It was time for the second game between Stratus and Taurus. Both sides entered the stage and took their seats.

Yuel’s team agreed to go with a rushdown formation during the break, but they didn't have enough time to discuss all the finer details. So, they had to sort it out during the drafting phase. If they drag out every ban and pick, they should have plenty of time.

"I'll take Dark Knight," Yuel said. "But, I rather keep it a surprise, so I'd like to pick last if that's alright."

Nobody voiced any objections. Dark Knight was a risky class that had a chance to become viable only when the enemy wasn’t expecting it. Of course, such strictness only applied to the pro scene. There was a chance a team of Taurus' level didn't know how to properly counter Dark Knight, but there was no reason to gamble on that.

"So, our first picks are my Druid and...?" Vincent asked.

"Ninja for Nia," Yuel said. "Her pool of options is limited at the moment, so it's best to grab her class sooner than later."

"Got it," Kai inputted their decisions. As the captain, she was the one responsible for the drafting. She could've given the role to Yuel, seeing as he made the most inputs regarding their picks. But, Kai wanted to be a captain through and through on this competitive stage, so she kept the role to herself.

The drafting phase went on. The enemy picked Dragonborn, Aeromancer, and Pirate. The Dragonborn was most certainly their Top Lane pick, which was good. It meant Yuel will be free to pick Dark Knight this game. There was a chance the enemy will ban the class, but it was unlikely.

As I thought. Yuel nodded to himself in satisfaction. After Taurus lost so badly in the previous game, it was unthinkable for them to pick Dark Knight again. It was nothing more than an arrogant pick last time, seeing as their Top Laner wasn't even that great with the class.

In general, after suffering such a horrible defeat, anybody would instinctively pick a different class for the next game. That’s why DragonMaster went with Dragonborn.

However, that logic didn't apply to the Aeromancer and Pirate picks. Last game, Nirvana used Aeromancer and TheLegend sported a Pirate. And, it appeared like they were going for the same lineup again.

Nirvana performed well, so it was understandable why he’d stick with Aeromancer. Yuel probably should’ve banned the class when he had the chance, but he had to ban other problematic classes first.

There were some classes, like Cleric, which posed a threat to any rushdown plan. Such classes had to banned without question. The defensive strength of Aeromancer was a hindrance for rushdown as well, but it was fine because Lars was going to play Warlock. His primary goal in this game will be to help the team dominate team-fights, so he won't have to push the lane early on anyway.

Compared to the Aeromancer pick, the enemy's Pirate pick was odd. TheLegend lost face with it multiple times last game. Was Pirate his best class? If so, he shouldn’t be a threat this game either.

"Is Pirate really alright?" Raymond asked Bruce again.

"Yeah, yeah, and yeah! You already asked me like a billion times," Bruce made a face. "Besides, you already locked-in, so it's too late."

"I just don't understand. Wouldn't it be better to pick something else? Your lane opponent proved she can defeat your Pirate."

"What, you think I gonna lose again?" Bruce sneered. "Don't worry, I ain't losing to that bitch a second time. She just caught me off-guard last time, that's all. I was expecting these guys to be total scrubs, but turned out they got some chumps from StormBlitz. I ain’t going easy on them again."

The players from StormBlitz are in Top and Mid, not Bot... Raymond retorted mentally but decided to let it slide. It was probably a matter of pride for Bruce. He seemed eager to get revenge on his opponent.

I don’t think that’s a smart idea. Raymond thought. Bruce could come up with a thousand excuses, but in the end, Stratus's Carry was just that good. Bruce should be thinking about how to counter her, instead of pretending he could beat her without any plans.

Should I say something? No, he's not going to listen and it's too late anyway. Raymond sighed. Some captain he was. It was supposed to be his job to keep the team organized and lead them to victory, but last game he failed miserably at that. And, he had a bad feeling about the upcoming game, too...

I should've spoken sooner. Raymond regretted his passiveness. This Pirate pick will come back to bite us. I just know it. And, since Raymond was in charge of the drafting, it'll effectively be his fault.

