Chapter 174: Practice Match (1)
"Let's give a score for Almond."
OrangeKing asked while shaking the card. He already had an answer in mind, but was the last one to speak. Since he was the most influential, his opinion could change others' opinions. The first one to speak was the analyst.
"Hmm... I think around B? He has the potential to be A, but I think right now B is just right for him."
"Quite cold. He even beat a Master tier in a one-on-one."
"One-on-ones are quite irrelevant compared to siege mode. Mechanics yeah, he's already proved himself with VNS, so it wasn't that unexpected he won the match."
"Then what rank do you think he is? Right now, he's Silver. Obviously, he's better than that, right?"
"Since I gave B, I'm guessing he's around Platinum or low-Diamond. I believe he has the potential to reach Masters as well. If he was younger, the potential would be even bigger."
The analyst gave a B, but it was not a bad rating.
— I think he's already master-level
— B is perfect for Almond
— You fanboys are insane. He's just silver!
— The analyst is smart. One-on-ones are meaningless. If I'm lucky, even I can beat JeonJaPa.
OrangeKing looked at the chat and asked them again.
"But if Almond is B, why do you think Takoyaki chose Almond for the main ADC role? Putting him as a sub would've sufficed."
"Hmm..."
The analyst met eyes with the other caster, Song Ki-Hoon, and stopped talking momentarily. OrangeKing always had a hidden meaning behind his questions, so they couldn't hastily answer.
"We're on stream, so you can answer comfortably."
As OrangeKing said that, the two carefully started to speak up.
"Ah, that's right. Haha. We shouldn't stay quiet. I think..."
OrangeKing told them to speak comfortably, but as an analyst, that was difficult.
"... It's a mistake.'
"A mistake?"
"Yes. From my perspective, it's a clear mistake."
The analyst carefully spoke and finished his statement.
"Takoyaki made a mistake. One-on-ones have nothing to do with how good an ADC is."
"Tako... do you think Oh Jin-Sung wouldn't know that?"
"Of course, Oh Jin-Sung was an incredible player. There's no way he doesn't know that. I think he's believing in the incredible potential Almond has from the VNS results."
As the analyst finished speaking, the chat cursed Takoyaki. Not because they believed in the analyst or what he said, but because they were prior haters of Takoyaki. What the analyst said was a handy weapon for them to poke attacks at Takoyaki. Takoyaki and the analyst didn't feel good about it, but it was all part of the job.
Regardless, the analyst continued, "The ADC is the team's last resort. They need to stay alive until the end and be in charge of the team's damage. A skilled ADC towards the end of the game is always a game-changer for the other team. Tako focused on the potential curveball rather than the consistency."
"So you're saying he chose Almond's uniqueness over Strawberry's stability?"
"That's right. At least the way I see it."
"It's a little reckless, right?"
"Hmm... Yes. Since their team is behind other teams in manpower, he must've decided they needed to make a high-risk play."
OrangeKing nodded because it made sense. He turned to his junior caster, Song Ki-Hoon.
"Hey, Ki-Hoon. What about you?"
"Ah, yes... I think Almond was just straight up better. I give him an A+."
"Straight up better?"
As Song Ki-Hoon made a clear statement, Almond's fans started raiding the chat.
— Almond fanboys, ON!
— Almond! Almond! Almond! Almond! Almond! Almond!
— Kya! A silver that beat a master!
— Call him silster! (silver + master)
"I think because he's new and has a low rank, people are putting a frame over him. I think, objectively, Almond is a better ADC. You talked about stability, right?"
Song Ki-Hoon went through his phone and put up something on the screen.
"Take a look at Almond's average deaths."
"... Wow."
It was OrangeKing's first time seeing this data as well. Who collected the data of a Silver-ranked player? Most people would ignore the data results because the data was against other Silver players.
However...
'If it's this extreme, it's a different story.'
[Average Deaths: 0.1]
The results showed that he only died once out of ten rounds. It was an impressive record.
"Even though it's a normal match or a Silver-ranked match, can other pros play without dying once? While playing offensively like Almond?"
"Hmph... but even so, his champion pool..."
The analyst argued back, but Song Ki-Hoon didn't back down.
"Almond has learned three champions in a short span of time: Ran, Raina, and Sana. The time given was shorter than his entire LIL career."
"We can't say that for sure. While the team was practicing, he must've focused more on champions..."
The debate heated up. Song Ki-Hoon was getting upset, so OrangeKing had to step up.
"Alright, alright. We have a lot of people to rate, so we shouldn't be doing this."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
"Then OrangeKing, what do you think?" the analyst asked while fixing his glasses.
He wanted to toss the difficult topic over to him.
"S," OrangeKing said without hesitation.
.
"...?"
"????"
— What are you talking about?
— S? Don't you mean ASS?
— What's he going to say now?
— Orange sound, ON!
"I was iffy, but I'm sure of it now after seeing the data Ki-Hoon brought."
"But he's in Silver..."
"The current rank is meaningless. He just finished his placement matches, and the LIL rank system is so old-school. It’s ruthless for new players without a previous season MMR. Even if they win all the matches, they're placed in Silver."
"Still, I've taken that into account and gave him a B. Isn't S much too big of a jump? That's around Grandmaster?!"
"I think during the tournament, he'll improve around that much. Since it's a tournament power ranking too, I'll give him an S ahead of time. It'll be fun to watch him."
