Lack of Subs
Lack of Subs
[I normally try to plan out most things by myself, but I'm a little lost on this one.] Yuel frowned. [I didn't expect us to actually win that game, especially not that easily.]
Even though he extensively studied the Jungler Dark Knight meme and learned how to build a strong team around it, Yuel didn't expect it to actually work in the competitive scene, especially not against the Leopards. It was truly an absurd game.
It was no wonder that the audience saw fit to applaud Stratus for the result. Most of them probably came here to study the two teams in a businesslike manner, but thanks to the memes they got a fair share of entertainment as well.
[But, I doubt it'll work for us again.] Yuel frowned. [The DK meme only worked the first time because we had the element of surprise. I managed to mislead Cato during the drafting phase and that gave us the edge. But, next game, they'll be ready for us.]
The Leopards weren't the kind of easy opponent who'll get stumped by an unconventional comp. They'll surely adapt for sure.
Most certainly, the Leopards now registered Stratus as a potential "threat". As such, they'll take the next game far more seriously than the previous two.
[So, how do we proceed from here?] Yuel glanced at the log that was lying on the sofa. Nia was still fast asleep.
She wasn't making any breathing sounds, so it was easy to mistake her for a corpse. This used to give Yuel a fright in the past but he got used to it by now.
[She won't be waking up any time soon.] Yuel could tell that much at a glance based on past experiences. [At best, she might be ready to join us for the 4th game. But, knowing this girl, anything can happen.]
There was no telling for sure when this sleepyhead will decide to return from the realm of slumber. Even back in the club, she sometimes knocked herself out for a few good hours in the afternoons. Truly, this girl was as unreliable as it could possibly get.
[So, Luke has to be the Jungler next game, too. Or, does he?]
Ben was an option too. His jungling skills paled in comparison to Nia and Luke's, but at least Ben was awake right now and he wasn't a memer. So, he was available to play and he should be able to use a solid Jungler class that'll fit the matchup.
[There wasn't enough time to train him into a proper Jungler sub, but I made sure he gained a fair share of jungling experience over the past few weeks.]
This was a side project that Yuel had been working on ever since Ben returned to the club full-time.
Once Ben started attending every training session like the others, it became clear once again that he was a hard-working member. He followed instructions to a T and didn't complain about staying overtime. Truly, an exemplary competitive player.
Since Ben was so willing to cooperate with whatever training regime Yuel came up with, Yuel decided to run a few experiments by placing Ben in various different roles. This revealed that Ben was a rather well-rounded player.
The guy had the most experience playing Top and Support, but his solid defensive playstyle also extended nicely to Mid and Jungler as well.
The only role he stumbled in was Carry. Ben wasn't proactive enough to lead the team's offense, and he didn't have any outstanding mechanical skill to make him a serious threat.
Nonetheless, the guy adequately handled 4 out of 5 roles. On top of that, he was a hard worker who went along with any instructions Yuel gave him. So, it was a waste to keep him as nothing more than a sub for Top.
Thus, in the short time the team had to prepare for today's scrimmage, Yuel made Ben gain some experience as a Jungler. The guy's performance was still rough around the corners, but there was potential there.
In time, Ben might become good enough to become a permanent replacement for Luke.
[But, is he ready to take the stage today as a Jungler?] Yuel knotted his brows. [No, probably not. Is it worth subbing him in anyway so he gains some experience? I doubt it. That's like throwing him to the lions.]
Making a debut on the competitive scene was already stressful. And, debuting with a role that wasn't Ben's main would only make the experience that much more traumatizing.
Ben already had more than enough confidence issues, so Yuel didn't want to add any more to the list.
[I should avoid traumatizing him.] Yuel concluded. [It's best to eventually sub him in as Top, a role he's more confident with. Well, at least as "confident" as you can call ever Ben...]
There was another option: sub Ben as Top and let Vincent play Jungler. Yuel had already tried this formation a couple of times during club practice but the results were a little lackluster to his taste.
Vincent was a knowledgeable player with great versatility, capable of playing offensively, defensively, and anywhere in between. These all sounded like great traits for a Jungler but they were also his downfall.
Basically, Vincent was [too] versatile for his own good. He had robust game knowledge about dealing with all enemy classes and he had the ability to adjust his plans on the fly based on how the game developed.
This all sounded very promising on paper, but it sometimes proved disastrous in practice.
As a Jungler, Vincent built items that countered the builds of other players, and he made plays that tried to sabotage predictable enemy plans. As such, his decision-making seemed very solid on a play-by-play basis.
Alas, things became a mess in the long run. His game plan lacked any sense of coherence because he constantly tried to respond to the latest interesting developments. It was a prime example of trying to achieve too many things at once, only to fail at everything in the end.
The only games in which Vincent performed well were the uneventful ones that had little to no interesting developments from the enemy side. In those games, Vincent could maintain a largely consistent game plan from start to end.