"Hey cap, you listening? It's my turn."

"Ah, yes, of course," Raymond came back to earth. "Which class, again? Vampire?"

"Yep," Dylan nodded. "I would've gone with Lion again, but these cheapskates banned it. I must’ve scared them shitless last game, haha!"

"Lion is a strong pick against their lineup, so it makes sense they banned it."

"C'mon, let a guy dream!"

"Oh, sorry," Raymond apologized. Everybody probably wanted to believe they were stronger than they actually were. They wanted to believe they’ll definitely win the upcoming game. Without that strong faith, they'll recall the devastating defeat they just suffered at Stratus’ hand. It’d drain their motivation and make them succumb to despair.

That's probably why Bruce insisted to pick Pirate. It was one of his favorite classes, so he went for it without hesitation, despite everything that happened last game. It was his way of coping with reality. He wanted to believe he was strong enough to win a rematch. Bruce was always cocky like that, but in this situation, it wasn't such a bad thing.

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If only I could encourage them somehow. Raymond bit his lip. As the captain, he was supposed to keep the team's morale high. However, he didn't have a way with words and wasn’t charismatic in general.

Therefore, Raymond couldn't reassure the team. He couldn't motivate them or drive them forward. He had no idea how to do these things. As a result, each member had to do whatever they could to salvage themselves. They acted cocky and confident to not crumble apart.

"C'mon, pick Lumi again," Bruce urged Bryan. "We gonna have a rematch! This time, we'll show ‘em!"

"Sounds cool, but I don't think it's a good idea," Bryan said. Last game, he couldn't do much for Bruce as a Lumimancer. It was primarily a counter-pick to the enemy’s Ninja and it wasn’t meant to be amazing in Bot. Stratus was supposed to be a bottom tier team, so Bryan thought he wouldn’t have to work too hard in Bot.

But, them bastards were pretty damn strong. That Impaler chick even beat Bruce in 1v1, and she went with Impaler again the game. Bryan suggested banning Impaler to be on the safe side, but Bruce was all like “Nah, let her use her favorite class. That way, it gonna feel the best when I clap her!”

Thanks to that stupidity, the team didn’t ban Impaler during the first banning phase and the enemy picked it as their third class, right before the second banning phase. That sucked. They’ll have to face that strong Impaler all over again.

Knowing that, Bryan couldn’t pick Lumimancer again. He needed a more effective Support that could rescue Bruce from his own dumb misplays. No matter what Bruce said, that Impaler was a strong adversary. She pretty much kicked Bruce’s ass.

And, the same thing will most likely repeat this game as well. Bruce claimed that chick was “lucky” and whatnot, but she was clearly quite skilled. Bryan didn’t want to admit it, but that girl was probably stronger than Bruce in a fight. It was hilarious that a girl their age could beat Bruce, but sometimes real life was stranger than fiction.

With all of that considered, Bryan had to pick a Support class that will keep Bruce alive in things go south. Unfortunately, the enemy banned many of the best classes for achieving that. Paladin, Cleric, and Cryomancer were gone. Druid was taken. It’s as if the enemy knew Bryan will be gunning for one of these classes.

Damn it, I should've asked to pick earlier. Bryan clicked his tongue. It was common practice to keep the Support and Jungler roles for last in order to counter pick efficiently, but this time it played against them.

“Guess I’ll settle on Aqua,” Bryan informed with a sigh.

“Aquamncer? Got it,” Raymond locked-in the team’s final class.

At least it’s somewhat of a counter. Bryan thought. The enemy had a Druid, who could grant a shield to his allies. However, Aquamncer had the rare ability to make that shit disappear. So, if that Druid was Support, Bryan should be able to get some mileage out of Aquamancer.

“Hey B, why not Lumi?” Bruce demanded. “We could’ve recreated last game’s Bot lineup.”

“And? Then what? Lose again?” Bryan rolled his eyes.

“What’s with that pussy talk? Ya think we gonna fold to scrubs like that?”

“Didn’t you say you’ll be taking them seriously now?” Bryan asked.

