CLAW! SWISH! RIP! Fiona kept assaulting the Cleric for as long as possible, but it proved impossible to take down the tanky target.
To make things worse, the Cleric’s healing skill came out of cooldown and undid much of Fiona’s progress. As I thought, this is impossible. Fiona concluded and turned around. There is no point in chasing any further. It is a waste of time.
Instead, Fiona shifted her focus to the area in front of her. She was now deep within the enemy’s Bot Jungle, and there were many spoils for her to claim there while the enemy Jungler was amiss.
They do not have the spare manpower to station guards here, so I will help myself to the Wolf and Ogre camps. First, she rotated to the nearby Wolf Camp and used Majestic Leap to wipe it out quickly. This was a bit risky, as it meant giving up her best escape tool, but it was the most time-efficient play here.
Next, Fiona went after the Ogre Camp and cleared it within seconds with basic attacks. However, she did not wipe it out fully. She left one of the smaller Ogres alive to mess up the camp’s respawn timer.
Next, I can attack Mid. Fiona analyzed. From there, if nothing demands my immediate attention, I should be able to rotate to the griffins, wraiths, wolves, and finally Top.
While on her way to Mid, she was already analyzing that many moves ahead. Despite Classmancers being a complex team game with a big map, many stats, and a multitude of options for upgrades, it was often rather straightforward in the strategic department when compared to a game like chess.
For example, in her current position, Fiona knew for certain that the enemy had very few ways to interfere with her counter-jungling plans. Therefore, it was easy enough to analyze these few possibilities and think multiple moves ahead.
The hardest part here was the fog of war. Classmancers was not a game of perfect information like chess, therefore Fiona had to be extra vigilant at all times. Even if she knew what types of maneuvers the enemy might pull, she still had to spot their movements in time and respond accordingly.
As such, even as Fiona was confidently heading to Mid, she constantly monitored the enemies' visible movements. Thus far, she has not seen anything that made her worried.
"Oh, so you're here, my fair lady?" Andria greeted. "Then, let us vanquish our foes at once!"
"Yes, let us do that." Fiona ignored the theatrics and assaulted the enemy Electromancer from behind. It seemed the enemy team had no wards anywhere along the path Fiona traveled, so the surprised foe found himself in a pincer.
However, the Electromancer had no trouble blinking away with Thunderclap. Therefore, Fiona only landed a handful of attacks before the enemy slipped away.
However, that was alright. Scoring a kill was not part of the plan in the first place. Fiona only rotated here along the way while she had her sights on the enemy’s Top Jungle.
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Merely injuring an enemy laner this little did not seem like much at first glance, but this small play could potentially have great implications for the future of this game. The accumulated damage will eventually force the Electromaner to recall earlier than planned. That will open up great opportunities for the Valyries to push Mid, the most critical lane.
To not overstay her welcome in Mid, Fiona moved on to the Griffin Camp in Top Jungle. And to make the operation go smoother, she requested Andria's help.
"Your wish is my command," Andria replied playfully as always.
The Griffin Camp was the toughest camp to clear after Overlord and Dragon, therefore even in mid-game it took a while to clear for one player. As such, even though it meant splitting exp and gold with Andria, it was more optimal to gang up on the griffins and secure them quickly. After all, Fiona had limited time to capitalize on this counter-jungling opportunity.
Next, the wraiths. Fiona continued along the scheduled route. At every step of the way, she made sure to examine everybody's positions. Not only the enemies' but also her allies'. After all, Fiona doubled as a shot-caller for the team despite also being a piece on the board like everybody else. All in all, it was an odd role to play in a team game like this.
In volleyball, the setter often had a similar role, but the amount of decisions they could make in the heat of the fast-paced game was severely limited. On the other hand, Classmancers was a slower game overall, one that gave all players enough downtime to strategize.
In a way, this was like a cooperative chess game. All team members were pieces on the board, but they also had the luxury of looking at the entire board from above and carefully analyzing all the available data in order to come up with tactics. In that sense, anybody could be the “shot-caller” if they wanted to.
However, everybody was busy playing their own character in real-time, so they had to pay utmost attention to their own situation. Meanwhile, the shot-caller was expected to juggle both jobs.
Not everybody was well-suited for that sort of multitasking. Likewise, not everybody was proficient at strategizing. Not to mention, there was also the topic of bias when the strategist was one of the players on the field.
It would have made more sense to me if the shot-caller was a separate 6th player. Fiona always thought. A player who is not on the playing field can see the bigger picture more clearly and more objectively.
Having the chess player itself become a piece on the board was far from optimal. This preoccupied the strategist with thinking about their own game plan and interests, sometimes prioritizing their own agenda at the expense of the rest of the team.
Fiona was conscious of the fact and tried her best to be impartial with her calls, but that was clearly impossible. She was only human, after all.
For example, the play in which Fiona sacrificed Lua. Was it really optimal? Or did Fiona favor that play because it scored her a kill?
It was always difficult to tell where was the line between objectivity and subjectivity. Over time, Fiona learned to ignore this philosophical question and trust her own judgment.
I am but another pawn on this board. Fiona always reminded herself before making any calls. By recognizing her place on the board, it was easier to stay impartial.
Alas, many decisions had to be made based on the perceived skill level of her teammates, as well as her own. But, could Fiona objectively judge her own skill when she was a fellow piece on the board? And, was it possible for a harsh critic like her to properly estimate her allies’ skill level?
Such complicated questions will likely forever remain unanswered. All Fiona could do was continue navigating this path of uncertainty….