C9 APA: “I think, personally, we’ll still win this split. I’m not too worried.”

Q: Did you feel that LYON had a better read — or more flexibility — in drafts today? Or was execution the bigger issue?

APA: I think the Game 2 draft was hard because we have to play from a lead that game, and we should have had a lead — we should at least [have a] winning bot and winning jungle. We [should] win the early game, get a little bit of control, and then we can start going super deep into one side, then super deep into the other side. Even though they have Rumble ult, we can play around that and get his ult out before dragon, stuff like that.

But we fell behind early. Blaber fought Bard at some point when I was in base, so I couldn’t really fight. It was a 3v2 and he kind of just died and we couldn’t get a counter play. Then Naafiri got a kill top lane […] so he was like 2/0 or 3/0. 

I think that draft specifically was hard because we fell behind and then we can’t really overload Rumble from behind, because we don’t have that much tempo. He’s just going to ult the wave and we’re gonna look like idiots, [then] Viktor’s gonna hit the opposite side turret and we’re gonna accomplish nothing.

Viktor’s gonna get plates, turrets, whatever and I’m gonna lose waves. It’s hard to play on the map because Karma can’t go anywhere, but Bard can be everywhere because we can’t kill Bard really. Karma can’t ever be in the jungle, because if Naafiri ever finds Karma, she’s just gonna get one-shot and Naafiri can be everywhere because we don’t have vision.

So I think that game specifically was hard. And then it did come down to dragon fights, but I’m kind of solo engage, [and] they have Bard Mikael’s, they have Bard ult and Naafiri W, so it’s hard to find an actual angle unless they’re like really inting, which they weren’t.

I think the other two drafts were pretty playable. Our Game 1 draft, with Ziggs Nocturne Nautilus Senna… What was the top laner? Sion? Top lane pick doesn’t matter anyways. I thought that draft was playable. I mean, it went to 45 minutes for a reason.

In the fights, we were making small errors. For example, Blaber would go into his GA in the later team fights, […] they would have a Renekton or Ryze stand on top of him and kill him from GA. But when we would kill Inspired [with GA], we wouldn’t kill him. We wouldn’t do the same thing. [For example], I go hit Saint instead of trying to camp Inspired.

All the fights in Game 1 were extremely close. It was like, “We went 2-2, but they got dragon. We went 2-2, but they got dragon. We went 2-2, but they got Elder.” To me, it [came down to] small fight executions.

Some fights we did really well. Second dragon fight, I forced Wukong W and we knew he had no flash from ganking mid. Vulcan flash Q’s him, it was a really clean snap engage, instantly killed him.

Some fights went our way, but the objectives kept going their way, which was sad because I think if we’re able to get those same objectives that they were getting, we’d probably be in a win state game. I don’t actually know the gold, but it felt like we were relatively even throughout the game.

Q: It stayed really even — the game ended with a 300 gold lead for LYON.

APA: Yeah, so it felt like the game just came down to the fights. I think, honestly, Game 3, we rushed. We made a really insane play to kill Sejuani topside [before] the soul fight and then I was calling to Thanatos that these guys — they’re not noobs, [so] they’re gonna flash the Malphite ult. But they’re not gonna flash Cassio W flash, which is what our plan was, I even said in champ select. 

I told Thanatos “If I find this angle, I’m gonna go for it and [you] flash ult afterwards, we’re gonna get a kill.” I did that after we killed Sejuani, and I think it was a big mistake, because we had the zone for free, and a 5v4 for free. I think Sejuani had TP, but we’re fighting 5v4. If I can do that same thing on mid lane, or in the jungle from a bush, [we could win] the dragon fight.

But the way me and Thanatos did it, it’s like we fought like a 2v4 — I mean, we ended up killing Inspired for it, which makes it a 4v4, but makes the whole play rushed. Even though we got Soul, we lost like two more people on the way out. That desperation led to Baron. 

Q: Was being 2 games down pressuring the team too much? How would the game play out if the series was even?

APA: I can’t speak for everyone because, I mean, it’s only 10 minutes after I lost, so I can only speak for myself.

