Timothy "autimatic" Ta is a rifler for Cloud9 and a rising star in North America. He missed out on the ELEAGUE Major, as C9 were unable to qualify, but after an extended break they will be fresh going into DreamHack Masters Las Vegas.

Ahead of his games in Vegas, autimatic took the time to answer some questions from theScore esports about 2016 and why he wouldn't enter 1v1 tournaments.

2016 was a big year for you as you started off with Team SoloMid then transferred over to Cloud9, which were big moves for you personally, though unfortunately you weren’t able to make any of the Majors in the year. How would you summarize 2016? What were the important moments for you in the year?

2016 for me was a year filled with adversity and growing. I think the most important moments happened in the first half of the year while I was on TSM. Though TSM wasn’t as successful as I hoped for, I learned a lot about what it took to be a good team and teammate. Not only in-game, but out-of-game, and how to communicate with my teammates/peers.

When I got transferred over I took the skills I had learned on TSM and applied them to Cloud9. Without the experiences and knowledge that I obtained from TSM, I don’t think I would have the same impact on Cloud9.

2016 was crazy. Went through a lot of adversity and at the end of it became a better person and player. Excited for 2017 with this team. 💙 — Timothy Ta (C9) (@autimaticTV) December 20, 2016

When you were on TSM, I think your performances were good, but fairly low key. However on Cloud9 you began to shine and have come into your own within that lineup. What is it about that team that enables you to perform?

The main factor is that we compliment each other very well. shroud, n0thing and Skadoodle are naturally passive players whereas Stewie and I are naturally aggressive players. Because of this I am able to get a lot of support from my teammates, because they are normally in more passive positions.

This allows me to creates space for them to play in more post-plant situations, which is where players like Shroud and Skadoodle really shine and it also creates openings for n0thing to get lurk kills.

On TSM however, it was the opposite. We had too many aggressive players so I played a more support/reserved role on the team.

Unfortunately you guys were unable to qualify for the ELEAGUE Major 2017, this was also during a time where there was a lot of hype surrounding the team, such as your ninth place ranking on HLTV. Was there maybe a bit of overconfidence going into the qualifier? What were the factors in the team’s underperformance?

I don’t think we were over confident at all. While we are very confident in ourselves we don’t let that affect how hard or how much we prepare for each match. However, during this time we had played so many tournaments in the past six months that we didn’t feel like we had the time and/or energy to constantly be innovating and revamping. This was the main factor. Not that we were overconfident or that we had an inflated ego after winning ESL Brazil, but purely that we were burnt out.

You guys were invited to DreamHack Masters Las Vegas, which also features all eight of the Top 8 teams from the ELEAGUE Major. Do you see the event as a way of redeeming yourselves for missing the Major?

I wouldn’t say that this tournament is a way of redeeming ourselves. We’re just excited to be competing again and to get back to work.

DHM Vegas will be the first event to use the latest map pool, so Infer-new instead of Dust II. What are your thoughts on this?

While I’m not a fan of Inferno, I’m excited to see which teams adapt the best and also what new strategies they bring.

wtf D2? FUCK — Jake C9 (@Stewie) February 3, 2017

There was a fairly long break after the Major qualifier to accommodate for the holidays and it gave all the players a good long break, though slightly shorter for those at WESG. How did you spend your holidays? Did you give or receive any notable gifts?

I spent it with my family and close friends. The most notable gift I received was being in their presence.

You guys have yet to really start in 2017, but have already, reportedly, made a move by bringing in former Team SoloMid coach Soham “valens” Choudhury. You guys have actually been searching for a coach for a long while now, why did you guys decide to finally choose valens?

We haven’t committed to anything yet, but valens is someone who played a large part in my development as a player and as a person. We have been friends for years and I feel like he can help any team be successful. With that being said, right now we are seeing if working together would be mutually beneficial.

In your HyperX 20 questions video, you mentioned you enjoyed 1v1s. How would you feel about 1v1s being added to tournaments as a side event, or even a 1v1 tournament mini-circuit?

I don’t think I would compete in any 1v1 tournaments, so others could have a chance. Like I said in the video, I would destroy everyone.

How does Jake feel about your apparent bromance with shroud? shroud-imatic > the Asian duo?

I have a bromance with all of my teammates and I’m sure it’s the same for him as well.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.