HyperST Profile Joined February 2015 Canada 278 Posts Last Edited: 2015-06-15 14:50:00 June 15 2015 04:07 GMT #1



When one of the most iconic shotcallers in the history of LoL esports, Hai Lam, retired at the end of S5 Spring Split, Cloud 9 lost more than just their team captain and their main shot caller. They lost their fearless leader who led them to the top of NA time and time again; the X-factor that brought them back from the brink of defeat countless times; and their flagbearer who differentiated the C9 name from the rest of the mediocrity known as NA LCS. But most importantly, they lost their team identity when Hai stepped down.



It is surprising how a player that was criticized during his entire career for being a mechanically below average mid laner was the glue that held C9 together since their LCS debut. While Hai always had his world class shotcalling, it wasn't until later seasons when C9 gradually lost their dominance that his other contributions to C9's success became more and more apparent. When Balls no longer destroyed the top lane; when Meteos no longer had a 20+ CS advantage over his counterparts, we finally saw how much C9 needed Hai to win.



So what did Hai bring to C9 that created their unique identity? Hai was different from all the other famous mid laners. I recall in one early episode of Summoning Insight when Froggen was the guest. When asked about potentially facing Hai in the mid lane, Froggen didn't want any part of it. It wasn't because Hai was feared for his 1v1 laning ability, nor because of his ability to relentlessly accumulate CS like XiaoWeiXiao, but because that "he didn't care about CS" and he would randomly roam to pressure other lanes with no concern of losing waves of CS. Hai's play style was something Froggen could never comprehend, nor could he successfully predict Hai's next move like most of C9's opponents. And that was what made C9 so dangerous in the early-to-mid game -- Hai could be ganking anywhere at any time, putting pressure on the side lanes with his gank buddy, Meteos.



Of course, he could only do this on mobility assassins that suited his high risk, high reward style of play. Leblanc, Zed, Kennen and Fizz were just a couple of signature champions that Hai pulled out on a whim. The assassins weren't just for creating roaming plays either. Hai was notorious for aggressively rushing in to force favourable (sometimes unfavourable) teamfights for his team. Although sometimes his over-aggressiveness backfired, Hai's style of play synergized so well with the rest of C9 that when combined with his decisive shotcalling, they could win games simply by winning multiple fights despite being thousands of gold behind. It didn't matter that Hai had a poor laning phase; he would always deliver in team fights lacking items or not.



When one of the most iconic shotcallers in the history of LoL esports, Hai Lam, retired at the end of S5 Spring Split, Cloud 9 lost more than just their team captain and their main shot caller. They lost their fearless leader who led them to the top of NA time and time again; the X-factor that brought them back from the brink of defeat countless times; and their flagbearer who differentiated the C9 name from the rest of the mediocrity known as NA LCS. But most importantly, they lost their team identity when Hai stepped down.It is surprising how a player that was criticized during his entire career for being a mechanically below average mid laner was the glue that held C9 together since their LCS debut. While Hai always had his world class shotcalling, it wasn't until later seasons when C9 gradually lost their dominance that his other contributions to C9's success became more and more apparent. When Balls no longer destroyed the top lane; when Meteos no longer had a 20+ CS advantage over his counterparts, we finally saw how much C9 needed Hai to win.So what did Hai bring to C9 that created their unique identity? Hai was different from all the other famous mid laners. I recall in one early episode of Summoning Insight when Froggen was the guest. When asked about potentially facing Hai in the mid lane, Froggen didn't want any part of it. It wasn't because Hai was feared for his 1v1 laning ability, nor because of his ability to relentlessly accumulate CS like XiaoWeiXiao, but because that "he didn't care about CS" and he would randomly roam to pressure other lanes with no concern of losing waves of CS. Hai's play style was something Froggen could never comprehend, nor could he successfully predict Hai's next move like most of C9's opponents. And that was what made C9 so dangerous in the early-to-mid game -- Hai could be ganking anywhere at any time, putting pressure on the side lanes with his gank buddy, Meteos.Of course, he could only do this on mobility assassins that suited his high risk, high reward style of play. Leblanc, Zed, Kennen and Fizz were just a couple of signature champions that Hai pulled out on a whim. The assassins weren't just for creating roaming plays either. Hai was notorious for aggressively rushing in to force favourable (sometimes unfavourable) teamfights for his team. Although sometimes his over-aggressiveness backfired, Hai's style of play synergized so well with the rest of C9 that when combined with his decisive shotcalling, they could win games simply by winning multiple fights despite being thousands of gold behind. It didn't matter that Hai had a poor laning phase; he would always deliver in team fights lacking items or not.



Incarnati0n didn't have any of Hai's qualities. Despite him being widely praised as a mechanical god rivalling Bjergsen, he hasn't demonstrated the ability to carry C9 from the laning phase. Playing mostly pokey, backline champions such as Kog'Maw and Azir, Incarnati0n played just "ok" in his first few LCS games. What C9 received in place of Hai was really just a skilled mid laner who could hold his own throughout the game. That is totally fine. I did not expect Incarnati0n to take over Hai's role, and I believe that Incarnati0n will eventually adjust to competitive play and translate his solo queue carry potential into LCS games. But what I am worried about is who will fill the hole that Hai left behind?