I think for me, it’s just honing decisions. One mistake, I talked about the W flash on top of Miss Fortune during soul fight. I don’t think I was desperate or rushed, I thought I saw the angle, so I went for it. I commed specifically for that angle, and I didn’t take note that my jungle and support were too far from it. They were taking [the] zone; doing the standard play. 

So I think it’s more honing on what’s actually the best play, because I wouldn’t say that mistake that I made was desperate, like “We’re gonna lose this game.” It was a tense game, but I wasn’t forced to go forward.

Q: In a previous interview, you talked about the pressures of being on Team Liquid. Cloud9 has similarly high expectations put on them, has that pressure been felt by you and the team? 

APA: I can only speak for myself here, [but] I don’t think it affects me, to be honest, at all. I don’t really think, “Oh, if I lose to TL on Saturday, maybe my job’s on the line, or maybe someone [else’s] job is on the line.”

I just think, “Go in, I’ll try and play my best game. Be as calm and collected as possible. Try to win, try to play my best.” I don’t think I really care too much about expectations because it’s pretty simple. If you play well and win, you advance. If you play poorly and lose, it doesn’t matter. Expectations or not, you just have to play well.

Q: Speaking of the Team Liquid match, it’s poetic you could deny each other MSI. What do you think of Team Liquid now?  Did you expect them to beat FlyQuest?

APA: We scrimmed purely Team Liquid and FlyQuest this last week. Monday FlyQuest, Tuesday TL, Wednesday FlyQuest, Thursday TL, Friday – it was actually reverse. Friday TL.

So we have a pretty good feel of them, and to be honest, they probably have a pretty good feel of us. I don’t think either team were holding back on drafts. We were trying to get each other’s best practice involved.

It’s exciting. I’ve always done quite well into Quid, and I’ve always stopped Quid from making internationals, so I’m confident going into him. I can keep up with him in lane, which I think is the only thing he potentially is better than me at. I think I’m better than him at every other aspect of the game, so I’m confident going forward into Quid.

I don’t think the Team Liquid macro is too insane. Since we scrimmed a lot this week, I won’t talk too much about how to beat them, but I can lead with that. I don’t think their macro is that insane. I think they focus a lot more on fights and well, they’re good at fights. They beat a team like FlyQuest who is also good at fights.

Not to disrespect them, I do think they are a good team, but historically I do good into Quid and I think we have better macro. So if we show up on the day, lane well, and I don’t think any of us really laned poorly today from what I recall, we should do well. 

Q: Nasus jungle has been popping up in LEC and CBLOL after FlyQuest picked it. Blaber historically was known as a wildcard player, is Cloud9 hiding their own unique jungle picks? 

APA: Our current philosophy is if you pick 1-2-3, you have to pick good champs. It’s kind of hard to pick unique champs in 1-2 because you can’t find blind them. If I play…I don’t know, Kled, a weird champ that I’ve played in the past. Can’t really blind those champs on 1-2-3, because then you’re just going to get countered.

But when you go 4-5, I always try to bring up champs that I think can be good, even if we don’t have that much practice on them.

Q: On stage and in scrims?

APA: Both, yeah. The biggest example I give is a Swain. We never really scrimmed Swain. It was just a good Swain game with what they had there. So we never scrimmed the Swain, but I said pick Swain because I thought it was a good [angle].

It’s kind of hard to pinpoint, like “Oh, I’ve been playing Heimerdinger in solo queue, I’m going to play Heimerdinger next week on stage.” Who knows? I’m not going to blind Heimerdinger on 1-2-3. I see the certain angles, the certain draft to pick for it.

I know we’re more of a standard team, but we are always talking about unique champs. Malphite today, for example, we don’t really scrim too much with Malphite. Presuming that it was Jayce top, they have three immobile carries – Jayce, Orianna, MF. You should always be open to certain champs even if you don’t practice them. 

Q: Do you have any final message for C9 fans?

APA: Obviously the series sucks, but I don’t think we’re too tilted or upset — I think we will rebound. I think, personally, we’ll still win this split. I’m not too worried. I think we just have to play a little bit better.

Header Image Credit: Riot Games

Transcription assistance from @midjglsynergy