It might seem obvious, but why did the Abyss become a god-tier game?
There are several conditions for a game to be classified as a god-tier. It has to be enjoyable to play, easily accessible, and evoke various emotions among users, among other things…
But one thing that definitely can’t be overlooked is that it should also be fun for the viewers. That’s how leagues can consistently operate and the game can thrive over time.
They say a sport without an audience can’t truly be called a sport. Abyss was a game that particularly felt this truth. In fact, it was faster for the league to shut down than for the actual game to fail.
From that perspective, the current Abyss could be called a god-tier game.
A game that’s visually engaging, easily understood, and relatable for viewers.
That’s why Abyss ranks top among broadcast games.
It’s easy to understand and relate to. If you have even a little knowledge of the game, it’s not hard to grasp what just happened in the skirmish. Of course, the level of understanding can vary significantly depending on the tier.
Thus, the people in the chat began to express their “empathy” toward the current situation.
[Lee Minwook, you rascal!!!!!!]
[Agh, Minwook!!!]
[-Spoon-]
[Hey, Spoon, is that you again?]
[I’m the ADC here, but I can’t defend this ㅇㅇ;]
[This is how our supporters usually are ㅠㅠ]
[Ah, Theodora, how have you lived this way…?]
[And did you apply for Muncheol after this? Haha, I really want to smash those ADC heads.]
[I don’t understand the thought process, but if you’re donating 1 million won, I mean… why not?]
“Hey, the verdict isn’t out yet. Please stop the excessive criticism!”
Still, as public opinion leaned towards criticizing Minwook, I had no choice but to freeze the chat again.
“Come on, I told you not to do this. I understand how you all feel, but in this world, we can’t just say whatever we want. That’s the social mood we live in.”
I replayed the scene to check what happened.
Honestly… if you look at it from this angle, anyone would blame Haven. It’s clearly the ADC’s fault, no need to consider the percentage of blame.
However, since we still had the 4-minute gameplay to review and more importantly, if we immediately declare that it was the ADC’s fault, bang-bang-bang— the content would end too blandly.
So, I decided to call the parties involved to hear their statements. Don’t we always listen to testimonies in court after looking at the case’s overview? Depending on what they say, it might even lead to a leniency. Maybe we could reduce it from 1 million to 500,000 won or so.
It might just be a matter of consideration. Maybe knock it down from 1 million to around 500,000.
So, they called Minwook, who had played with the clients Theodora and Haven, back into the Discord room.
“First of all, I watched the replays from the 8-minute and 9-minute mark you mentioned.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Anyone who has something to say, feel free to speak up.”
Then, the client with the deep voice opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“As you saw, it’s clear that Haven made a bad play. Cutting the blade at the 8-minute mark was good. But in the 9-minute clip, going for Miriam? Honestly, I don’t understand why you did that. Even with the two of us, we couldn’t get the skill combos to land perfectly, and even if we did, it was barely working.”
His words, filled with some kind of grievance, made the chat buzz. Of course, it was just limited to emojis, with shocked Twi emojis and characters nodding in agreement.
“Does that mean you think Theodora shouldn’t have engaged in the fight at all?”
“Yeah, basically. But since Haven kept insisting, I went along. Though, honestly, they started it even before I agreed to go.”
“I see.”
“And after I died, there were all these questions about why I was circling back and why I didn’t use my e-skill right away, and there was a lot of pinging… So, we ended up fighting until Mooncheol showed up.”
Theodora’s comments laid out the unfolding of the incident quite clearly.
And as soon as that line finished, Haven also spoke up.
“Can I say something too?”
“Yes, go ahead, Haven.”
“Well, I used my ultimate here to catch Dan. I thought if we cut Miriam, we could change the game’s momentum-.”
Strangely, his voice, which had seemed small and lacking in confidence earlier, suddenly flowed fluently as he explained his play intentions.
If he had watched the stream, he must have realized the audience wasn’t entirely in his favor. However, he showed no signs of being intimidated despite the majority of viewers being critical of him.
He probably had his own playstyle. Should I call it a gamer’s pride or a strong personal belief? At least he didn’t seem swayed by what others said, which I personally found quite admirable.
“No matter how well the enemy Miriam has leveled up, even if it’s a core and a half, I believe we could handle it if we ganged up on her-.”
