Logging into your Classmancers account on any platform was as easy as scanning a QR code with your phone. This ease of use was undoubtedly one of the biggest factors for Classmancers’ booming success. As soon as Yuel scanned the QR code displayed on the TV, his account data and settings became accessible from the game console.

The same applied for Ignis, who connected to the console of the other TV. With a simple QR scan, they were both logged in and ready to go. But...

“Isn’t that a little problematic?” Yuel referred to the way the TVs were standing almost side by side. It was too easy to peek at Ignis’s screen and learn exactly what she was doing. In fact, it’s harder to not see anything from this position.

“It’s fiiiiine,” Ignis waved her hand. “You can look at my screen allllll day. I’mma still *hic* yo ass anyway.”

But, what if I’m more concerned about YOU using the information from MY screen? Yuel grumped.

“My, Yuyu is so serious,” Ellen smirked. “It’s just a friendly 1v1. No need to set up a professional tournament environment.”

“Yeah,” Howard nodded. “No need for headphones either. You’ll hear both games at once, but we tweaked the sound options so things don't sound like shit. So, relax. It’s just an innocent friendly 1v1.”

“Sure...” Something about these two was suspicious, but Yuel chose to ignore it. These conditions were far from optimal and it’s a 1v1, which wasn’t Yuel’s forte. However, all of it paled in comparison to the fact he was going to play against a real pro! In the flesh! He'd take this opportunity under any circumstances, even if he had to play blindfolded and with 500ms ping, Well, okay, maybe that’s a stretch. But still! A match with a pro!

“Alrighty,” Ignis nodded. “Made a room. How many levels ya want, kid?”

“Levels?”

“Hmmmmmm, let's make ya Lv.10. That should do.”

“We start at Lv.10? I see,” Normally, both players started at Lv.5 in 1v1. This was to make battles more fast-paced from the beginning and to balance out classes which had underwhelming early game. Starting at Lv.10 will make the matches even faster, but that's fine for a local friendly match.

“Nope,” Ignis said. “YOU start at Lv.10. I start from 5.”

“Huh?” Yuel wasn't sure he heard that right. This gotta be a joke.

“Just a little tiny handicap. You don't really think ya can *hic* me in a fair 1v1, do ya?”

“A handicap? Of five levels?”

“Oh, I see, I see,” Ignis nodded. “It's not enough, right? Yeah, of course you're no match to an awesome pro like me! Okay kid, you can start at Lv.12.”

“What, no. That's absurd,” Yuel argued. “I want a fair match.”

“Ha, haha, hichahaha! This kid is funny! Where did ya find him?” Ignis burst into laughter for some reason, almost falling off the couch. What was so funny? Dammit.

“She may look like this,” Howard said. “But, don't underestimate her. She's a Grandmaster in 1v1.”

“A Grandmaster...” Yuel’s jaw literally fell off. Pros were always ranked at Master or Grandmaster, but that's in 5v5 because it’s the only competitive mode that mattered. 1v1 was more of a casual mode which happened to offer a ranked mode as well. It’s a mode which pros shouldn’t have much business with, yet Ignis was Grandmaster? In other words, she’s one of the strongest 1v1 Masters in the entire world!?

“I-I see,” The controller almost slipped through his sweaty palms. Yuel, a mere Gold IV who used 1v1 mostly for experiments and research, was about to challenge a Grandmaster. Yeah, okay, maybe a handicap was in order...

“So,” Yuel said. “You also play against her with a handicap?”

“Yeah,” Howard nodded. “She says three levels is good enough for me. She usually beats me, but with four levels I often beat her so she hates that, haha.”

“I see,” Yuel turned to Ignis.” I'd like only four levels then.”

“Huuuuuh?” Ignis brought her face closer, examining Yuel. Ugh, she reeked of alcohol. “Wardy, is this kid any good?”

“He's alright,” Howard said. “I don't think he has a fair chance with just four, though.”

“I'll do it,” Yuel insisted. “Four levels is plenty.”

“Hmm,” Ignis crossed her arms for a moment, then threw them in the air. “Meh, whatever! Four levels it is. Let's just play already!”