“Yeah, I’mma be all serious. Doesn’t change the fact they’re scrubs, tho.”

Underestimating them isn’t exactly being “serious”. Bryan sighed. Well, whatever.

Bruce was always stuck in his ways, no changing that. In a way, his unfounded confidence was amazing. It was one of these annoying traits that made people respect him... sometimes. Specifically, the times when that confidence didn’t backfire and get his ass killed.

Even though Bruce was in the wrong like half the time, sticking to one’s convictions like that was impressive. At least, Bryan couldn’t do the same. Hopefully, that overconfidence won’t cost them the next game...

Next, it was Stratus’ turn to pick a class. It was the final pick of the drafting phase.

Aquamancer. I see. Yuel nodded. It was a good play.

Yuel specifically banned problematic Support classes. Aquamancer was on that list as well, but the team could only ban so many classes. So, Aquamncer was left open. The enemy didn’t fail to notice that and grabbed it. At least someone on the enemy team was paying attention.

However, it didn’t seem like Taurus figured Yuel’s ultimate plan, the one he was keeping under wrappers until the very last pick. They weren’t expecting to face the very class they picked last game due to arrogance. Their reactions will probably be priceless.

『Stratus picked Dark Knight』

“Say WHAT!?” Bruce jumped. “These fuckers are screwing with us!?”

"Looks like they didn’t like our DK pick last time," Bryan cracked a weak laugh.

"An eye for an eye," Raymond frowned.

"Now they've done it!” Bruce raged. “They've SO done it! Okay, listen, guys. We're mopping the floor with them next game. StormBlitz or ShitBlitz, I don't give a fuck! We're killing these fuckers!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, bro," Dylan tried to reason. "Don’t let them tilt you before the match. It's exactly what they want."

"I don't give a shit! We gonna destroy them this game!" Bruce yelled. "Zeph, you know what you hafta do, right? Mop the floor with that stupid ass DK! Make that scrub regret he was born!"

"Sure," Zeph didn't object. In fact, he was all for it! That Dark Knight pick was hella disrespectful. It was like an insult aimed directly at Zeph. The enemy Top Laner was confident he could trash Zeph in a fight. The nerve!

Nevertheless, Zeph found himself strangely calm. He was boiling inside, but he didn't feel like blowing up and yelling. Why?

Probably, because Bruce was raging like a demon in his stead. The sheer fury Bruce expressed was enough to quell everybody’s anger. It helped them retrain their cool.

I'll destroy that DK. Zeph proclaimed silently. He already admitted that picking Dark Knight last game was disrespectful of him. Like, it wasn't even his idea. Bruce pushed him to do that shit. Zeph didn’t feel like arguing, so he just went along with it.

After clashing with Chessmaster, Zeph realized that disrespecting the guy with Dark Knight was a huge mistake. In fact, Zeph even developed some respect toward Chessmaster. Guy was hella good. Zeph wanted a rematch. This time, he’ll play with one of his best classes!

Unfortunately, it seemed like Chessmaster didn't feel the same way about Zeph. For him, Zeph was a weakling who deserved to be disrespected by a Dark Knight pick. That shit was lame. No respect for that bastard anymore.

I gonna make him regret this shit till the day he dies. Zeph proclaimed.

"C'mon! Let's go hard at these fuckers!" Bruce kept making noise while the game was loading. "We gonna take this one by storm! These assholes gonna be running to their mamas after we're done with them!

"Yeah! Screw them!" "We gonna wreck their lives!" "They're so dead."

Bruce's words riled up the entire team. Everybody was out for blood. They'll tear Stratus apart and make these bastards regret they were even born!

Stratus

Chessmaster (Top): Dark Knight

VanishingFlower (Jungler): Ninja

Gunz (Mid): Warlock

Beat (Carry): Impaler

InformationBlackhole (Support): Druid

Taurus

DragonMaster (Top): Dragonborn

Messi (Jungler): Vampire

Nirvana (Mid): Aeromancer

TheLegend (Carry): Pirate

TheMyth (Support): Aquamancer