The match review went on. The next victim on the list was Nia.

“First of all, your stage-fright,” Yuel said. “It’s a difficult problem and I don’t have a foolproof solution to it. You seem to calm down as the game goes on, which is great, but you still need to understand the consequences of this issue.”

Yuel played the video. It showed the time Nia was trying to gank DragonMaster during the first game.

Back then, stress and anxiety pilled up on her, pressuring her to hurry. As a result, she passed near enemy wards and telegraphed her rotation

“Normally, you stay calm and take the longer route to avoid wards. But here, you ran through areas which are usually heavily warded.”

“Gufu...” Nia curled up on top of the chair.

“Perhaps it wasn’t as noticeable, but you had similar problems at the beginning of every game.” Yuel let the video play. “For example, here you messed up your farming routine by taking a bad turn. Here, you rotated to the Griffin while the enemy was farming it. These are all small and relatively harmless mistakes, but it’s important to recognize that they exist.”

“Yep, they exist.” Nia twisted her lips. She didn’t like what she was seeing but she had no idea what to do about it. Playing on stage was too stressful, too scary.

“From what I see,” Yuel continued. “It takes you about five minutes from game-start before you return to your usual self. As I said, I’m not an expert on the subject, so I don’t have a real solution for you stage-fright. But, if possible, I’d like you to try stabilizing your early-game somehow. Small mistakes like this pile up and place the entire team at a disadvantage.”

“Ok,” Nia said so, but she had no idea how to actually fix any of that. It was impossible to not feel the pressure of the competitive stage, not when a thousand eyes were focused on her.

“So,” Yuel continued. “If anybody here has any tips for dealing with stage-fright, make sure to share them because Nia really needs those. And, they might benefit others too.”

“It’s ez,” Lars claimed. “I’mma just introduce her to the audience again. It worked like a charm!”

“Pls no.” Nia hugged her knees and shuddered.

“Don’t be scared, dude. It totally works! Believe it.”

“Um, how do I inform the school I want to quit the club?”

“Haha, don’t be like that!” Lars laughed. “It’s a little extreme, but it gave ya that rush you needed, didn’t it?”

“No,” Nia objected even though she knew there was some truth to it.

When that bully introduced her in front of the entire audience, that was such an embarrassing moment it felt like things couldn’t get any worse from there. It was a terrible experience for sure, but it also made her feel like “the worst” was already behind her. As a result, it was easier to concentrate on the game after that.

But, I don’t wanna go through it ever again. Nia gulped. Merely thinking back on it made her spasm in terror.

“I prefer any other idea instead of this,” Nia said. “Please, tell me somebody has a better one.”

“........................................”

There was only silence. Nobody in the room had anything to offer. They were all bullies who wanted to see her suffer. Sob.

“You should look into the topic,” Yuel suggested. “I’m sure there are some generic tips for combating stage-fright. I’ll run a search too.”

“Ok.” Nia nodded. “Tell me once you find something.”

“Hey now.” Yuel made a face. “You have to search too. It’s your problem, not mine.”

“I believe in you.”

“I’m flattered, but it doesn’t excuse you from working hard.”

“Gufu...” Nia pouted. This entire thing sounded like a huge pain. But, everybody is working hard to win. I have to put in some effort too.

“Now,” Yuel continued with the match review. “This was only the first problem I saw. There are many more.”

Many more? Nia wanted to go home. Like, this very instant. Teleportation initiated!

“I see you there,” Yuel said. “Get away from the door.”

“Gufu...” Nia stopped right in front of the exit. She was so close, yet so far.

“Whoa!” Luke jumped. “When did she get all the way over there!? I didn’t even see her move.”

“The Vanishing Phantom exhibits her powers once more!” Vincent made noise.

“Come back,” Yuel ordered. “Good, now sit down. We’re not done.”

“Guu...” Nia pouted.

She really hates criticism, huh. Yuel sighed. Then again, nobody likes it. Some just hate it more than others, and she seems to be one of the worse cases. So, I have to deliver things in a way that won’t make her want to run away.

