TES Base.
"Bro Fan, that Heimer support of yours was actually insane. If I were on the other side, my scalp would've gone numb from the pressure," JackeyLove said excitedly as he took off his headset. They had finally won a scrim, and this one felt especially good—he barely had to do anything, yet kills kept falling into his lap one after another.
After the rough stretch earlier, everything felt like it had been completely washed away.
"I wasn't joking with you. I told you during the game—my Heimer support is really strong."
"It really is," Tian nodded. "If bot lane hadn't opened the game like that, my jungle wouldn't have been anywhere near as comfortable."
"On paper it looks like a terrible pick, but in reality it's extremely effective," Mark said. He had been standing behind Lin Fan the entire time, watching closely.
After all, they were both supports, and seeing a Heimerdinger picked into the role naturally made him curious about the thought process and execution.
In just a little over ten minutes, he had been stunned more than once.
That said, he was absolutely certain of one thing—he couldn't play this champion.
To make Heimer support work, both game understanding and mechanical proficiency had to be absurdly high.
First of all, he couldn't even imagine landing every single E.
That alone was ridiculous.
Standing behind them, Luo Sheng said nothing.
But his emotions were clearly turbulent.
If you had told me at the start of Spring that you had a pocket Heimer support, I would've let you play it. We wouldn't have gone on a five-game losing streak…
Luo Sheng picked up his pen and quietly wrote down "Heimerdinger" in his notebook, raising its internal evaluation slightly.
Still, a single Heimer pick alone wasn't enough to guarantee stage time. At best, it could be used as a surprise weapon.
A pocket pick. A black-tech support.
TL: Hidden strategy/unconventional strategy that does very well.
Maybe, in a crucial match, it could actually swing the game.
Lin Fan… might not be completely useless after all.
They could keep observing.
Then Luo Sheng glanced over again—
And his face darkened instantly.
Lin Fan's screen had already switched back to Ris of Kingdoms.
"Five-minute break. Next game, Lin Fan stays in," Luo Sheng said, not even realizing that his tone had risen.
"Brother Fan, keep it up this game," JackeyLove said, clearly in a much better mood after the win.
"I'll try…"
Honestly, after that performance, JDG was almost guaranteed to ban Heimer. If they did, he could practically retire on the spot.
Without that champion, Lin Fan really couldn't promise anything.
But JDG didn't ban it.
After all, facing a "new" support pick, one game of data wasn't enough. And since they'd be facing TES again later anyway, learning more wasn't a bad thing.
So Heimerdinger was left open.
Luo Sheng also wanted to continue evaluating it.
This time, JDG clearly came prepared.
Bot lane was Caitlyn plus Karma.
Long range, easy turret clearing, strong wave control—clearly aimed at countering Heimer.
Yet surprisingly, Heimer wasn't affected much.
Lin Fan knew exactly how to approach this matchup.
Same plan as always: rush level two, take E at level two.
But after that, he slowed down the push.
Turrets were held and placed only at key moments.
As a result, bot lane was still pressured heavily. Lin Fan also began investing more into vision this game.
Against Caitlyn–Karma, a jungle gank would be extremely dangerous if mishandled.
JackeyLove farmed comfortably, though each wave inevitably lost one minion to a turret—slightly annoying, but tolerable.
However, top lane became JDG's breakthrough point.
Wayward was repeatedly dove and killed.
Without Heimer generating massive advantages, he couldn't transition into a mid-lane carry.
Still, Lin Fan landed several beautiful E stuns in teamfights, pulling a few skirmishes back.
But at the crucial Baron fight, Wayward's Jayce misplayed badly—and even dragged Tian into the disaster.
Even though Lin Fan's upgraded turrets poured out absurd damage inside the Baron pit, it was ultimately not enough.
JDG secured Baron.
TES typed "gg" and conceded the fourth scrim.
"You're still giving too many openings top. Watch how Zoom plays the matchup more carefully," Luo Sheng said. "Lin Fan performed well these two games. Keep working."
Though somewhat utilitarian, Luo Sheng—like any coach—would always give stage time to players who could deliver results.
After all, his bonuses and salary were tied directly to team performance.
For the fifth game, Luo Sheng reverted to the planned lineup for next week's matches.
Lin Fan was finally allowed to rest.
It was already nearing four o'clock.
Although he'd managed to slack off a bit during scrims, it barely made a dent in his progress.
Who would've thought slacking required overtime?
Without playing until at least eleven tonight, the task wouldn't be completed.
"Lin Fan… take a look at this game. How would you have played it?"
Before Luo Sheng could finish, he saw Lin Fan's screen again and froze.
At this point, he was used to it.
In a few days, he'd sit down and talk to him properly.
This Heimer pick clearly had potential—it was worth refining.
Maybe Lin Fan could remain as a second support, pulling out weird picks to help the team win key games.
A true sixth man.
Especially with an ADC like JackeyLove, who thrived on stylistic flexibility from his support.
The main roster stabilized in Game 5, winning a decisive fight at 24 minutes and forcing JDG to give it up.
The scrim score was now 3–2.
Of course, scrims weren't real matches.
A Bo7 scrim meant all seven games were played regardless.
Two games remained.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan was happily grinding Rise of Kingdom.
A fresh server.
As a big spender who'd capped pulls for two days straight, his development was excellent.
TL: Pulled until server limit.
He'd long since finished clearing level six tiles and was now filling out level five.
In Rise of Kingdom, rushing six wasn't always optimal—you needed to farm enough fives to build resources and upgrade barracks first.
TL: These tiles are resource points: Wood, stone, food, and gold. It's like the principle of best is good but not if you can't handle it.
Only after minimizing losses would you push six again.
After a full day of grinding, his power finally caught up, breaking 15,000 influence.
At this pace, 25,000 within seven days wasn't impossible.
Feeling a bit stiff, Lin Fan stretched—
And immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere in the training room.
Looks like the scrims didn't go too well.
"You've all worked hard today. Get some rest. We'll review tomorrow," Luo Sheng said, closing his notebook and leaving.
As soon as the coach left, Lin Fan dove straight back into his grand plan.
Time was tight.
*Ding.*
"Ten-hour slack-off task completed."
"Rewards have been issued…"
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup