Cloud9 could have been on cloud 9 after besting MIBR throughout VCT Americas Kickoff, however they have been introduced again right down to Earth after dropping to NRG. Following the collection, we spoke with Jake “jakee” Anderson to get his ideas.
He mentioned how his debut season helped him put together for 2024 and any key variations between this Cloud9 roster and the final one. In addition to a critique of his efficiency in opposition to NRG, which pressured them into one other match in opposition to MIBR.
Cloud9’s jakee on staying assured regardless of meta affecting his efficiency
“You had a hell of a debut yr final yr, however in fact, issues didn’t finish how you’d have favored. What did you study most about this degree of VALORANT forward of 2024?”
jakee: “The factor I discovered most was that throughout the recreation, it’s greatest to maintain a optimistic perspective and never stress an excessive amount of about your errors. I feel that was one thing I positively struggled with final yr, the place it was identical to, I made a foul name and it might come again to chunk me.
“We might lose the spherical or match due to it. And that was miserable final yr. But it surely’s positively one thing I’ve tried to tackle board with me this yr. To not weigh on my errors as a lot. I’d say that’s the principle factor I discovered from final yr. And to be assured, however as we are able to see, that’s not understanding too nicely as of proper now.”
“And with the brand new items of the Cloud9 roster in place, what are a number of the greatest variations in comparison with final yr, whether or not its workforce synergy, how apply goes, the vibes, no matter you’ve acquired?”
jakee: “We’re in a position to choose ourselves up after a loss extra so than ever. I don’t suppose anybody actually tilts that arduous, not less than in a match setting. Scrims are clearly a bit completely different, however that’s simply because it’s a special surroundings.
“It’s onerous to place a 100% day-after-day, when you need to work out within the morning. Then the eight hours of apply. It’s so much generally. It’s positively more durable to place in a 100% throughout apply days, however I really feel like these like 60, 40, 50, or 80% apply days are serving to us be a 100% for a match.
“You may see it on Ascent, however not a lot on Sundown. So far as workforce synergy goes, I feel it’s much more blissful to play with this workforce, however positively, I don’t know methods to put it in phrases. Positively a bit worse individually for me, taking part in extra of a workforce recreation now relatively than simply doing my very own factor, like I used to be final yr.
“And that’s to not say it was proper or incorrect to do this final yr, however that’s simply what my play fashion was again then. I’ve needed to turn out to be extra team-oriented, though we don’t have as a lot construction as I might say we had final yr. It’s simply small variations right here and there.”
“I’m not asking you to trash your teammates from final yr, however do any items of this new workforce really feel like an improve?”
jakee: “I feel our workforce has not less than the potential to be higher and I feel our potential was seen in Japan. I gained’t say one participant is healthier than the opposite, however I’ll say that we work higher as a workforce in comparison with final yr.
“It solely felt like if every part went proper, we might work higher final yr, however this yr, even when issues are going incorrect, we’re in a position to choose ourselves again up quicker and establish what’s going incorrect. And I feel that permits us to be a greater workforce altogether, however it’s to not say that we couldn’t have performed that final yr. It simply ended up occurring too late final yr.”
“It’s a brand new system this yr. Championship factors, no LOCK//IN-style event, an extra workforce within the league. Do you are feeling like your rookie season was sufficient to arrange you for what’s forward this yr?”
jakee: “Final yr was positively a meta that favored my play fashion, however when it comes to completely different util getting used, completely different Brokers being performed on completely different maps, final yr was so much higher of a meta I feel. This yr, it’s extra in order that these small errors get punished far worse.
“And in my rookie debut, you might just about win the sport simply by killing everybody. However this yr, your small errors are punished so onerous. Like when you TP within the incorrect spot, when you don’t get your blind off in time, millisecond timing variations.
“It’s onerous to say if my rookie season ready me for the season. I feel it’s simply a wholly completely different recreation. It seems like I’m ready mentally. I’m extra mentally sharp, however I feel my gameplay has fallen by way of a bit because of the meta change.”
“And after how final yr ended for Cloud9, did that have enable you in relation to bouncing again after losses like this one?”
jakee: “I’d fortunately say it did. It’s only a matter of getting again to it and never letting it dwell on you. After all you’re going to be unhappy the few hours after a match or whatnot. However positively, I might say it helped tenfold.
“I spotted what I favored in my previous teammates, what I didn’t like, and tried to take a few of these qualities with me into this yr. I’d say it helped when it comes to bouncing again from excessive strain matches, and being prepared for the following one.”
“Okay, nicely what occurred on the market in opposition to NRG? Simply in your phrases, what gave them the higher hand or what was Cloud9’s downfall?”
jakee: “We didn’t play precisely how we performed Sundown prior to now. We have been ready for them to anti-strat us, as NRG will. That’s simply how they was once as a workforce. Unsure in the event that they nonetheless are, however they’ve like 5 f*cking coaches.
“Oops, sorry for cursing, however they’ve 5 coaches, and we have been ready for the anti-strat. So, we simply switched up a little bit of our assault, however I don’t actually really feel like that’s the place we misplaced the sport. Though, it was a 4:8 half, we nonetheless had an opportunity on protection.
“It was simply pivotal errors, the place we aren’t taking part in collectively like we used to. NRG have been actually fast to punish. As I stated earlier than, errors are punished actually quick this yr. If we’re not in the proper setup on the proper time, or in the event that they’re walked up and we don’t count on them.
“Regardless that they could possibly be there for like 15 seconds. It’s numerous completely different items, in VOD evaluations you’d contemplate micro errors, however they only saved on including up and we simply saved on getting punished due to it. And I don’t suppose that’s true to what our Sundown usually is.
“Then so far as Ascent goes, we performed our CT-half, I might say significantly nicely. We acquired no pistol and we performed our CT half fairly nicely. I’d say on T-side half, I don’t know methods to clarify it. We simply didn’t have the proper learn on the proper occasions.
“Demon1 was good aspect Heaven the entire recreation. We did virtually nothing to cease it and it was simply actually poor from us. I may have Omen blinded proper aspect Heaven. I may have TP’d in a special spot with Oxy, however that simply didn’t find yourself occurring.
“Our adjustment got here far too late, and even within the time beyond regulation spherical, we learn the sport incorrect once more. To not say it was Vainness’s fault, as a result of it wasn’t. It was positively all of us calling the learn. We have been all right down to go A, however all 5 of us actually didn’t have the proper thought in thoughts that spherical. And we misplaced in time beyond regulation, the identical approach that we misplaced the string of rounds in our early a part of the assault half.”
“Nicely, you’re taking over MIBR as soon as extra in an elimination match. The primary time round was an excellent shut collection. How assured are you and the workforce about profitable this rematch?”
jakee: “I feel we’re fairly assured that it needs to be a 2:0 from us if we play at our greatest. We’re going take the day to assessment our match, assessment what errors we made on what maps from each collection. Do our homework a bit, and I really feel prefer it needs to be a 2:0 from us if we play to our greatest. If we play to our worst, who is aware of, it may go three maps, however I simply hope that we present what we’ve been engaged on this season and be higher than we have been right now.”
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