That was easier said than done. Yuel was infamous for being too blunt for his own good, and this match review was largely about tearing everybody’s performances to shreds. So, it was nigh impossible to be “nice” here.

Maybe I can soften the blow by mixing in some positivity too. I didn’t mean to play this video during the review, but...

“Before we move on to other problems,” Yuel said. “I’d like to play another video Vincent prepared in his free time.”

Yuel opened one of the other videos Vincent prepared, titled “The Vanishing Phantom Shows Her Phantasmic Skill!”.

The video started off with a familiar booming voice. “VanishingFlower is slowly but surely making her way to Top Lane. Is the enemy aware of this incoming rotation!?”

The footage showed Nia sneaking up to DragonMaster and pulling off an Izuna Drop. “AND IT’S A KILL!!! Six and a half minutes into the game, Stratus draws first blood! Will that become the first step toward their victory!?”

“Wow, sick!” Lars jumped and turned to Vincent. “Dude, you’re like a pro movie director!”

“Please, you flatter me.” Vincent waved his hand as if to imply this wasn’t a big deal, but he nonetheless had an embarrassed smile on his face.

“Yo, it’s awesome!” Luke exclaimed. “Did you make stuff like this for other plays?”

“Not yet, but I’m planning to.”

“Bruh, this is pure gold. You better tell me right away if you make one for me.”

“But of course,” Vincent promised. “I’ll make sure to edit a video for one of your most glorious plays as well.”

“Heck yeah! You’re the best, man! Waiting for it.”

The usual loud goofs made a lot of noise regarding the video and the girls were impressed as well.

“It’s... surprisingly well-made.” Kai almost choked as she said these words.

“Ah, such flattery!” Vincent held his chest as if experiencing a stroke. “To think that even the cold-hearted amazon would flatter a peasant like me!”

“Well, it’s not THAT amazing.” Kai already started backpedaling. “Your voice is way too loud and the cuts are a little too much.”

“Indeed, indeed.” Vincent nodded as he jotted down the criticism on his tablet. “I’ve received similar complaints before, so I shall adjust it posthaste!”

In the end, despite the visible reluctance, even Kai praised the video. Before long, the entire room was hyped up.

Even though the meeting was so serious and tense until now, a single positive video was enough to inject the entire team with energy. And, it’s not like this video added much to the discussion or helped anybody improve.

No, it was just a nicely cut video with overhyped commentary, that’s all. Yet, it invoked more reactions from the crowd than Yuel’s informative match analysis.

I feel somewhat defeated. Yuel hung his head. But, I guess it’s only natural. Nobody likes criticism. They rather watch their best moments, not their failures. 

Unfortunately, watching moments of success wasn’t going to help them improve. If anything, it might give them the false impression that they performed extremely well and had nothing to improve. That was the worst-case scenario Yuel had to avoid no matter what.

With that said, it couldn’t be denied that showing a few good plays did wonders to everybody’s concentration. Suddenly, they saw something positive and wanted to rave about it. It was a good breather in an otherwise suffocating atmosphere.

In the future, I should prepare a couple of positive videos for every match review. Yuel took a mental note. Oh, wait. I almost forgot why I even showed this video in the first place...

The positive video was indeed very effective. The goofs celebrated it and even Kai praised it. But, what about the star of the show? The entire purpose of showing this video was to encourage Nia to bear through the criticism.

“Ah...” Nia was sitting there with her mouth hanging.

“Did you like it?” Yuel asked.

“Y-Yes! Very much!” Nia suddenly jumped. “C-Can we watch it one more time!?”

That’s the most energetic I’ve ever seen her. Yuel was taken aback. Looks like she really liked Vincent’s video. I can use that to my advantage.

“Sure, I can play it again.” Yuel smirked. “But first, we need to discuss your other plays.”

“Gufu...” Nia slumped as quickly as she raised. But, wait! This was no time to give up!

She grabbed her bag and flipped it upside down. An avalanche of chocolate poured from within.

“I’ll trade you all of these. So, play the video again. Please.”