The caster's calm demeanor was indeed that of a veteran. While most people felt fearful of being proven wrong in their predictions and tended to hold back from expressing opinions that differed from public sentiment, he embraced it as something that enhanced the excitement. That was probably what set him apart as a Tier 1 commentator.
"But let me make this clear. I'm not overselling Almond as an ADC. I think as an ADC, he's exactly an A."
"... Sorry!?"
The analyst and Song Ki-Hoon were shocked.
'He's only played ADC?'
'But he's never played a different role?'
That was because Almond had never played a role other than ADC.
"T-Then what position are you talking about?"
"Hmm... I think I know why Tako sent Almond to be the main ADC."
"?"
"Tako can cover the lack of stability Almond has as a support, so that's why he gave him the main ADC role. His impact is going to come from his sub-position."
"... Sorry?"
His statements were getting more controversial. It was his channel, so he spoke half-jokingly most of the time. However, OrangeKing still had quite the influence.
'What's he going to say? Is he really going to...'
Song Ki-Hoon, who normally respected him, started to worry.
"I think when Almond comes to mid, he'll be in the S tier."
He said it.
— ??? Who do you think you are?
— Miho's mid, no?!?
— Miho's mid! Miho's mid! Miho's mid! Miho's mid!
— How would you know? Almond's never played mid.
— Huh?!
— Mid-Almond??? He's never played a mid-lane champion...
— Maybe if we're talking about support.
"Since we're talking about Almond... let's rate the team. I think they were called Balloon Stars?"
However, the main speaker himself changed topics as if it weren't a big deal.
"Bubblegum, StrawberryShooter, Miho, Almond, Takoyaki... are in the lineup..."
***
"Wow..."
Tako looked soulless as he rewatched the rating video.
'I can't believe he predicted the mid-joker pick.'
He didn't figure out it was specifically Flashy Blade, but he was able to figure out the roster's intent.
'He's still got it.'
He and OrangeKing bickered during their pro days, so Tako was well aware of his skills. OrangeKing's ability to analyze was still incredible.
'But...'
Tako's eyes headed towards the power ranking chart.
"That guy complimented Almond and my roster so much, but why's our ranking so low?"
[15th] [Balloon Stars]
Their team was 15th out of 16 teams.
— LOL, did he compliment them to give them a lower rank?
— Tako, are you falling for it again?!
— 15th, LOL
He knew his team was weaker than the others because they had no Grandmaster or Challenger players. However, the placement he received was much lower than he expected. Were the other teams too strong?
"Hmph. So mean," Miho complained with her lips out. "If it weren't for Almond oppa, we might've been 16th."
She was one of Almond's biggest fangirls, so most of her statements were null. However, this time, it was correct. If OrangeKing didn't rate Almond so highly, they might've been placed dead last in the rankings. Almond smiled upon hearing that.
— Look at this guy smiling.
— Almond: I'm not the problem.
— His smile is so annoying, LOL.
— So cute
— Leave Miho alone Almond, or you're done for.
Tako tried to relieve his teammates for now.
"Hmph… The power rankings are meaningless anyway. It's just something the casters talk about to pass the time. That's all it is."
Tako tried to speak up as if it weren't a big deal, but people could already tell from his voice that he was upset.
— Tako's a liar. He's pissed, LOL
— ??? I'm not angry (slams the table)
— He's the most upset, LOL
"I'm not mad!!" Tako turned red and shouted at the chat.
His poor teammates jumped in surprise.
"Ah, ah... I was talking to my stream."
“Puhahaha.”
A loud laughter swept over the waiting lobby.
"Ahem. Anyway, there's a team practice match today. It'll keep continuing. It's kind of like a friendly match during the World Cup preparation."
Tako spoke as he approached the power rankings, "The team we're going to face off against is..."
His hand passed the tenth rank and went up higher.
"... Well, this team seems doable."
That was what Tako thought. Their first practice match was against the power ranking 11th, [Solo is Back].
The team was called Solo is Back. What stood out to Almond was the Challenger emblem.
His username was ForeverAlone.
'So there's a Challenger.'
Despite having a Challenger player, their power rank was 11th. That meant the others dragged the rank down. Almond checked the ADC rank as well.
'Platinum...'
It was a Platinum ADC and Bronze support. Almond’s team had a Diamond support and Silver ADC. The balance was somewhat even.
[Request for a practice match!]
Bling!
A large text appeared above their heads. It was one of This World's features, and it was time for their practice match.
"Alright, let's do well. Let's change this stupid power ranking with this practice match."
As Tako put his hands up towards the text as the group leader, the entire team was transported to LIL's waiting lobby.
'... Wow.'
Almond, who was playing a team-ranked match for the first time, was shocked. It was because of the different lobby environments. The five summoners lined up in a line as if preparing for war. Behind them stood a line of minion soldiers.
[Choose your champion to ban.]
Du-dun—
The grandiose background music signaled that the game was now beginning in full swing. It was time to choose the champions to ban. From this moment on, it was already like a card game in motion.
"First of all, the other team will ban first," Tako explained the situation to his team and thought about what champion to ban.
"Oppa, should I ban their main champions?"
"No, since it's a practice match, let them play it. It's good to let them play whatever to test the waters."
Right after he finished talking, their bans came in.
[Ban #1]
[Raina: The Cold-Blooded Evil Archer]
The enemy team banned Raina.
Tako smiled, "I think they want to play seriously.”
The opponent wasn’t taking this practice lightly.