his shield’s healing effect, took a moderate amount of damage while farming minions.
The moment Lee Shin’s Rapid Fire reached six stacks, he used his dash to retreat.
In a situation where getting hit was inevitable, he chose the option that would hurt the least.
However.
‘You should have backed off completely.’
Galiman wasn't the only one with a dash.
Lee Shin immediately followed with Distortion, then threw a chain at close range.
Simultaneously, it was basic attack, basic attack, basic attack.
Using his extended range and superior movement speed, he chased him to the very end.
After the snare activated, he landed three more basic attacks.
Then he reactivated Distortion to create distance again.
Thanks to the accumulated damage from basic attacks, Galiman’s health had dropped to around 40%.
LeBlanc’s health, on the other hand, was pristine, save for a few scratches from minions.
[…]
Galiman stood frozen in front of his tower, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing this, a smirk formed on Lee Shin’s lips.
‘You had to experience it to know.’
You don’t know until you’ve been hit. You have to experience it to understand just how unfair it feels.
Especially against a melee champion like Galiman, this build boasted an absurd level of harassment.
A basic attack trade was out of the question, and if he tried to look for a quick kill with a dash, LeBlanc could just dash away as well.
Worse, if he got hit by a chain during that exchange, he might just get beaten up and forced to recall.
And if his jungler was unlucky enough to be nearby, he could even die.
‘…Feels like laning against a Top Vayne?’
That was Lee Shin’s final assessment after playing AD LeBlanc countless times.
The ultimate champion for tilting your opponent!
Of course, it wasn't exactly the same as Top Vayne; crucially, its carry potential was severely lacking.
‘It’s a difference in design.’
Vayne was designed from the ground up as a ranged damage dealer, while LeBlanc was designed as a mage.
A fed Vayne could tear through everyone, dealers and tanks alike, with overwhelming firepower and single-handedly win the game, but LeBlanc couldn't.
“Come mid.”
So, just before hitting level 6.
Lee Shin called his jungler one more time.
It was to ruin his opponent and end the game before the limits of his off-meta build became apparent.