“Wow, wow!” Luke jumped. “Look at all this gold! Don’t mind me if I grab a few hundreds of these!” He shoved his hand into the chocolate mountain without reservation.

“Dude, where do ya get all this stuff?” Lars also grabbed one bar.

“She is the Chocolate Phantom!” Vincent made noise.

The entire meeting turned into a mess. The mountain of chocolates completely distracted everybody. It was like a shiny pile of treasure that grabbed everybody’s attention.

“I don’t need that many.” Yuel sighed and also took one bar of chocolate. “Fine, I’ll run the video one more time. But, after that, we’re back to reviewing your gameplay, okay?”

“Ok, ok!” Nia nodded repeatedly.

And so, Yuel played Vincent’s hyperventilated video one more time. Even the second time, it invoked many reactions from the crowd. From loud laughs to hype shouts and everything in-between.

Contrary to all that energy, the star of the show was very quiet. She was just sitting there like a rock, glued to the video without blinking.

She really likes it, huh. Yuel smiled wryly. It was rare for Nia to ever show strong interest in something, but this video successfully grabbed all her attention.

“AND IT’S A KILL!!!” This loud announcement was like the curtain drop of the show. The Nia on-screen successfully executed DragonMaster and scored the game’s First Blood.

It was undoubtedly a great achievement at the time, but there were more important matters to discuss right now. Namely, the less impressive plays Nia made-

“Again!” Nia requested.

“No,” Yuel objected. “We had an agreement, remember? I played it one more time, so now we’re back to the match review.”

“Here.” Nia shoved a fistful of chocolate bars in Yuel’s face. “Again.”

“No.”

“Gufu...” Nia hung her head and pouted.

“You can watch it as many times as you want after the meeting. But, right now, we have to keep moving on with the match review.”

“Bully...” Nia pouted.

This girl... Yuel sighed. “Anyway, back on topic.” He cleared his throat and returned to the main video, the one showcasing the players’ failures instead of their moments of glory.

“So, we were talking about Nia.” Yuel turned to the girl in question. “Other than the glaring issue of your stage-fright, you performed well for the most part. But, I do have a few things to say about your jungling.”

Yuel skimmed through segments in which Nia delivered suboptimal jungling.

“For example, here.” Yuel paused the video. “Why did you rotate to farm the wolves in Top? It was better to farm near Bot first. There were more camps there.”

“B-But, that’s the jungling order guides advise.” Nia pouted. She probably recognized it as a mistake by now but she still argued. “Even Tipmancer recommends it.”

“Tipmancer again.” Yuel sighed. “Yes, under normal circumstances, it’s better to rotate to Top during this time in the game. But, the enemy Jungler cleared our wraiths and hyenas in Top. We had the camps warded, so we caught him red-handed.”

“Right...”

“So, you knew that two out of the three camps were missing in Top while everything was about to respawn in Bot. That’s why picking Bot is better in this particular situation, even if goes against the guides.”

“Hm, yeah.” Nia nodded. She seemed to understand what Yuel was saying, but she had trouble fully agreeing to it. It was easy to understand why.

“No need to worry about straying from the recommended jungling routes. There will always be unexpected developments during a match. Your job as a Jungler is to adapt to these changes and find a way to maximize farm. Jungler is the only role that has to make such difficult decisions when it comes to farming, but it can’t be helped.”

“Ok.” Nia nodded.

It looks like she at least understands what I’m saying. Yuel thought But, I don’t think she has any idea how to improve in that area. She probably only practices the recommended Tipmancer routes. Sigh.

Tipmancer, the popular app that supplied newbies with advice about every facet of Clasmancers. Such an effective, yet wicked, app.

The advice was generally on point but it was too surface level. As such, Tipmancer was a great tool for beginners who hadn’t experienced the game enough yet.

For those willing to learn, the app was no doubt a great companion. However, relying on the app too much could be detrimental to the player’s personal development.

Unfortunately, Nia was one such example. She trusted everything Tipmancer fed her as if these were the words of God. So, no matter how many times Yuel lectured her about the importance of thinking for herself, Nia still often found herself relying on Tipmancer’s teachings. Especially, during tense matches or when she wasn’t feeling confident.

