C9 Mithy: “People can learn from those experiences and they can be better. You live and you learn through growing up.”

In Gran Canaria, Spain a young spanish boy named Alfonso Aguirre Rodriguez runs over to his computer, opening the World of Warcraft client. In-game, he spends hours grinding out the game with his friends and having fun while doing so. In the process, he becomes an amazing player and first enters the competitive gaming landscape in 2011 as Mithy. 

One year and an in-game name change later and Mithy makes the switch over to League of Legends. He enters the EU LCS and in his first split, makes the 2013 EU LCS finals with Lemondogs. Everything is going great for the young player in his career, except for one thing, his trash talking habit. 

As a result, he is banned from LoL pro play for six months and is forced to reassess and reevaluate. And in his head, he is tasked with two decisions.

Do I quit and go to school? Or do I come back in six months a better person from it all. 

This is the story of how Cloud9 head coach Mithy turned a bad habit into esports success as he looks towards a new path as the Cloud9 coach.

Mithy’s earliest memories in video games are spent playing World of Warcraft and Counterstrike. Spending hours grinding out a game, he found a hobby and early passion with video games. One of the experiences that made it fun, the trash talking aspect.

“At the time, toxicity was not a term. Back then, everyone threw insults at each other in-game.” Mithy states. “My mindset was never ill-intent. It was just a culture in video games where everyone would roast each other. It was a super fun thing to do as a kid.” 

Ultimately, it caught up to Mithy and in mid-2014, he received a six month ban from pro play. He found himself in a position to think and self-reflect. After some time thinking about his next step, he decided that once his ban was over, he would come back even stronger.

However, the hardest step of it all was undoing a long-time habit with gaming.

“Honestly, I had a really hard time learning how to cut my language.” Mithy recalls.

Through time, Mithy eventually eased into the new mindset towards video games. Instead of enjoying video games for the competition and trashtalk, he put his passions towards the competition. In the process

By the end of 2014, Mithy’s ban was lifted and shortly after, he joined Origen. From there on, he experienced success in his career as a support player. From multiple LEC titles, to international success, Mithy is able to look back at his pro playing days with success.

Yet, after years of grinding, the constant pressure of keeping up with mechanics led to  some more self-reflection.

“I was having trouble making use of soloqueue and making it productive for myself. All of these things add up. Eventually somebody else who is more hungry will take your job. That is what was happening to me.” Mithy states.

Following the 2019 season with Origen, Mithy was tasked with a decision. Continue to try as a pro player or focus on a different path in esports.

After weighing his options between pro play and coaching, he ultimately made up his mind. He would retire as a pro player, and put all his energy into coaching.

“The game is getting harder and harder. You need to put a lot of effort into making sure you are up-to-date on your mechanics.” Mithy explains. “That aspect of the game was taking a really big toll on me. After some time, it was getting hard to grind.” Mithy states when explaining the decision.

Mithy is no longer dividing his attention between soloqueue and strategy. Now, as the head coach for Cloud9, he can focus on the parts of the game that fuel his passions.

“My passions in League are now about the competitive and strategic aspects of the game. Getting the group on one same mind so everyone synergizes really well.” Mithy states.

Through experience and repetition, Mithy is now turning his ban and love for League of Legends into a career helping players become a better team. Long gone are the days of flaming people in-game for fun and grinding hours of soloqueue. His focuses are now set on Cloud and making this team the best it can possibly be.

And while he acknowledges that his past ban will never escape his reputation, he will continue working on being his best self.

“People can learn from those experiences and they can be better. You live and you learn through growing up.” Mithy states.

Cloud9 will look to improve upon their 19-11 record in 2021 moving forward into week 5. After falling down to 3rd in the standings, they will look to play catch up to 100 Thieves and TSM.

As the reigning champions, Cloud9 are looking to capture back-to-back championships and make their way to the 2021 World Championships.

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest League of Legends news and highlights.