DarkClaymore

Imagine a shonen sports story. But, it’s not about baseball or soccer. No, this one is about playing a MOBA video game!

And no, it’s neither League of Legends nor DotA. A BRAND NEW ORIGINAL MOBA, the one MOBA to rule them all - Classmancers!

The game has become so big, that even schools recognize it as a sport. They even allow students to participate in Classmancers clubs and compete against other schools! Who will be the one going to nationals!?

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For Yuel, a team sport is like a chessboard that comes to life. There’s no greater fun than deconstructing every opponent and predicting twenty of their moves in advance.

And, Classmancers is the ideal stage for such psychological warfare, for it’s a sport in which game theory reigns supreme. At least, usually, it does.

There are also goofs like Lars, who got -200 IQ, yet boast godlike mechanical skill that triumphs against all odds. He’s like your typical OPMC which a cheat, except the cheat does nothing for his intellect.

Yuel and Lars are like water and fire. In other words, 100% compatible! That’s why they form an unlikely duo and set out to dominate Classmancers’ competitive scene!

However, to challenge their OPness, the two will run into rivals who are just as OP! Some of them will turn their teammates immune to Yuel’s psychological attacks, while others will redirect Lars’s almighty strength against himself.

In this harsh environment, the two will keep struggling, struggling, and struggling some more, following their promise to reach the pro scene.

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NOTE: Since the site doesn't support italics yet, I'll be using [text] tags for thoughts in this version of the story.

If you're enjoying the story, please upvote it on TopWebFiction! http://topwebfiction.com/vote.php?for=classmancers

RELEASE SCHEDULE: Monday. One chapter a week.

GAME WIKI: https://classmancers.wikia.com/

HOMEPAGE: https://darkclaymore.wordpress.com/classmancers/

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/darkclaymore
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Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story

Unlike Cornelia, Karen was a player with some experience under her belt. Therefore, instead of being needlessly competitive against her lane opponents, she tried to find more practical ways to win lane advantage.

In addition, Lua was there to support her and hopefully keep that problem child in check. So, compared to the unfortunate situation in Top, the duo in Bot was able to put up a fight. Alas…

The skill gap is too much. Fiona thought. Aegis and Athena are among the strongest duos in the region. Perhaps I should be thankful that they are best known for their defense rather than their offense. Otherwise, they would be dominating the lane in every game.

Instead, Aegis and Athena focused on maintaining a status quo in the lane. They made sure there were no openings anywhere in their position. Yet, despite being so conservative, they still managed to clear the minions as quickly as Karen and Lua did.

This is by far the hardest lane for me to gank. Fiona analyzed. And, the few times I thought there was an opening, it turned out to be a splendid trap.

Aegis and Athena were truly cut above the rest. They were capable enough to counter not only their lane opponents but also Fiona, the Jungler.

Bot was the only lane with two players, so it was the easiest to turn the tables on an enemy Jungler there. As such, luring Fiona in was a very effective tactic for the Bot duo. The more time she wasted on trying to gank that lane, the less impact she had on the rest of the map.

I fell for it twice by now. Fiona criticized herself. I would like to say I should be more careful and rotate less over there, but that mindset is a trap in itself.

Most likely, the preferred scenario for Aegis and Athena was for Fiona to tone down her rotations to Bot. Simply put, they did not want to deal with that threat, so they tried to discourage her from going there.

However, that was not an option. The enemy's dominance in Bot would easily snowball out of control if Fiona were to stop keeping them in check.

I will not yield to their threats. Fiona asserted. I will keep rotating there as I see fit, even if some of these rotations might turn out unfavorably. Then again, perhaps THAT outcome is their actual trap…?

It was always hard to tell what Aegis and Athena were truly thinking, especially Athena. That foxy woman was all about psychological manipulation, therefore everything Fiona took into consideration might just be part of a greater ploy.

I suppose their goals could also be the complete opposite of what I am thinking. Fiona reasoned. Perhaps they are actually trying to taunt me with their baits, hoping to make me commit to a careless rotation.

Since Aegis and Athena were StormBlitz's strongest defense players, it was best for their team if those two were the ones to deal with all of Fiona's attacks. As such, maybe they were actually trying to rattle Fiona and make her target Bot more often than necessary, wasting precious time in the process.

Even after four games, I still do not have a conclusive answer. Fiona sighed. Are they trying to discourage my ganks or to motivate them? I cannot tell.

Ultimately, Fiona decided to filter out that psychological noise and not overthink it. After all, it did not matter what Aegis and Athena were scheming. The most important thing was for Fiona to continue making strong plays.

As such, she rotated to Bot as she saw fit regardless of what the enemy duo was doing. At the same time, she was extra careful over there compared to other lanes. This was the middle ground she settled on.

But, regardless of how she approached the situation, none of her rotations yielded results. She managed to strike the enemies a few times, but she was also counterattacked just as many times, if not more.

Unable to gain the upper hand in either Top or Bot, this only left Fiona with Mid as an option. However, over there the situation was at its worst...

Cunning Bot Duo