Jiang Min and Shu Lou had once been part of CC, fighting together for nearly two years, so they were quite familiar with each other’s playstyles. As for the rest of AFK, Ring used to duo queue frequently with Jiang Min before joining the Fish Pond, so they had a foundation in coordination. Although the players in the 1st and 3rd positions hadn’t worked with Jiang Min before, Shu Lou was the team’s shot-caller, and following his commands shouldn’t pose a significant problem for them.
“Ah Min, long time no see. The last time we played together was about two years ago,” Shu Lou said.
“Yeah.”
Shu Lou had chosen to transfer to AFK during the peak of CC’s dominance. Over time, he and AFK, which was then at a disadvantage in the WPL league, grew together and became the current number one team in the WPL league. Shu Lou had invested a lot of effort into the team, so despite his usual gloomy demeanor, he was quite beloved by the players.
“Today, let’s go all out. We’ll entrust our mid lane to you!” Shu Lou, rarely so spirited, encouraged.
“Sure.”
Soon, the players’ accounts were brought into a specially designated battle room. After rolling the dice to decide, AFK was on the blue side, and PH was on the red side.
As AFK’s players watched the names with the PH team prefix join the room, they started feeling a bit nervous. As the runner-up team this year, every name from PH was well-known in the WOC competitive league.
Especially DNA, the mid-laner, was arguably the most popular mid-laner worldwide.
“Captain, I’m nervous,” Ring was genuinely nervous, and his hands were a bit tight.
“It’s okay, just do your best,” Shu Lou reassured.
After confirming that both sets of players had joined the battle room, the training match officially began.
First was the ban-pick phase.
Jiang Min took the stage with Flow’s account, and the opposing PH players were not yet aware that it was him controlling AFK.Flow.
Therefore, the bans were mostly targeted at the heroes Flow excelled at.
Flow’s playstyle was different from Jiang Min’s; he naturally excelled at supportive mid-lane champions. Thus, powerful mid-lane champions like Spectral Water Ghost and Holy Knight were banned repeatedly.
Flow’s hero pool was highly respected.
AFK, apart from Shu Lou and Flow, who were relatively well-known, had three other young players who didn’t attract much attention from the opposing coach.
Shu Lou, as a player in the 5th position, had a deep hero pool that couldn’t be entirely banned.
Therefore, PH decided to focus on banning heroes against mid-laner Flow.
However, the player currently using AFK.Flow’s account wasn’t Flow himself.
Using a rented player wasn’t against the rules, and since it was just a training match, AFK didn’t inform the opposing team of this arrangement.
BP is in progress, and the choices for positions 3, 4, and 5 have been locked in.
For AFK, the 1st position ultimately chooses Dark Hunter, a long-range bow hunter.
PH counters by selecting a Velociraptor as their 1st position.
Both teams leave their final pick for the mid-lane.
Since both sides show a considerable degree of respect for each other’s mid-laners, there aren’t many mid-lane choices left that suit the current meta.
PH goes first and, after some hesitation, picks Abyssal Sea Dragon.
The Abyssal Sea Dragon is a hero with numerous control skills. Its second skill, “Fountain of the Sea,” creates a circular water ring on the ground, lifting enemies inside it after two seconds. The ultimate, “Roar of the Abyss,” shoots a water column that stuns enemies in the hit area.
“What will Sugar God (Jiang Min) choose?” the AFK coach asks Jiang Min.
Jiang Min browses the remaining heroes; there aren’t many left that can counter the Abyssal Sea Dragon effectively.
Even though it’s just a training match, and he’s temporarily borrowed by AFK, Jiang Min wants to play well and hopes to secure a victory.
“Coach, I want to pick this one,” Jiang Min’s cursor hovers over a hero.
The AFK coach almost spits blood when he sees Jiang Min’s choice.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Sugar God, can this hero really counter the Abyssal Sea Dragon?” Even the experienced coach hasn’t seen anyone use this hero as a mid-laner.
What’s happening with Sugar God? He usually picks conventional heroes in matches, so why the unconventional choice now? Is he deliberately trying to mess with them? But Sugar God has a good reputation; would he do something like this?
“Trust me, it can work,” Jiang Min says confidently.
Seeing his unwavering confidence, the AFK coach exchanges glances with Shu Lou.
From Shu Lou’s eyes, he senses a feeling of trust.
So, he chooses to trust Jiang Min. “Alright, go with that.”
Jiang Min locks in the hero he wanted.
With the final hero locked in, PH starts to feel uneasy.
—
In South Korea, inside the PH base.
PH Position 1 is puzzled, “What does this mean?”
The PH coach is equally confused, “I don’t know; I’ve never seen any other team use it.”
Position 3 is relatively calm, “I’ve encountered it in ranked matches, but it’s not great.”
Position 4 says, “It doesn’t matter. Whatever they pick, our D God (DNA) can handle it, right?”
In the PH base, a young man with a neat crew cut looks at the screen and enters deep thought.