“Yes, let's,” Yuel nodded. As he wished, Ignis changed the match settings to give him only four levels advantage. Arguing over a one level difference might sound silly to some, but it actually had a huge impact, especially in 1v1. A lead of one level could easily allow a player to destroy the opponent even if they were otherwise fairly matched in skill. So, starting at Lv.10 would have given him that advantage five times over. It's inconvincible to overcome such odds, even for a Grandmaster.

With the match settings sorted out, they entered the class selection screen. Since it was a casual game, Ignis didn't bother making it in draft format. A shame, since he would have liked to learn what a Grandmaster normally bans in 1v1.

Before proceeding with the pick, Yuel moved to the edge of the sofa to make it harder to see Ignis's monitor. He wanted to keep the match as fair as possible even in this low effort setup. If he gets any hints about Ignis's pick, his brain will automatically try to come up with a counter even if he doesn’t want to.

Without knowing what Ignis may pick, the only thing to do was select a class Yuel was proficient with and which performed well in 1v1 on average. Knight was one such good option. Bruises were generally favored in 1v1 due to boasting a combination of offense and defense. Also, Knight’s passive, Chivalry, granted a small defense buff to nearby allied minions, which was a huge advantage for a 1v1.

Okay, this should do it. Yuel nodded to himself and locked his pick.

“Knight, huh.” Ignis mumbled with a drunk smile.

“Wait, wha-” Yuel jumped. “That's cheating!”

“Huh? Who's cheating?” Ignis waved her hand. “Just making sure we can have a fun fight. You don't want me to accidentally pick a counter, do ya?”

But what if -I- picked a counter to what you had in mind? Yuel made a face. Just watch, she'll pick a hard counter to Knight for sure.

“Hmmm,” Ignis tilted from side to side. “Warrior sounds good. This gonna be fun, hic.”

Warrior? That's not a counter. In fact, Knight was one of the classes which rendered Warrior obsolete in the meta because it had access to similar types of CC, except with better utility. Maybe Ignis really just wanted to have a fun match?

“Hehe~” Something about her smirk was disturbing, though.

“My condolences.” Ellen placed a hand on Yuel's shoulder with an understanding nod.

“Yeah, he's toast alright,” Howard nodded too.

“Hey now,” Yuel frowned. “Don't write me off before we even started.” There was nothing particularly favorable for Ignis in this matchup, was there? If anything, Yuel might have an edge thanks to Knight's passive and ult.

The match began before Yuel could draw any conclusions. He spawned in the base at Lv.9 and allocated all 9 SP. That’s a lot of points right off the bat, but there was an optimized order for leveling skills so it’s a no-brainer.

The more interesting question was which item to build first. Normally, he'd go for armor to survive the early game in 1v1. That gave him time to study the opponent without conceding any kills.

However, this situation was very different from normal 1v1. Yuel was already four levels ahead of the enemy, so he’s in a “leading” position. Therefore, the idea of building a power item to swiftly crush a “weaker opponent” was appealing. It didn't matter the opponent was a Grandmaster because stats were stats. No amount of skill could overwrite the absolute law that was math.

Buying a power item on top of his four levels lead will allow him to kill Ignis in just a couple of hits. It was too good to pass on. Thus, he bought the Muramasa blade.

Muramasa provided high attack power with a little mix of attack speed and penetration. However, its main function laid in its Lv.3 passive, which shredded the enemy’s protections with each strike and temporarily transferred them to the attacker. It was one of the best 1v1 items available, especially in bruiser vs. bruiser situations which dragged on. How will Ignis respond to it? This should be fun.

After finishing his purchase, Yuel headed into the jungle. The map had two Wraith Camps, one on each side. Defeating wraiths granted a blue buff that gave MP regeneration, which was essential for staying on the lane for a long time. It also gave cooldown reduction to skills, which allowed to spam them more often in a fight.

According to the rough meta of this mode, each player should start by clearing the nearby Wraith Camp before heading to the lane. However, Yuel had a different idea in mind. With his huge head start and with Murasama in hand, he should be able to easily kill Ignis if he brings to battle to her. Therefore, instead of clearing his own Wraith Camp, he’ll start by invading her camp instead! That way, he might get a kill AND steal her buff along the way.

