Marim planned to greet the third minion wave with a gung-ho mentality. However, things were tricky this time around.
Dang, looks like the Orc is nearby. Marim clicked her tongue. It's gonna be riskier to push this time. That is, unless I get myself some backup, too.
"Hey, Nahum, my best friend!"
"Sorry? Your what?" Nahum raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall us ever being friends, let alone 'best friends'."
"Oh, c'mon, no need to be so cold, my pal!"
Nahum made a face. "... is this supposed to be some sort of standup show?"
"Nah, I'm being serious here," Marim insisted. "We're totally best chummies in this game, right? And that's why you're gonna help me gain control in Mid~"
"So, this is what it's all about..." Nahum pushed his glasses. "Alright, let's hear it out. What is your request, exactly? For me to gank Mid?"
"Yeah, that'd be pretty awesome. Thanks in advance!"
"I haven't agreed to anything yet," Nahum pointed out. "Is there a reason why you can't dominate the lane on your own? Mathematically speaking, a DK should have all the tools to do so in the early game, you claimed so yourself."
"Well, yeah, but their Jungler is loitering around," Marim explained. "Now, a DK might be able to handle a 1v2 against some class combinations, but Pyro + Orc is way too much aggro."
"Hrm. Sounds true enough," Nahum reluctantly agreed. "In that case, isn't it best to give up on this wave and push harder in the next one?"
"Pft, are you for real?" Marim gave him a look. "What am I gonna do if they pull the same shit in the next wave, too? Are you telling me to play defense as a DK?"
"That's quite the hyperbole," Nahum argued. "But yes, I see your point. Hrm..."
Ideally, it was best to avoid conflict when the enemy Jungler was around. Responding to the enemy's aggression with total passiveness would result in Memer wasting his time doing nothing.
Alas, Dark Knight was a class with a dreadful countdown hovering over its head. It had no time to play passively. Every minion wave mattered.
"Just do the math, it's not that hard," Marim insisted. "If you help me seize this lane advantage, we'll get that much closer to winning as a team. And, if I can't get it done, then GG, we lost the game. Simple math, really."
"That's such a hyperbole. And yet..." It sounded truthful enough, as much as Nahum wanted to deny it. Dark Knight was really that swingy of a class, for the better and for the worse. Its statistical instability was the reason it wasn't favored in the pro scene.
But, in the current matchup, the high standard deviation of the class's performance could become an asset. If all the right conditions align, this chaotic class might give the Tycoons just the boost they needed to defeat Stratus.
Besides, the die was already cast. There was unmistakably a Dark Knight on Nahum's team. It was too late to do anything to change that. Therefore, as the captain and the Jungler, Nahum had the responsibility to ensure that this DK would be able to fulfil its potential.
"Very well," Nahum conceded. "I will rotate over there. If their Orc makes a move, then I'll respond."
"Nah, that'd be too late," Marim argued. "You saw how damn coordinated these guys are, right? Their teamwork is way better than ours."
Nahum frowned. "You sure use every opportunity you can to take a jab at the team…"
"My point is," Marim continued. "Their teamwork and shot-calls are likely going to be better than ours. It's just a fact we have to accept."
"... yes, I suppose the evidence thus far backs up this statement."
"Right? So, we've gotta strike first here. We can't let them have the first move advantage for free."
"Hrm. A compelling argument indeed..." Slowly but surely, Nahum felt himself getting swept away by Marim's logic. I know I shouldn't let this heretic sway me like this, but I fail to find any holes in her arguments. As frustrating as it is to admit, everything she says is logically sound...
This was the most irksome thing about Marim. This rascal did not respect the church of math and logic, yet she always made strong arguments that were properly backed up.
"Fine..." Nahum gave in. "Then, what's the attack plan?"
"Oh, I didn't think that far, haha."
Nahum's glasses nearly slipped off his nose. "Excuse me?"
"Honestly, I was so focused on thinking up arguments to conceive you that I didn't have time to formulate the actual plan, haha."
Gah! Nahum raged internally. I take back all my respect points! This girl is an idiot! An absolute moron! But that doesn't change the fact that she knows how to make a convincing case…
"Hmph." Nahum scoffed. "I knew something wasn't adding up. You sounded as if you figured out the entire game, but turns out it was nothing but a sham!"