I thought I’ve already taught her to think more for herself but looks like we still got a long way to go. Yuel sighed.

Back when they first met, it took Yuel a couple of days just to convince Nia to rebel against Tipmancer’s advice and start ganking Dark Knight in the early-game. So, how long will it take to teach Nia to think for herself during jungle rotations?

Looks like I’ll have to form a long-term training plan...

Moving on, the next topic of interest was Game 3. That’s when the infamous trio of Renegade, StormMonster, and Laplace subbed in. It was the game in which Stratus suffered its first devastating defeat of the day.

So, what was Nia doing during that game? Not a whole lot, and that was the problem.

“In this game, you didn’t seem to attempt any ganks,” Yuel analyzed. “You just farmed camps and joined the defense efforts. I know you like playing defensively in Duel, but that’s not how an assassin should be playing in the MOBA mode. I’m sure you know that as well, so why?”

“I couldn’t gank anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“There were no openings.” Nia grumped. “Those three kept an eye on each other. They’d spot me if I came close.”

“By ‘they’, you mean to the three players who subbed in, right?”

“Mhm.”

“I see,” Yuel said. “So, you felt like the Triangle wasn’t showing you any openings.”

“But of course it didn’t!” Vincent interjected. “For it’s The Invincible Bermuda Triangle of Certain Doom! It has no openings!

He must’ve shouted that just to remind everybody of the unnecessarily long nickname he made for the Triangle. Also, didn’t the name get longer since last time...?

“Too long. I’m not calling it that,” Yuel said.

Putting that nonsense aside, this was an interesting discovery. It seemed like Nia naturally sensed how airtight the Triangle’s formation was. This was probably a part of her talent as a walking stealth machine. After all, in order to be stealthy, she first needed to have a good grasp of the enemy’s attention span.

It just goes to show how good the Triangle really was. Yuel thought. Even after reviewing the entire match so many times, I still couldn’t find a good way to counter the Triangle. Even now, I still think it’s best to play around it. Anyway, back to Nia...

“Okay, I understand why you didn’t gank the Triangle,” Yuel said. “But, why didn’t you gank any of the other players instead? You could’ve focused on their Mid or Top.”

“I thought about that, but...” Nia twisted her lips. “I wanted to find a way to gank that ‘Triangle’. They felt too dangerous. Too scary.”

“So, you focused on the ungankable Triangle the entire game instead of ganking literally anybody else?”

“M-Maybe.” Nia shifted her eyes away.

“I see.” Yuel sighed. “Say, did you watch the two games you slept through?”

“Mhm.”

“Did you see how we dealt with the Triangle there?”

“You dealt with it?” Nia cocked her head. “I don’t remember that part.”

“Of course you don’t because it doesn’t exist. Until the very end, we’ve never really ‘dealt’ with it. We played around it and focused on other things.”

“Oh, smart.” Nia nodded.

“That’s what you should’ve done as well,” Yuel explained. “Instead of challenging the impossible, you should’ve focused on ganking on other lanes.”

“I-I planned to gank other lanes too, honest! But, right when I decided to give up on the Triangle...”

“I see.” Yuel didn’t need to hear any more. With how Game 3 played out, it was clear what happened.

In short, enlightenment struck too late. By the time Nia decided to give up on ganking the Triangle, these guys had already pulled the game-winning move. They killed Kai in Bot and teleported to gank Top. That threw the entire game into chaos.

From that point onward, Nia couldn’t find many good opportunities to gank and that’s how she ended up playing defense for the rest of the game. She missed her chance in the early-game and the rest was history.

I should’ve realized her struggles sooner. Yuel thought. I always leave her alone during the early-game because she has her own way of doing things, but maybe it’s a little careless of me. Future matches will only get harder from here on out. She won’t always be able to play in her comfort zone during the early-game.

With all the smaller problems analyzed, it was time to address the elephant in the room. There were two glaring issues that were Nia’s biggest flaws at the moment.

These problems were impossible to capture on video, so they had to be explained upfront. Hopefully, Nia was willing to listen...