Chapter 18

### Chapter 18: The Reason for Picking Silas

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Objectively, the situation was the worst it could be.

[Silas – Level 2]

[Leesin – Level 4]

Leesin, who had successfully ganked the bottom lane, pushed the lane and reached level 4, and the level difference between the junglers had widened to 2 levels.

If this game were a typical one where the tiers were similar, it would have been completely normal for an early open to have already occurred.

Of course, I didn't just stand idly by.

I skipped my blue and immediately ran towards the enemy Vilemaw, and soon successfully invaded the enemy jungle.

However, the camps I had cleared were still only 2.

This meant I was still far from reaching level 3.

‘I did take quite a hit.’

If it were another champion, I would have successfully invaded the enemy red side jungle and recovered to some extent by now.

However, after the sustained nerfs, Silas had become a champion that was practically unusable as a jungler, and the biggest reason for this was his jungle-clearing ability.

The current Silas, to be frank, lacked the speed, sustainability, and everything else needed for effective jungle-clearing.

‘If this continues, there's no chance of winning.’

No matter how much potential Silas has in the late game and how much higher my tier is compared to the enemy, it won't make up for the enormous growth gap that has already formed.

In other words, the timing of Leesin's return is the only real opportunity to turn the game around.

I thought.

Silas' strengths.

The reason for picking Silas.

‘Silas' strengths aren't limited to his late-game carry potential. Silas is also a champion with advantages in team fights.’

I eventually came to a conclusion.

‘After all, it's just a gank, isn't it?’

A champion who is weak in the early game doesn't have many options.

Especially a champion like Silas, who has been significantly weakened in the early game.

I had only cleared 2 camps, and with this, I couldn't even reach level 3 by stealing experience from the lane.

I had to succeed in a gank at level 2.

‘Hmm.’

My eyes quickly scanned the minimap.

The situation on each lane was visible.

The bottom lane, which had just suffered a double kill, was just returning to the lane.

Even if I rushed to the bottom lane now, the lane was already pushed, making the chances of a successful gank low, and I could even lose 2:3 if things went wrong.

The top lane was calmly taking the lane under Rengar's early-game pressure.

Even if I ganked, I couldn't catch Rengar unless he made a mistake, given Sion's response.

And the mid lane...

‘After all, it's just the mid lane, isn't it?’

There is a concept called a "blade vs. blade" matchup.

It refers to a situation where champions with aggressive tendencies face each other, and in such cases, the game can turn irreversibly depending on which side gets ganked first.

Talon and Zed.

Both are assassin-type mid champions, and they are classic examples of blade champions.

[◎] [◎] [◎]

I pinged Zed.

However, in the already collapsed situation, Zed seemed to believe that the game was solidified as long as he didn't die, so he didn't even come out from behind the turret.

It was a wise choice.

If it were anyone other than me.

It is often said that a mid dive is much more difficult than a top or bottom dive.

There are many reasons for this.

The enemy jungler is more likely to be nearby, and unlike the top or bottom lanes, which have one side blocked, the mid lane has many escape routes.

Moreover, the champions who typically go mid often have excellent wave-clearing abilities, making it difficult to secure a dive lane.

However, what about the current situation?

The Talon vs. Zed matchup is a blade champion vs. blade champion matchup, where the so-called "hand-to-hand" combat is established.

A small mistake from either side can lead to a kill, and a bit of jungle intervention can result in a kill.

Perhaps that's why.

Zed made a significant mistake here.

To avoid giving me a gank opportunity, he chose to leave the lane entirely.

As a result, a massive dive lane was forming in the mid lane.

[Talon – Level 4]

[Zed – Level 3]

Moreover, the level difference between the two mid laners was widening due to the minion wave difference.

If Zed were a Challenger like me, he wouldn't have allowed such a massive dive lane to form, even if the enemy jungler was nearby.

However, mid dives are quite rare at the Diamond tier, and Zed's thinking didn't extend that far.

‘Let's see how this goes.’

As Talon approached the mid turret with a massive wave, Zed used his shadow to clear the wave.

As expected.

I immediately used Flash to jump over the Vilemaw wall and used E and W to approach Zed.

To put it bluntly, it was a lightning-fast dive.

However, Zed is also at the Diamond tier.

Zed showed his intention not to take the following E skill by moving to the shadow he had placed.

And that was exactly the situation I had induced.

It wasn't difficult.

After all, the position where I threw my chain was right where Zed's shadow was.

It's what's known as a prediction shot.

­Zing!

The moment Zed was hit by the chain.

Our team's Talon immediately used all his combos and Ignite.

­Flash!

Zed, who was hit by all of Talon's skills, tried to escape using Flash, but he was quickly killed by Talon's bleed damage and Ignite.

­Enemy eliminated!

The first victory announcement rang out from our team.

If Zed had given up his unnecessary greed and used his Flash to escape when I jumped over the wall, I wouldn't have caught him.

But the densely packed minions and the characteristic overconfidence of Diamond players held Zed back.

‘Well, I knew this would happen, so I attempted the mid dive.’

In conclusion, the enemy mid lane was completely destroyed.

It was frustrating enough that he couldn't clear the large wave in front of him, and he even lost a kill.

Moreover, a blade champion who loses in a blade vs. blade matchup is likely to be erased from the game until the end.

[All] [Jjangjin (Zed): Wow, you saw the dive opportunity;;;]

[All] [TriangleMidLaner (Talon): rlly]

Talon and Zed, still at the Diamond tier, seemed to be in shock from the recent mid dive.

I understand their feelings.

I'm sure the enemy team's chat is filled with messages like, "Let's not throw now," and "Mid, please be careful," as if the recent incident was solely due to the mid's mistake.

Although I didn't get the kill, I gained a fair amount of experience and soon reached level 3.

Judging from the fact that Leesin wasn't visible, he must have reached level 5 by now.

However, there was no need to be anxious.

After all, with the current Silas jungle, it was impossible to keep up with the enemy jungler's level until a certain level of items were obtained.

*

I returned to base and immediately headed to the top lane.

Considering the current lane situation and Leesin's expected path, it was the perfect time for a top dive.

Just as I arrived between the top lane's second and first towers.

As if they had been waiting, the enemy Rengar and Leesin attempted a top dive.

‘As expected.’

Level 6 Rengar and level 5 Leesin.

Even if Sion is a tank, it was unlikely he could survive the massive dive from these two champions without tank items.

Of course, Sion didn't die easily. He used his Q skill's crowd control, W skill's barrier, and ultimate to stubbornly hold on.

He managed to survive for over 4 seconds longer.

In the end, Sion died, but in the current situation, it was actually better.

Sion's passive allows him to resurrect for a short time after death.

It's a so-called "annoying" passive.

Under normal circumstances, this passive would have been just an annoyance, but with my timely arrival, it created a completely different scenario.

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