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Nine after Defeating Team Liquid: "I'm not at Peak Form"
Leon "Nine" Kirilin fits in perfectly with Team Falcons. The German midlaner was brought in when the team realized they couldn't secure Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak's visa in time. So far it has been a match made in heaven, as Falcons have won five series in a row.
After sending Team Liquid to the lower bracket, Nine shared his feelings on the series, his influence on the drafts, and how close he is to his best form.
Nine dominated game three with Earth Spirit
In the first game of the series, Falcons expected a last-pick Sniper and took Earth Spirit to counter it. The hero is durable in the laning stage and can close the gap to catch Sniper later.
Unfortunately for Nine, it didn't work out for him. Michał "Nisha" Jankowski rushed Hurricane Pike as his first item and added an Aghanim's Shard to improve his mobility further.
Recapping the first game, Leon was aware Sniper was coming but expressed his surprise at how the game progressed.
"We kinda saw that they will last pick Zeus or Sniper and we just decided we have more heroes against Sniper. I ended up playing Earth Spirit, which is one of my most comfort heroes but I got my ass spanked. It was not supposed to be like that, that's why in game three I was like "I need to play this again" I can't take it actually."
The first game went to Team Liquid but Falcons made a strong comeback and took the series 2-1. Nine shined in the third game when he took Earth Spirit again. Despite facing Sniper for a second time, Nine looked more comfortable and ended up with a score of 12-1-23.
When asked how much impact Leon has on his hero pick, he stated that the team tells him what sort of hero they need and he does his best to fill that gap.
"Mostly they just say what kind of hero they want but in the end, the confidence needs to come from me. I'm not going to play a hero they can see I am not confident in. These flukes just happen, sometimes you just lose, sometimes you just play a bad game. I just played [Earth Spirit] again, there were no more negative emotions, if anything I was more motivated to play it again."
Nine: "I want to play again, but we will see"
Credits: Valve
The International 11 winner is currently in an odd spot in his career. He is a member of Tundra Esports but he hasn't played in over seven months since he decided to take a break.
When describing his skill level compared to how he played in 2022, Leon was blunt in his assessment that he just isn't there yet.
"I'm not at peak form but yeah I think slowly it will just come. Like you need to build the confidence again and it will not happen overnight."
After an extended break, it's normal for a player to feel anxious when they return to the competitive scene. This is doubly so when standing in for another team, as it both showcases the player's skills and their compatibility with other squads.
Nine shared that so far it has been relatively smooth to play with Falcons, but the stress of competition is still a daunting prospect to face.
"I don't really get nervous like that, it's just stressful. It's also the reason why I decided to take a break, just like the stress of competing. It's still there but I can manage it a bit better and that's kinda what I am testing right now, why I wanted to play the tournament, to see how it feels. I want to play again but we will see."
Team Falcons will face off against Xtreme Gaming in the Upper Bracket finals. Catch all the action live on the PGL Twitch page.
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Featured Image Source: Team Falcons
