Chapter Two: The Practice Room in the Low Tide

By minute twenty, Smoke Ganks were turning the river into a trap. “Pause,” Marcus said. He zoomed in on a frame. The enemy support looked like he was retreating mid, but he was really baiting a response so the enemy mid could invade the jungle from the other angle. “That’s tempo deception,” Marcus said. “They aren’t looking for kills first. They’re looking for information. Whoever shows first loses the right to move.” He turned to Caleb. “You used to play too fast.” Caleb frowned. “Fast isn’t the problem,” Marcus said. “Thinking speed is the only answer is the problem. You get pressured and want to fight, want to prove you’re not broken. That habit makes the same bad decision over and over again.”