"Now, now. It's not that bad." Marim waved her hand. "We've already agreed on the general strategy, right? So, all that's left is to figure out the specifics."
"That happens to be the most crucial and difficult part."
"Naaah." Convincing a blockhead like you is a hundred times harder, word.
"You're already halfway to the enemy tower," Nahum pointed out. "I can get there in time to help, but we need a proper plan."
"You just keep heading over here. We'll figure it out on the fly."
"Hrm. I'd rather not waste my precious time on unverified strategies, but I suppose we can improvise a little…" He pulled his legs to Mid even though he had zero confidence about any of this.
"So," Nahum continued. "I take it you want me to attack Beat regardless of whether the enemy Jungler shows up?"
"Yeah, let's just gank her ASAP."
"Hrm." Nahum frowned. "This would be much easier if I had my ult."
"Then you should've farmed harder, dawg."
"Excuse me, but I believe my exp is very much on curve," Nahum retorted. "Though, I believe I would've hit Lv. 5 by now if I had taken the Griffins on my own without sharing the exp with you."
"Pft, as if you could clear them without me."
"True, I suppose that would've been difficult," Nahum admitted. "Either way, the fact remains I won't have access to my ult for this gank."
"Yeah, that part kinda sucks, not gonna lie," Marim said. "Pretty sure Memer got Lv. 5 by now, so that's one disadvantage we're gonna have."
"Indeed," Nahum agreed. "In fact, the last time we saw him, his GPM outpaced even yours."
"Really? That's kinda wild, actually." Marim frowned. "Did he counter-jungle or something? Where did that extra farm come from?"
"He split minion exp with their Top Laner in the previous wave," Nahum reminded. "And, he also stole my wolves while he was there."
"Oh, that happened?"
"Yes, I've confirmed that just a few moments ago," Nahum reported. "The wolves should've respawned by now after my last clear, but the camp was empty when I got there."
"Dang, and you just let him take it like that?"
"I was in Bot Jungle, so there was nothing I could've done about it," Nahum explained. "They played their cards well. Having the Jungler join the laning effort seemed inefficient at first glance, but it paid off with the counter-jungling on top."
"So, they bullied Patrick out of the lane so they can steal whatever they want from Top, huh?"
"Exactly."
"Heh, that's smart." Marim shook her head in resignation. "So yeah, Memer is Lv. 5 for sure now. That'll be a problem."
"This is why I said the details matter a lot, especially in this case," Nahum explained. "It's easy enough to say that we should gank and that the worst that can happen is a 2v2 situation, but you also have to consider how that 2v2 might play out."
"Yeah, true. Hmm…." Marim tilted her head from side to side, looking around for inspiration. The plan was to go for a hella proactive play. It's the kind of shit Stratus likes to pull, and it usually works for them. I wonder how they would have played this one...
That wacko, Chessmaster, was infamous for pulling insane shit outta his ass. Many of his tactics seemed impractical, almost suicidal. And yet, most of the time, they worked out.
And, I get why. Marim nodded. Dude is kinda a genius, no joke.
Despite how reckless and improbable Chessmaster's tactics seemed, there was always some nuance to them that made all the difference. His seemingly "counterintuitive" ideas were carefully planned based on his opponents, the situation, and probably some advanced math shenanigans. He was one fine maverick himself.
No matter how many times I rewatched Stratus' crazier plays, they always gave me the chills. Marim snickered from ear to ear. To think that a fellow mid-schooler can come up with absurd stuff like that. It makes me wanna pull something like that, too!
Alas, Marim's team was filled to the brim with blockheads who only ever followed the meta. As such, nobody would ever cooperate with any of her wilder suggestions. Thus, all her cool plans amounted to nothing.
But here I have a chance to pull something. Marim thought. I swindled Nahum to go to Mid, so all that's left is to execute the right play. Except… I didn't have enough time to think of a cool plan! Noooooooo! Welp, better late than never. I'mma cook something up real quick.
So, what would Chessmaster do here? Figuring that out might just be the quickest way to come up with something good. It's like using a shortcut! But, will Marim be able to do it…!?