The message from RiotAnya sat in Titan’s inbox, the subject line simple but electrifying: “Urgent: ESL Premier League Invitation.”
He read it twice to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. A last-minute dropout from the league meant Green Tipped Bananas had a golden opportunity—a direct invite to compete in the ESL Premier League starting March 31st. It wasn’t just another tournament; it was their chance to face the best teams in NA over a grueling three-month season.
But two weeks? That was no time at all.
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The team call buzzed to life as Titan relayed the news. “Guys, we’re in,” he said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through him. “Stope Nation dropped out, and Riot wants us to fill their spot. First match is in two weeks.”
A stunned silence hung over the Discord before Hai broke it. “No way. That’s huge.”
BladeSong whistled. “They must’ve been desperate if they called us,” he said with a chuckle, though the excitement in his voice was clear.
“It’s a chance, not a favor,” Titan countered. “We earned this with our Go4LoL performances. But the time crunch is real. We’ve got two weeks to get tournament ready.”
Balls groaned. “Two weeks? That’s brutal.”
“It’s what we’ve got,” Titan said firmly. “This isn’t a casual tournament. The best of NA are here. If we’re not prepared, we’ll get steamrolled.”
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The discussion kicked off with Titan taking charge, laying out the team’s priorities.
“Nior,” Titan began, “it’s fine if you want to stick to ranged supports as your core, but we need more lane presence in drafts. Can you start learning Morgana, Zilean, and Annie? They can give us both lane power and utility in mid to late game.”
Muted in the Discord call, Nior quickly typed a response:
“Got it.”
Titan hesitated for a moment before adding, “And one more thing, Nior. You and BladeSong have gotten really comfortable only duoing together. That’s not a bad thing, but we need to mix things up. You should duo more with Hai more to build jungle-support synergy.”
After a brief pause, Nior’s reply popped up in the chat: "Understood."
Hai chimed in. “No problem. We’ll get the vision game on lock. Easy.”
“Balls,” Titan continued, “I want us to develop flex picks across top, mid, and support. Zilean, Morgana, and Annie should be champs all 3 of us can play. They’re utility mages, and they’ll give us the flexibility to pivot in drafts. You’d play Zilean top if the draft calls for it, right?”
Balls laughed. “Fine by me. Just don’t expect miracles the first few games.”
“Zilean top is the miracle,” Titan teased. “If you can’t carry with it, though, I’ll take it mid.”
“Deal,” Balls said with a grin.
Titan smiled and shifted his attention to BladeSong. And BladeSong, your positioning is solid, but it’s time to push harder in teamfights. With the rest of us focusing on utility and flexible picks, you’re almost always going to get your hyper carries. That means your job is simple: maximize your damage. Play greedy when we’re protecting you. In most comps you will be the main carry. If you’re doing your job, we win fights.
Stolen story; please report.
BladeSong’s grin spread wide. “Greedy? Now you’re speaking my language. Don’t blame me when I go 1v5, though.”
“We’ll blame you if you don’t,” Titan shot back. “This plan works if you limit test and figure out your ceiling.”
The team’s energy began to build, the faint buzz of excitement mixing with the weight of the challenge ahead. They were starting to see the vision—and with two weeks to go, every piece of the puzzle had to fit perfectly.
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Practice started immediately, with intense scrims and targeted drills filling their days. There was no time to waste.
One scrim against a mid-tier team stood out as a wake-up call. At 15 minutes, Hai’s voice came through, sharp and clear. “Mid’s roaming bot. Nior, rotate now!”
Nior reacted instantly, flashing in with Annie to secure a kill and shift the fight in their favor. But when the enemy team counter-ganked, BladeSong pushed too far, eager to clean up the skirmish. He overstepped, got caught out, and the result was a lost turret.
After the game, Blade was a bit frustrated at his death earlier. Titan handled the situation constructively “Blade,” he said, calm but encouraging, “this is the time to push your limits. Don’t hold back in scrims, even if it costs us a few fights. That’s how you’ll find your edge.
BladeSong nodded, his confidence patched up. “Got it. I'll keep pushing.”
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By the second week, tangible progress began to surface. Nior’s mages opened up more dynamic modes for the botlane. Often they could crash a wave bot and rotate with Hai into the enemy jungle for kills or to steal camps. Nior was able to leave lane and setup vision more on these camps, allowing Hai to dictate jungle tempo and secure key objectives.
The top and mid lanes found new layers of depth as Balls and Titan pushed their limits with flex picks. Zilean became a quick favorite, its utility and versatility opening up draft options that ensured BladeSong nearly always had his preferred hyper carries.
In one scrim, Balls piloted Zilean mid against a high-pressure composition. Midway through the match, an aggressive dive targeted BladeSong’s Tristana. Titan’s perfectly timed Zilean ultimate turned what could have been a shutdown into a triple kill for BladeSong, flipping the fight on its head.
“Zilean’s ridiculous,” BladeSong said with a laugh as they regrouped.
“Or,” Balls countered with a sly smile, “you’re finally playing like the carry you’re supposed to be.”
BladeSong chuckled. “Fair enough. Keep throwing those ults, and I’ll keep cleaning up.”
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Late one night, after another exhausting scrim block, Titan sat alone, the soft glow of his monitor casting shadows across his room. His body screamed for rest, but his mind churned with thoughts that refused to settle.
The ESL Premier League was their next step, but it wasn’t the finish line. Far from it. He thought about Hai and Balls, players who’d been dominant in the NA LCS during Seasons 3 and 4 but never broke past that regional ceiling in the original timeline. Now, starting two years earlier, with structured competitive play and a focus on active development, their potential felt limitless. If they could rise to the occasion, who knew how far they could go?
Then there were Nior and BladeSong, totally unknown players. They had holes in their game but brimming with mechanical talent. If they can fix their weaknesses, they can be superstar players that rival the legends of the game.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly. For a moment, doubt crept in. The teams they’d face in the league weren’t pushovers. They were disciplined, hungry, and battle-hardened. And this was just the beginning. Two months into the league, world qualifiers would start. If they made it through, they’d face even fiercer competition from Europe. By August, the IEM tournaments would be underway, bringing tougher, international opposition.
But Titan pushed the doubt aside. They’d rise to the challenge—they had to.
He turned his thoughts back to the big picture. Standing out in the first two seasons was important, but he knew the weight of those early victories was fleeting. The fragmented tournament scene meant those wins wouldn’t carry the same legacy-defining prestige. No, the real challenge began with Season 3. That’s when the game’s history truly crystallized. Winning Season 3 Worlds would be the moment to rewrite everything.
Titan’s mind shifted to Faker, the towering figure of League’s competitive history. Faker was untouchable at his peak, revolutionizing the mid-lane role during Season 3. But if Titan could claim Season 3, it’d steal one of Faker’s 5 crowns. A win in 2013 would change everything. Not just a title for Titan, but a subtraction from Faker’s seemingly unshakable reign.
He smirked at the thought, his fatigue momentarily forgotten. Faker was the greatest, the GOAT in every sense of the word. But even legends could bleed.
Season 3 was a long way off, but it loomed large in Titan’s mind. The work started here, with this ragtag team of underdogs. The summit was far, but step by step, they were climbing. And Titan wouldn’t stop until they stood at the very top.