World-renowned mid-laner, DNA.
Known for his high skill level and decent looks, he has gathered a large fanbase.
Initially thinking that a training match against AFK wouldn’t be interesting, given that AFK couldn’t even make it out of the group stage in the World Championships, DNA had considered taking it easy. However, the moment this hero was selected, his curiosity was piqued.
As far as he knows, almost no one has used this hero in the mid-lane.
He’s eager to experience firsthand how this hero can be played in the mid-lane.
“…Interesting,” DNA’s excitement is sparked.
—
Entering the game.
Jiang Min’s chosen hero for this match is the Hellfire Mage.
A hero commonly used as a support in the fifth position is today played by him in the mid-lane.
The Hellfire Mage is a mage-type hero with a first skill, “Mana Burn,” which absorbs opponents’ blue energy while granting self-recovery; a second skill, “Earth Spike,” creates a circle of spikes at a designated location, knocking up enemies hit; a third skill, “Mana Shield,” provides immunity to a certain amount of spell damage; and the ultimate, “Demon Whisper,” inflicts silence on enemies within range.
Judging from the skill design, this hero leans towards supporting the team’s carry in terms of development.
However, today, Jiang Min will use it in the mid-lane.
The Hellfire Mage and Abyssal Sea Dragon almost simultaneously enter the game, engaging in a cautious farming battle in the mid-lane.
After a few minutes, both players are neck-and-neck in terms of last-hitting and denying minions.
After some health trading, DNA feels it’s time to make a move.
The Abyssal Sea Dragon raises its hand, preparing to cast “Fountain of the Sea.”
Once “Fountain of the Sea” controls the opponent, DNA can follow up with attacking skills to take down the low-health Hellfire Mage.
However, Jiang Min won’t let him succeed easily.
The Abyssal Sea Dragon is a hero Jiang Min has used many times this season that just concluded, so he is familiar with all the telltale signs of its skill animations.
The moment he sees the dragon’s head rise, claws lifting, Jiang Min knows what the opponent intends to do.
Consequently, he casts “Earth Spike,” hitting the Abyssal Sea Dragon just as it’s about to cast its ability.
The Sea Dragon is lifted, interrupting its spellcasting.
DNA’s assassination plan falls through.
Following that, the Hellfire Mage emits a radiant light, connecting with the Abyssal Sea Dragon.
“Mana Burn.”
This is a skill with a long attack range.
While it doesn’t affect health, it absorbs blue energy.
Coincidentally, the Abyssal Sea Dragon relies on blue energy for its damage output.
DNA retreats decisively, severing the mana connection with the Hellfire Mage. However, its mana has already been significantly drained.
On the other hand, the Hellfire Mage, who absorbed mana, still has a healthy amount.
Both top-tier mid-laners are playing aggressively, not hesitating to trade blows.
They would rather miss some minions but land a hit on each other.
DNA frowns.
This isn’t Flow’s style.
Although he doesn’t know much about AFK’s mid-laner, Flow, he has a general idea that Flow tends to play a more conservative style.
However, facing Flow today, he is not only conservative but also aggressive, as if he is determined to achieve a 1v1 kill in the mid-lane, just like DNA.
…Something doesn’t seem right.
A player’s playstyle is challenging to change. Flow was a conservative mid-laner in the recent World Championships; it’s unlikely that he could make such a significant change in such a short time.
However, in training matches, the opponent team is free to choose who plays. Perhaps the person donning the skin of AFK.Flow is not the actual AFK mid-laner Flow but someone else entirely.
Who can hold their ground against him in the lane and use such an unconventional mid-lane hero? Who has AFK brought in?
DNA is becoming increasingly interested.
Although Jiang Min and DNA both play aggressively in the early game, it’s aggressive with subtlety and caution. Neither manages to kill the other.
The only chance for a kill comes from the support of PH’s Position 4.
However, Jiang Min hears a missing call from his teammate, and through the cunningly placed ward in the river, he observes the enemy’s movements and promptly retreats.
Despite taking a full combo and almost losing all his health, he manages to escape.
As the game enters the mid-game, the Hellfire Mage’s items gradually take shape.
In WOC, a hero’s role is not necessarily fixed based on their skills and attributes but is heavily influenced by their equipment.
Today, using the Hellfire Mage in the mid-lane is because Jiang Min has developed a set of equipment suitable for playing in the mid-lane.
Once the items are in place, the Hellfire Mage’s “Earth Spike” can deal decent damage. Additionally, with the ultimate’s silence control and sustained damage ensured by “Mana Burn,” the reduced cooldown of “Earth Spike,” and proper positioning in team fights, he can provide excellent control and output. After all, his basic attacks hit quite hard.
With the mid-game items taking shape, it’s time for the mid-lane Hellfire Mage to shine.
In Jiang Min’s hands, the mid-lane Hellfire Mage is about to begin its performance.
—
Author’s note: Sugar Sugar’s tactics run deep too, but limited to the arena, haha.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ️”
