Chapter 20:
Rayn didn't log in to chase stars anymore. He logged in to test ideas.
The match the night before lingered in his mind — not because he lost, but because of how he lost. There were no crazy mechanical outplays. It was decisions. Positioning. Timing.
He needed to start thinking like that.
Not by copying, but by experimenting.
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In Draft Pick, he locked in Calyn — a marksman — but asked for the mid lane.
His team hesitated.
> "MM mid???"
"Troll?"
"Report him if we lose."
Rayn didn't reply. He'd studied the idea carefully. Calyn had the wave clear, the range, and the poke. If played carefully, she could control early tempo — and provide huge burst damage with her ultimate during rotations.
He wasn't playing for show. He was testing a theory.
The match began. Enemy mid was a standard mage with long cooldowns. Rayn took advantage of that. Calyn's auto attacks punished every misstep. When the enemy backed off to use skills, Rayn walked forward, kept pressure, and zoned without even needing a kill.
By minute five, the mid tower had no shield.
By minute eight, he had rotated three times — once to each side lane — and picked up two assists with long-range poke.
His teammates stayed silent.
Until victory.
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Post-match.
> "Wait… MM mid kinda cracked?"
"Bro just rotated better than our usual mid laners."
Rayn didn't answer.
Instead, he noted it in his journal.
> Test #4 – Calyn Mid
Works vs skillshot mages with long CDs
Out-zones most early game
Needs safe map to rotate (no hard CC jungle)
He leaned back, satisfied.
Next match: a support hero, but in EXP lane.
Everyone told him not to do it.
He did it anyway.
And again — he didn't feed, didn't tilt. Just learned. Adapted. Not all of it worked. But some of it did. And those little successes became his pattern.
He wasn't chasing the meta.
He was building his own.
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Later that week, someone from a past game sent a friend request.
> "Saw your MM mid a few days ago. You try that often?"
Rayn smirked. He typed back slowly.
> "Sometimes. Depends on the matchup."
The reply was quick.
> "Hit me up next time. I like weird comps."
Rayn paused.
A player who got it.
He didn't accept right away.
But the idea stayed.
Maybe — just maybe — there were others like him. Not loud. Not flashy.
Just… curious.
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