This should work. Yuel nodded to himself as he passed by his Wraith Camp without touching it. He ventured deeper into the jungle until he reached Ignis’s camp.

Not here yet? For some reason, Ignis was nowhere in sight. Weird. The wraiths will spawn in a couple of minutes, so she should have been here already. A pro player, especially a 1v1 Grandmaster, should be more punctual than this. She surely knew this was the common opening for this mode, right?

“Huh...?” Time passed, the wraiths spawned and still no sight of Ignis. Where was she and what was she doing? Maybe she headed to lane already? That shouldn't be the case, but... “Where?”

“What's wrong, kid?” Ignis’s lips curved into a smug. “Don't tell me you’re waiting at the wraiths.”

“Who knows.”

“Haha! You’re funny! Think you can invade my stuff and *hic* me just because you're a few levels higher? Keep dreaming, kiddo!”

She saw through it!? Yuel clenched his controller. He thought he was onto something here, but Ignis figured him out in instant. Wait, was she spying on his monitor again? He threw a glance at her, but it seemed she was concentrated on her own monitor.

Was it really just deduction? Thinking about it, Ignis probably played many games with a handicap like this. No matter how “smart” Yuel thought his idea was, it surely crossed the minds of some of her opponents before. So, she was already aware of this “smart” tactic via experience.

Yuel was careless. Even though Ignis was drunk, she still reasoned exceptionally well. Rather, it’s probably not a stretch to say such reasoning was already engraved on her instincts. She could counter such basic plays in her sleep.

Oh, so that's what she’s up to. While checking whether Ignis was spying on his monitor, Yuel accidentally caught a glimpse of her screen instead. The spied became the spy. Oops. W-Well, the clashing sounds from her console also indicated who she was fighting right now, so it's not like learning any of this was his fault, okay?

Ignis was fighting ogres and there’s only one place on the map where that could be done: the Ogre Camp in Top Jungle. Instead of starting at her Wraith Camp in Bot Jungle, she started at the Ogre Camp. Considering how it was on the other side of the map, Ignis must have figured Yuel out from the get-go, before he even set foot in the jungle.

The strengths of both Wraith Camp and the Ogre Camp were roughly the same, so Ignis won’t have any trouble clearing the camp. Even if Yuel tries to invade her now, he won't make it in time to Top Jungle. Well played, I have to admit.

With no better choice left, he proceeded to take out the wraiths. He got a blue buff while Ignis got a red buff. Ignis’s clearing speed will be faster thanks to increased power, whereas Yuel will be able to stay longer on lane thanks to his MP5. Not a terrible trade. This early into the game it’s impossible to tell who benefited more from this exchange.

Before going to lane, Yuel could first take a detour to clear the Wraith Camp on his side of the map. Doing so would give him extra exp, prolong his blue buff and ensure Ignis won't get her hands on it any time soon. It was an attractive offer, but it harbored some risks.

Losing even a little bit of lane control in 1v1 was extra dangerous because the Colossus was only protected by a Golem; there were no Turrets. Considering Ignis had the power buff, she could push the lane pretty hard. So, if Yuel doesn’t get there right away, the consequences will be dire.

Therefore, he went to lane right away. Ignis also arrived shortly, coming from the opposite side. Now that she was within his range of sight, he could see what item she started with. So, what was the opening move of a Grandmaster?

Spiked Buckler. Hmm, interesting. It was on the cheaper side. Players started with much more gold in 1v1 than in 5v5, so there were plenty more expensive options she could have gone for.

Spiked Buckler provided attack power and defense, both in decent amounts. It was a balanced pick, which implied Ignis wasn't sure yet how her battle with Yuel will play out. A smart choice, not quite what he expected from such a vulgar and conceited player. Putting aside her personality and drinking habits, Ignis was a pro alright.

Despite trash talking and treating Yuel like a nobody, Ignis was taking this match 100% seriously. Gulp. This match will be even harder than Yuel originally thought...