C9 Immy: "I felt it was best for me to step back, support Veer, help him with whatever he needs"

Following Cloud9's coaching changes during VCT Americas Stage 2, former head coach Ian "Immi" Harding has officially taken on the role of assistant coach, while Wyatt "Veer" Blevins has taken over as head coach. After Cloud9's narrow defeat in his first match in his new position, Immy discussed with Sheep Esports about the reasons behind the unexpected coaching change, the team's difficulties this season, his new responsibilities, and how a change in approach could help Cloud9 progress. He also reflected on Jordan "Zellsis" Montemurro's leadership, the challenges the team still faces, and the areas where they must improve to compete with the best in the Americas.

Ian "Immi" Harding: “I'm feeling all right personally. I'm feeling very sad for the guys. I think, again, it felt like we could have won the game, especially on Sunset. I don't think we necessarily played like ourselves on that map. So yeah, I'm feeling okay, but I feel a little sadder for the guys. I've got a bit more of a backseat role now, so while I'm still angry and emotional watching the games, I've got a bit more time to settle down afterwards.

Immy: I think it's been the same issues all year round. We keep getting ourselves into positions where we should win rounds, and then the micro decisions really let us down. The more the year went on, the more we focused on fixing those micro mistakes. But obviously, when you keep pointing out every little mistake, players start thinking, "I'm making another mistake again," and it affects the way they play.

Hopefully now we're not going to focus on the micro side as much. Since I've taken more of a backseat, hopefully the players can start making more of their own plays. FireBallOps (Cameron Tomaselli) was very good today, but honestly I think he's been very good the whole time. He's really been a shining light for us.

Immy: We discussed it internally. We had been focusing so much on the micro side of the game that the team decided they didn't want to emphasize it as heavily anymore. They wanted to play a different style where they wouldn't have to constantly think about every little micro decision. Because of that, I felt it was best for me to step back, support Veer (Wyatt Blevins), help him with whatever he needs, and work more in the background.

That means helping with the macro game and anti-stratting, which are areas I feel very confident in. For me, micro coaching has always been a huge focus, but I couldn't solve those issues the way I wanted. So the team decided they wanted to move toward a philosophy centered more around macro than micro.

Immy: I simply have lighter duties now. I'm not as hands-on anymore. I can feed information through Veer, give the boys some anti-strat ideas on match day, and support the team that way. Honestly, I'm already feeling a bit more relaxed. I had been really burnt out. Now I can wake up in the morning, go for a run, eat some fresh food, it feels much healthier.

I think the burnout came from years of constantly playing. Even if we didn't qualify for international events, we were always competing. Add all the roster changes and everything that comes with that. Social media also has a huge impact on people's mental health. So overall, I'm definitely feeling a bit more relaxed now.

Immy: Yeah, it has definitely changed some things, although not everything. I'm still involved in the macro side of the game, so that hasn't changed much. Veer hasn't had enough time yet to implement everything he wants. Whether he'll end up changing a lot more is another story; I honestly don't think he will, at least not immediately. We simply need to give it a bit more time before we can really understand where he's going as a coach and what kind of philosophy he wants to build.

Immy: I don't think it changed it negatively at all. I think people took his speech out of context. He wasn't trying to force everyone to play his way or my way. We'd get into positions where we should win rounds, and then someone would do something they weren't supposed to do, and suddenly the whole round would fall apart. For example, against Sentinels, we wanted to play a lot of B retakes, but when it actually mattered, we had players staying on B instead.

He was simply frustrated because he wanted everyone to play the way we had agreed to play and not forget our game plan. Personally, I thought the speech was great. That's exactly what I want from a leader. I want someone who can stand up, deliver that kind of speech, and make everyone think, "Yeah, I want to follow this guy." That was the reaction inside the team. People on social media interpreted it differently, but I completely stand by it; I think it was a great speech.

Immy: The interesting thing is that throughout my coaching career, I've usually been the person giving those speeches. I've never really had a leader who stepped up and did it himself. Zellsis is the first one, and that's not meant as criticism toward any player I've coached before. He's just a huge personality and a natural leader. That's why, when he started speaking, I simply sat back and listened because I completely backed everything he was saying.

Immy: If we want to compete with the very best, we need to understand when to make plays and when not to. And when we do decide to make a play, we have to do it confidently instead of hesitating. You have to make mistakes in order to learn, but we're now at the point where the players simply need to commit to their decisions with confidence. I think this week was already a step toward the players making more of their own plays.

Now it's about figuring out when those plays are actually the right ones. That's what will allow us to compete with the very best. If we're talking about the middle-tier teams, I already think we're capable of beating them. We should be beating LOUD. As long as the team keeps learning, reaches the Play-Ins, and performs well there, you never really know what can happen.”