What happened to C9
I know they lost Hai, but TSM is there only victory in the first two weeks... Beating TSM says something, but one lucky win doesn't bode well for the team. I'm not a fan of C9, but I'm disappointed in there performance so far.
24 Comments
Well, Incarnation is overrated is one problem. Another, is Hai's shot-calling and playstyle mattered far more to C9's success then people realized. Couple that with everyone but Sneaky under-performing for a couple months, and you have a C9 team that is looking to be middle of the pack at best.
People thought they were getting another Bjergson, someone who could carry based on their mechanics, but anyone who caught Incarnation on streams before the split started knew something was amiss. He wasn't playing up to this level people made him out to be, was losing lane alot, and generally looked like a mediocre mid-laner in his solo Q games. I know I caught a couple of his streams, and was seeing him get completely dominated in lane by supposedly weaker NA mids like Slooshi double killing him solo, etc. Just seeing him perform like this in solo Q made me realize he was not going to be another Bjergson. I heard they tried out Pobelter; they should have went with him. Or, even gave Alex Ich a try after his performance in relegations. I feel like they felt obligated to go with Incarnation and stuck with it, and I just dont see him being a massive upgrade over what they gave up in Hai. its not like hes winning lanes, or getting kills.
I would expect after everything they lost replacing Hai in terms of shot-calling and teamplay, they would focus on getting a mechanical player who can win lane at least. Has Incarnation even won a single lane? Ive seen him break even at best, or just lose.
Couple that with Meteos obviously not having the same kind of shot-calling ability of Hai, nor the team being able to play with a different style of mid-laner, and Balls not being that good anymore, and you have what you have. Poor decisions, poor play, stomps. Sneaky, as usual, is the only consistently decent player on C9 but he cannot do it all.
I really hope they turn it around. However, I believe even if they do, we wont see the old C9 that was fun to watch, with rotations, split pushing, clawing victories out with smart moves across the map. Incarnation really needs to pick his game up. So do the rest of C9, but Incarnation was supposed to come in and win lanes. Hes not even doing that. Also, Meteos may have to start actually prioritizing mid lane in ganks. If you are going to replace your mid-laner for someone you believe will carry you, then you cant be leaving him on an island to fail like you did Hai. Hai was treated like Dyrus as far as mid lane help goes. He got none. And, if Sneaky is the only one remotely performing, then start making comps to protect him ala doublelift until you get your stuff together.
I think there are just far too many changes on this team from a simple mid-lane change that they will not work out this split. At their current level, they may just be playing to stay out of relegations, as sad as that is.
I really think they should have looked for a player more like Hai. A utility, team-focused mid-laner. Or, at least focused harder on getting a very strong mid-laner. Alex or Pobelter, IMO, are better then Incarnation. Just watching Incarnation play, he looks like a Shiptur-type player, not the Faker-esque player he was hyped up to be. Even then, Shiptur is known to perform in teamfights despite his poor laning phase. Whereas so far, Incarnation isn't performing anywhere.
It really shows just how much Hai contributed to this team, and is honestly justfication that he was a pretty good player and shot-caller. It could be the way C9 plays around mid-laners, never helping them with ganks, and again, this shows that Hai was not as bad as people thought. I mean here comes Incarnation, a supposed god, looking every bit as bad in lane as Hai did. And you have to wonder why that is. Either hes just not that great, or C9's strategy simply screws over mid-laners.
No, beating TSM doesn't really mean much. NA's level is pretty erratic at this point in time. MSI exposed how low the level really is. As for C9 themselves, I feel they need more roster swaps, not just Hai. I don't think they've been performing at a decent level for months.
Their showing at IEM was a shameful display. And no, I'm not gonna cut them slack for losing to a Korean team. They are also professionals. They play in a daily basis and supposedly represent the best NA has to offer, but the same goes for TSM at MSI. Teams on this region are below the level they should be playing to be competitive internationally.
Watch FNATIC, taking SKT T1 to 5 games. Watch the level of performance Origen is having in EU. I just feel that organizations in NA need to start demanding more of their players. Watching C9 go this bad doesn't surprise me, but does intrigue me, not seeing the organization demand more of the players that stand for a very prestigious name.
Out of respect for their own names, these teams need to move pieces to achieve the results they want, and that the fans deserve. C9 has awesome fans who deserve more than what the team has been doing for a while now.
The problem I see is they're playing like Hai ever left. They need to adjust their playstyle or groom Incarnati0n to be the new shotcaller cause Meteos can't really seem to handle the job.
Their team is struggling with synergy and shotcalling and it is making them all look bad, because they're all worrying about things they never had to worry about before.
They'll get it back together eventually.
Not over yet. You have to realize that this is the first roster swap EVER for C9, and they lost their shotcaller. C9 can grow and be good again as they get used to Incarnation. They look bad now, but it is not over yet.
DEATH TO THE EVIL SITH EMPIRE! MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
why are they not in the lcs?
Hai left, incarnati0n sucks, and the rest of the team has no idea what they're doing without their golden boy. Next question.
Meteos said C9 isn't going to be doing well for a while after they lost their major shotcaller. Hai may have been less solid than the likes of Balls or Sneaky, but he could still play out a teamfight like a game of chess.
I say the turnaround will start once we're a month in