Currently tied for the 7th position in NA, the new central shotcaller, Meteos, did not seem to be having much success replicating Hai's leadership qualities. With the mid laner tied down to pokey champions aiming to only scale for the mid-late game, C9's early game pressure solely rested on the roaming duo of Meteos and LemonNation. That hasn't delivered at all. C9 has been routinely crushed by other teams with much stronger early games. What about C9's signature any time, anywhere, forced team fighting? That has all but disappeared as C9 repeatedly picked poor team fights or were the victims of their opponents' aggression.



I am uncertain if Meteos could ever achieve the level of shotcalling or map pressure created by Hai. C9 tried to make Meteos the main shotcaller before, but that failed completely and they had to return to Hai. It is possible that Hai's shotcalling was only effective because it matched his real life personality, something that Meteos could never replicate to the same degree. If C9 don't have the same level of shotcalling and team fight ability, then they are no different from the rest of the mediocre NA teams.



People still believe that C9 will make a strong comeback like they always do because they simply bear the name "Cloud 9". But are they really the same C9 that we fell in love with since Season 3? If C9 wants to be at the top of NA LCS once again this split, they need to find a way to restore their identity. Incarnati0n doesn't have to be the main shotcaller like Hai. He doesn't need to abandon his lane and constantly gank other lanes. But at least put him on aggressive assassins like his signature Zed. C9 needs constant pressure from the mid lane while Meteos control the map and make plays from the jungle. It is only if C9 could improve their atrocious early game that they could compete with their opponents in the mid game. From the looks of things, C9 hasn't completely lost their ability to out-maneuver their opponents with better rotational play. So there is that at least.



If C9 can not restore their identity to exactly what it was with Hai, at least compromise with their new mid lane piece and create a new identity for themselves. NA has already fallen to the bottom of the international standings. C9 can not afford to be at the bottom of a bottom region if they want to have at least a slim chance of doing anything meaningful on the international stage.



Please Cloud 9, get your act together and do it quick. The last thing I want is to rely on CLG to represent NA at Worlds.



Incarnati0n didn't have any of Hai's qualities. Despite him being widely praised as a mechanical god rivalling Bjergsen, he hasn't demonstrated the ability to carry C9 from the laning phase. Playing mostly pokey, backline champions such as Kog'Maw and Azir, Incarnati0n played just "ok" in his first few LCS games. What C9 received in place of Hai was really just a skilled mid laner who could hold his own throughout the game. That is totally fine. I did not expect Incarnati0n to take over Hai's role, and I believe that Incarnati0n will eventually adjust to competitive play and translate his solo queue carry potential into LCS games. But what I am worried about is who will fill the hole that Hai left behind?Currently tied for the 7th position in NA, the new central shotcaller, Meteos, did not seem to be having much success replicating Hai's leadership qualities. With the mid laner tied down to pokey champions aiming to only scale for the mid-late game, C9's early game pressure solely rested on the roaming duo of Meteos and LemonNation. That hasn't delivered at all. C9 has been routinely crushed by other teams with much stronger early games. What about C9's signature any time, anywhere, forced team fighting? That has all but disappeared as C9 repeatedly picked poor team fights or were the victims of their opponents' aggression.I am uncertain if Meteos could ever achieve the level of shotcalling or map pressure created by Hai. C9 tried to make Meteos the main shotcaller before, but that failed completely and they had to return to Hai. It is possible that Hai's shotcalling was only effective because it matched his real life personality, something that Meteos could never replicate to the same degree. If C9 don't have the same level of shotcalling and team fight ability, then they are no different from the rest of the mediocre NA teams.People still believe that C9 will make a strong comeback like they always do because they simply bear the name "Cloud 9". But are they really the same C9 that we fell in love with since Season 3? If C9 wants to be at the top of NA LCS once again this split, they need to find a way to restore their identity. Incarnati0n doesn't have to be the main shotcaller like Hai. He doesn't need to abandon his lane and constantly gank other lanes. But at least put him on aggressive assassins like his signature Zed. C9 needs constant pressure from the mid lane while Meteos control the map and make plays from the jungle. It is only if C9 could improve their atrocious early game that they could compete with their opponents in the mid game. From the looks of things, C9 hasn't completely lost their ability to out-maneuver their opponents with better rotational play. So there is that at least.If C9 can not restore their identity to exactly what it was with Hai, at least compromise with their new mid lane piece and create a new identity for themselves. NA has already fallen to the bottom of the international standings. C9 can not afford to be at the bottom of a bottom region if they want to have at least a slim chance of doing anything meaningful on the international stage.Please Cloud 9, get your act together and do it quick. The last thing I want is to rely on CLG to represent NA at Worlds. Twitter: @HyperST | @Esportsheaven