Welcome back, gamers!
Remember how in Friday's issue I visited Riot Games Arena to watch the LCS Upper Bracket playoffs? If you missed it, feel free to check it out.
The cool thing about journalism is that stories can spring up on you while covering a multi-day event. In this case, after witnessing Sentinels defeat Disguised 3-2 in the first LCS upper bracket match, Sentinels coach Greyson "GoldenGlue" Gilmer said something that gave me a story idea I was fortunate enough to follow through on in the next two sessions.
"APA, he's probably the best mid(-laner) in the league right now," GoldenGlue said. "Pretty rare to say for North American mid-laners."
When I told Eain "APA" Stearns the next day, he didn't flinch.
"I've always been good, to be completely honest," APA said.
What followed was a candid discussion that, oddly enough, fit inside a 10-minute postgame interview session. There is no questioning APA's talent — anyone who has watched him this split already knows the answer. The story is about finding the right place that allows you to feel good about your play and show what you're capable of.
Paul
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When the Environment Works Against You
APA's first real exposure to competitive League of Legends came at 16. For the next year, he bounced around the amateur scene waiting for his opportunity to land an LCS roster. It was only after a year with Maryville University — one of the nation's stronger esports programs — that APA broke through. The strong play had finally paid off when Team Liquid invited him to try out, and he earned a spot on Team Liquid Academy before quickly moving up to the organization's Tier 2 NACL team, Team Liquid Challengers.
On July 5, 2023, APA got the call to join the main roster after Team Liquid finished eighth in the 2023 LCS Spring Split. That summer, Team Liquid qualified for the World Championships, failing to win a game in the Swiss Round and finishing in the Top 16. APA and Liquid returned to Worlds in 2024, going 2-3 for a Top 11 finish.
Things took a turn in 2025. Team Liquid started the year strong, finishing fourth in LTA North Split 1 before winning the LTA Split 1 Playoffs to earn a spot at First Stand 2025, where they finished fifth. It was APA's final international tournament in a Team Liquid uniform.
Underneath the surface of those results, APA said there were issues souring his experience with the organization.
"It was extremely serious, extreme levels of criticism," APA said. "Everyone didn't trust each other and played each other down. Even though some games I played well, other games I would play bad, so it wouldn't even matter. It was just hard to be a confident player."
Admitting that publicly says quite a bit about what the environment did to him. It wasn't a lack of ability — it was a lack of trust. And without trust, even the good games get swallowed by everything around them.
Finding It Again
APA wasn't on the open market for long, signing with Cloud 9 Kia nine days after his departure from Team Liquid. The move gave him the fresh start players need to find their footing again.
With a full season still a month away, APA turned his attention to what he could control. He rebuilt through solo queue, grinding until he hit Rank 1 — reaffirming what he already believed about himself.
"A big process for myself was just getting my confidence back as a person in the offseason," he said. "I've always been good. It just was hard to shine."
His first real experience alongside his new teammates came in December, when Cloud 9 traveled to Korea for the KeSPA Cup 2025. It was the right amount of time — long enough to practice against world-class competition, and enough runway for the roster to get comfortable with their new mid laner.
It would be the first chance for APA to remind everyone what he was capable of.
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The Right Fit
His impact was immediate.
The environment felt nothing like what he had left behind. No finger-pointing, no eroded trust — just a team with a clear identity that knew how to play for each other. All APA had to do was find his place inside it.
"It felt really easy joining Cloud 9," APA said. "Everyone has a general good understanding of how to play for each other. I'll give Blaber this, and then Blaber will give me this back, and since I have this back I can then help Thanatos, and Thanatos can TP bot. Just constantly push it forward."
Cloud 9 finished second in its group at the KeSPA Cup, going 3-1 behind Hanwha Life Esports — a Korean team that finished Top 8 at the 2025 World Championships. They went 1-1 in the Last Chance Qualifier, narrowly missing the Knockout Stage. Still, the foundation was clear.
Cloud 9 head coach Nicholas "Inero" Smith said APA's value extends well beyond the draft.
"It just clicked for everyone. Plugging him in was just getting him used to what we do," Inero said. "His pool is actually really nice to draft around. He's very solid, very confident on the things he has. Him and Veigarv2 have really expanded what he's got. I think he just provides too much value to our team.
"We just got upgraded."
The culture piece mattered just as much. Inero described a locker room full of shitposters — guys who keep things light without losing competitive focus. For a player who spent the previous year in a pressure cooker, the contrast was everything.
"It was really easy and natural," Inero said. "He's been a great glue guy for us."
Shadowboxing
What makes this Cloud 9 squad interesting beyond their perfect record is how they think about the game. APA — like most players on the roster — has competed internationally. He knows firsthand what it feels like to have a five-second window of bad tempo punished by a Korean team in ways North American opponents simply won't. That experience has shaped how this team reviews film, even after comfortable wins.
"Even when the opponent is not doing well, we're like, 'Yeah, but if they did this, we're in trouble,'" APA said. "So we have to do something differently. Dignitas is not going to punish us. But the good international teams will."
He called it shadowboxing — preparing for the punches you haven't taken yet.
"When you scrim the Korean teams, they'll punish you for stuff that you don't get punished for in NA," he said. "One small mistake that did not matter in the slightest in NA is punished to the full extent. Sometimes you don't even know it's a mistake."
That last part is the most telling. The gap between North America and the best teams in the world isn't always visible in the moment. It shows up in a playoff run or an international bracket, when a team suddenly finds itself scrambling to defend situations it didn't even know it was creating.
Cloud 9 is trying to close that gap before it matters. That's a different way of thinking about a domestic regular season — and it might be the difference when the team goes for the LCS Lock-In title on Sunday.
What's Next
The focus stays tight. Cloud 9 Kia dominated Sentinels in the semifinals to earn a place in the Grand Finals. Win there, and it's off to Brazil for First Stand.
Inero acknowledged the road to this point hasn't exactly been the toughest draw — which only makes the shadowboxing mentality more important heading into international competition.
But even standing on the precipice of another international event, thinking too far ahead isn't part of the plan.
"I think that's a bit too far ahead right now," APA said.
That measured approach reflects everything this team has described about how they operate: methodical, honest about what they haven't solved, and unwilling to get ahead of the work.
Whether that's enough to change Cloud9's — and North America's — standing on the world stage is still to be determined. For now, all we have is this split. APA never lost it. He just needed to find the right place to show it.
"I've always been good," APA said. "It just was hard to shine."
It seems like he's found it.
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I'd like to thank Cloud 9 Kia and the Riot Media team for helping facilitate the interview. Reply and tell me: what's your read on Cloud9 Kia's ceiling this split? I'm genuinely curious how far you think they can go.
See you Friday, as we discuss the value of the Americas Cup and preview the upcoming LCS weekend.
Paul
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Riot Games