“Come on, no matter how you look at it, it’s not feasible, right? Even the two of us couldn’t take her down.”
At that moment, Theodora, sounding quite annoyed and utterly confused, chimed in.
“First of all, I’m speaking, so please listen.”
“Yes, since Haven is talking, I’ll give you the floor again later.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away….”
Minwook responded calmly while Theodora apologized.
Hmm, there could be a shift in public opinion here. Interjecting in the middle of a speech is definitely a minus.
But then again, just focusing on what the public thinks isn’t everything.
“Honestly, I had a feeling it wouldn’t work out, too. But I tried to cut Miriam because I thought if I didn’t take that chance, we couldn’t win the game at all.”
“Oh, so that’s why you gave it a shot?”
“Well, in a game that’s already stacked against you, you have to take risks.”
“That’s true.”
It’s a valid point.
At least they knew well how to win the game. They seemed to possess both the action to try and the mentality not to give up, even if they were in a really bad spot.
However, their credibility crumbled with the next statement.
“Anyway, I told Theodora to catch Miriam and jumped right in. But then she came around the other side. If I hadn’t gone in first, it would have been just Theodora dying while Miriam got away clean. So I went in first.”
“Even if I went first, if Theodora had connected with her E, I think I could have won. But you didn’t cast it.”
“It wasn’t in range. I clicked like crazy from over there, but the buff didn’t go through.”
Theodora’s E skill: The Virtue of Radiance.
It creates a shield that blocks damage to enemies proportional to the lost health of allies and increases attack speed—a must-have buff in combat.
Haven was claiming they lost because that buff didn’t activate.
“Honestly, you should have just gone alongside me instead of coming back.”
“I was covering the upper vision because I was afraid I’d get taken out while farming. Then suddenly you asked me to engage.”
“Or you could have just pinged about the E skill range on the way.”
Then came a voice, filled with disbelief.
“…You’re a diamond player, and you don’t know Theodora’s skill range?”
“I’ve only played ADC, okay?”
“So when you come across other heroes with threatening skills, like Jerome’s pull, you don’t even know their ranges?”
“I have a rough idea… but not in detail.”
“Then at 4 minutes in, did you happen to…?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know Alex’s skill cooldowns. But shouldn’t someone tell you those cooldowns anyway?”
“Don’t you need to put a cooldown on that skill too?”
“Um….”
Theodora shut her mouth as if she had nothing to say.
At this point, I steeled my resolve.
As I observed the heated debate between the two, which was starting to wilt a bit, I spoke up.
“First of all, I acknowledge your passion for the game, both of you. Especially, Haven’s point about trying to take down Miriam to turn the game around was quite valid.”
However.
“When looking at it comprehensively, if we were to consider who performed worse… I think Haven did.”
The moment in question. I continued as I replayed the 9-minute gameplay.
“Knowing the cooldown and range of other heroes’ skills can, in a way, be seen as a skill itself. There are plenty of players who actually keep track of those cooldowns while playing. But if you don’t know that and then ask why don’t you use E….”
“….”
“In my opinion, that’s not how it works if you want to climb higher.”
An oppressive silence.
Still, I wanted to give a chance, so I asked the ultimate damage dealer, Minwook, once more.
“Is there anything else you’d like to say, Haven?”
Then, the previously quiet Haven opened his mouth again.
“I mean, if only the range had been shown-.”
And thus, the match concluded. With Theodora’s victory.
*
A week later, I heard about Minwook’s recent activities from a viewer.
“<ㅇㅇ donated 1000 won!>”
-Teacher, have you heard that Minwook got to Master?
“Minwook got to Master?”
He didn’t get any leniency. He ended up bringing 1 million won to Theodora.
In fact, his last statement was meant to be a prompt for him to negotiate for a lower settlement, but Minwook was the type who didn’t know such things, a no-nonsense, tough guy.
But hearing this news now was nothing short of shocking. He made it to Master after spending a whole 1 million won?
I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
“[Wow, I wouldn’t have looked at Abyss for a while if that were me.]”
“[A guy is a guy, haha.]”
“[Crazy, what a madman;;]”
The reactions in the chat echoed my own thoughts.
“Minwook… is really serious about the game.”
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