And so, the hastily arranged 3v3 began. Lars, Luke, and Vincent finished gearing up at the base and headed into the jungle together.
"I reckon it's too dangerous to venture into enemy territory to place a ward," Vincent said. "Let us proceed cautiously and only ward our side for now."
"Do we really hafta ward?" Lars asked. "It's a 3v3, dude. The map isn't even that big."
Vincent shook his head. "Even so, the meta dictates that wards must be placed. People with far more experience than we came up with these rules."
"Really? That's the meta for 3v3, too?" Lars sighed. "But, my precious gold, tho…!"
"If you have good intel on the enemies' positions, you can strike them down and earn twice as much gold."
"Dang, that sounds super convincing for some reason." Lars nodded and went along with this supposed meta. It hurt a bit that this meta drilled a hole in his wallet, but hopefully, he'll be able to make up for that.
After placing one ward near the center of the map, the trio grouped up at the Ogre camp. This, too, was part of the 3v3 meta as Vincent knew it.
"Since we're all starting here," Luke said. "I think I'mma save my blast for the wraiths then."
"A fine decision indeed," Vincent agreed. "I do not know the optimal Dark Knight opening for 3v3, but that does sound like the right way to go. In fact, I believe we all should conserve our MPs."
And so, the trio made quick work of the ogres with nothing but basic attacks. Clearing the camp gave all of them just enough exp to level up, which was a careful design decision the devs made after seeing how the meta shaped up.
"Mine!" Lars grabbed the fallen power buff. In a 5v5, it would've been blasphemy for the marksman to steal this buff, but in 3v3 it was the meta.
After the Ogre Camp, Lars split up with the others. He went directly to his lane in Bot, while Luke and Vincent headed to the Wraith Camp near Top.
"Time to bring out the big guns!" WHISH! Luke unleashed a Dark Blast, evaporating the two smaller wraiths on the spot. Only the big boss survived the onslaught, but even that bozo was at death's door.
The duo made quick work of the wraith, and Vincent grabbed himself the blue buff. This will help him sustain himself for longer in the lane, a bonus he very much needed as a mage.
Clearing the wraith propelled Vincent and Luke to Lv. 3. This was a key reason why the 3v3 meta advised mages for Top, as their kits were installed with three skills. In other words, at Lv. 3, the mage gained access to all their tools except their ult.
"Hey, so I was thinking," Luke said. "Like, I'm playing DK, right?"
"That you do."
"So, I'm like super strong right now compared to everybody else, right?"
"Hrm. I'd argue that everybody being at Lv. 3 so early undermines your dominance a bit," Vincent said. "Nonetheless, it is an objective fact that you are currently above the competition in terms of raw damage output."
"Right? So, I was thinking about going after the griffin next."
"Hmm. Yes, that is indeed a reasonable line of play."
"Oh, I think you've got it wrong." Luke smirked. "I meant I'll go after THEIR griffin!"
"... excuse me?"
"Hell yeah. I'm gonna go in there and steal that shit real quick! So, watcha think about this 5head play!?"
"Hrm." Vincent knotted his brows. "I'm afraid to say it sounds like too big of a risk."
"Huh? Is it?" Luke blinked. "Didn't you agree I'm way stronger than these bozos? I bet I can scare off their Jungler just with my presence alone. I won't even have to fight."
"For starters, I doubt StormMonster is the type to fold to such threats," Vincent explained. "He enjoys terrorizing his foes. Therefore, similar techniques of terrorism are likely less effective against him."
Luke shrugged. "Hey, who knows? I might be able to give him a taste of his own medicine!"
"Perhaps," Vincent said. "However, my bigger concern is the Triangle's strength. You'll indeed have the upper hand if you duel Monster alone, but what if he has companions with him?"
"Huh? Why would he?" Luke asked. "Everybody is supposed to be at their lanes at this time, right?"
"Indeed," Vincent affirmed. "But, consider this situation from the enemy's perspective. They are aware that they're facing a Dark Knight, so they are surely conscious about the possibility of an invade. In fact, they might be planning an early invade of their own to diminish your early-game advantage."
"Huh. Yeah, I guess I kinda see it." Luke frowned. "So, you're saying it wouldn't be strange if I run into two of them, or even all three. Yeah, that'd suck."
Clearly, Vincent's take on the situation was very conservative, perhaps too conservative. If this was Yuel, the guy would've arranged some cool attack plan for Luke. Like, there's no way in hell Yuel wouldn't have aimed for that juicy early-game advantage.
But what kind of scheme would Yuel craft here? That was the hard part to figure out. Only the big-brain guy himself knew the answer to that.
Though, maybe the dude who played 24/7 with him also had a faint idea of the answer. "How about you dudes together then?" Lars suggested. "This way, ya can fight fair and square if there are a few of 'em, right?"
"Oh, now that's an idea!" Luke exclaimed. "Yeah, let's go, Vince! Let's steamroll these mofos!"
"Hmm, that is indeed an idea." Vincent knotted his brows. "Alas, I find it hard to estimate the value of this proposition in terms of gains. After all, if I accompany you, it means I must give up on farm from my own lane. Not to mention the lane control I'll be surrendering to the enemy while I'm away."
"Don't worry, man," Luke reassured. "I'll drop by your lane afterward to help. We'll equalize the situation in a jiffy. Heck, maybe we can even get a gank going!"
"I suppose that will work, but then we'll have to split the farm again..." Vincent could only frown at the idea. It rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn't have any conclusive arguments. Unlike Chessmaster, he did not possess the ability to instantly determine all the pros and cons of an aggressive strategy.
Their idea indeed sounds like something Chessmaster would suggest. Vincent admitted. However, comprising crafty offense is art. It has to be methodically calculated with clear intent behind it.
Alas, the qualified artist wasn't here to drop his two cents on this piece of work. So, should we attempt to emulate his genius based on our own instinct and experience? Or, would that be flying too close to the sun?
Everybody here played under Yuel's command on a regular basis. Therefore, they developed a degree of understanding regarding Yuel's ploys. Alas, wasn't it too far-fetched to assume they could emulate such plays on their own?
Nonetheless, Luke and Lars both seem excited about the prospect. Vincent mused. I suppose this is the kind of dilemma a shot-caller must wrestle with on a regular basis.
Was it better to keep morale high and go along with the people's choice? Or, was it preferable to disappoint the people by playing it safe? Decisions, decisions.
"Hmm. I suppose we could test it out," Vincent gave in. "If nothing else, it will give us insight into the Triangle's mind. Will they be ready for such an assault? Will they be able to fend it off!? What'll happen next!?"
"Well, I'mma tell you what'll happen next." Luke grinned. "We'll rek them! That's what'll happen."
And so, the duo followed Lars' idea and ventured together into enemy territory. This also doubled as a great opportunity for Vincent to place a ward in enemy territory, something he had advised against earlier due to the high risk.
Little did they know that, at the exact same time, the enemy team was also discussing their ideas for handling the Griffin Camp...