'I created it, let me move on': Ex-Cloud 9 player, the Overwatch team whose blunder inspired the infamous 'C9' slang, watches in horror as the term moves onto Marvel Rivals

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Let me take you down memory lane, back to Overwatch Apex Season 2 in 2017. Specifically, to the match between AF Blue vs. Cloud9. It was first to three over five possible maps, and despite dominating most of their team fights, Cloud9 lost. Badly.

Two of their three losses were due to repeatedly pulling a 'C9' (short for Cloud9), a phrase that was coined by a whole generation of Overwatch players after this very match. Somehow, the team forgot to capture the objective twice when fighting on Lijang Tower, and then made a similar mistake on Volskaya during the attack phase. Despite happening almost eight years ago, the phrase "C9" has become a regularly used term in Overwatch, and we're seeing it take root in Marvel Rivals, too, much to one of the team members' dismay (via Polygon).

"MARVEL RIVALS BOOMING IN POPULARITY MEANS A TON OF NEW PLAYERS ARE LEARNING WHAT A 'C9' [IS] AND THAT I CREATED IT," streamer Lucas 'Mendo' Håkansson and former member of Cloud9 says. "LET ME MOVE ON PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."

One player in Mendo's replies cements this by letting him in on their team strats: "You're my callout in our gaming group—instead of 'Don't C9' we say 'mendo mendo' cause it's a lot faster and more accurate LMAO." To this, all mendo has to say is, "Wow." Truly a shot to the heart.

It's true that C9 is now being used a lot more in Marvel Rivals, but in all honesty, that's the case with pretty much any game that has an objective to capture or defend, now. Unfortunately for mendo, the term C9 has surpassed Overwatch or even Cloud9—it's solidified itself in the videogame dictionary alongside other phrases like "zerg rush". You can't stop the will of the masses.

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Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.