The Natural: C9 Hai
Riot·6/25/2014, 1:21:53 AM·0 votes·2,644 views
Taking to the game
You may know him as Cloud9's shotcaller. Or maybe you know him as the mid laner for one of the most dominant teams in the NA LCS. Or maybe you just know him as the die-hard pro with the collapsed lung. No matter how you know, one thing's clear: Hai is a master of the mid lane. How'd he get to the top? Well, it's not a fluke. "There's no ‘secret’ method [to] getting better, quicker," says Hai. "I'm just fortunate enough to learn fast. I played a lot of DotA, Dota 2, and HoN (Heroes of Newerth) before playing LoL, so I learned quickly because of all the time I spent in the previous MOBAs." Hai has a penchant for understatement as well. How does one get better at the game? "Honestly, just play a lot of games and try to learn each and have fun with each game," Hai said. What he's leaving out there, of course, is his personal attitude and work ethic to win. So what’s keeping Hai riding high on cloud nine?Know your limits
On the surface, Hai's journey to the LCS seems impossible to understand. As he tells it, his influencers were sparse and it was his experience with other games that carried him. "I did not watch any streams or anything to get better, I just played," Hai said. "For me to improve my mid laning, I looked up to Reginald a lot back in the day. He was by far the best mid laner up until Summer LCS Split of 2013, so I learned a lot from him and mimicked my play style a bit like his. There were no other inspirations, really." So what’s involved in “just playing”? Hard work. "People don't test their limits. They never go ‘all in’ or try to learn what they can or can't do. It's not that hard to become proficient on a champion."
But don’t get the wrong idea here. Hai emphasizes that to just work hard is to lose sight of what League of Legends should be: fun.
"I played a lot of solo queue, to learn all the champions and their matchups, and tried to mold my own play style accordingly. I don't go into solo queue with the only goal to improve, I wanted to win and have fun," Hai said. "They go hand-in-hand, so normally it worked out pretty well. I don't think too much about theory-crafting or any strategies, I just play for fun and try as many champions as I can."
Hai used the solo queue as a tool to understand and learn positions, strategies, and champions. A grinder in ladder and a high ranker, Hai not only improved because of solo queue, he had fun doing it. It's something that most fans and players of LoL can relate to.
"Obviously some games will make you mad or upset, but overall the experience of playing solo queue is an enjoyable one," Hai said. "Otherwise I wouldn't be playing today."
Settling into a role
Hai’s improvement to top player status was just a position change away. His grind in solo queue and ranked matches helped with matchups, but a clear role still eluded him in his early professional days. "My first professional team [Orbit Gaming] switched me into the jungle role where I wasn't that great. I was a fine jungler but nowhere near the top because I didn't know my limits and often died because of poor positioning." But, it was apparent that his impact was capped. With a simple change to middle lane - and the additional responsibilities that come with that - Hai took advantage of the opportunity with his natural leadership and skill in the game.
"I played a lot of top lane back in the day, when I spammed Kennen and Vladimir, but over time I started to like other champions such as Anivia and Lux," Hai said. "They just fit my play style at the time and I felt as if I had a lot of presence in the game when I played mid."
A match made in heaven
Once on Cloud9, Hai’s self-professed natural talent made it an easy transition to become team leader. He played the middle lane well, led by his work ethic as a grinder and constant student of LoL, and approached the game with the right attitude. "It just comes naturally to me. I'm a very blunt person and leading is just something that comes from it," Hai said. "It's hard to ‘turn’ into a leader. You're normally just born one." He plays the lane differently than his peers and opposition. Because Hai played multiple positions before settling down with middle lane, his approach is interesting. "I'm selfless. I don't need blue buffs nor do I need my jungler for ganks," Hai said. "I like winning/surviving lane on my own, especially if they put attention towards me to try and shut me down. That allows the other players on my team to be less pressured and be able to gain a lead." It is this selfless attitude that allows C9 to excel in the lane phase and ultimately take early game advantages. They're one of the top teams in the world because the shot-caller on their team is largely independent of the team. "In the first 10 minutes I'm thinking about how I can either kill or not die to the guy in my lane, where their jungler is and what I can do to gain map control," Hai said. "As the game goes on, I start thinking, ‘What should we be doing, what can we do to win? What are they trying to do?’ I'm basically transitioning my train of thought away from myself and toward the team."
It may seem rudimentary or even basic that Hai’s gameplay and mindset revolves around the team, but it is incredibly difficult to execute. A selfless lane phase that demands constant map awareness and little to no help? It's a recipe that should spell the doom of many less talented players.
"I don't make flashy plays but I am very consistent. I just try to win the vision and map control war instead of try to kill them head-on in lane, as it's hard to do the latter but easier to do the former," Hai said. "I also dictate what my team should be doing as the game goes on. I can't focus on just winning my lane or think of what I should do, individually, as I need to think for everyone on my team."
Hai may never electrify the highlight reels, but he remains one of the biggest faces and names in the entire competitive LoL scene. His history of grinding and hard work made the transition to successful player an easy path. While some may call it boring or consistent, Hai is definitely one thing: a winner.
