League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Riot Games. It is one of the most popular esports titles in the world with millions of active monthly players. The “9x” in the title refers to a player who is performing extremely well, carrying their team to victory.
What Does 9x Mean in League of Legends?
In League of Legends, players take on the role of a “champion” with unique abilities. Two teams of 5 players compete to destroy the opposing team’s nexus (base). Players need to work together, secure objectives, get kills, and outplay their opponents to win.
The term “9x” refers to a player who is hard carrying their team. They are playing at an extremely high skill level, getting lots of kills, dealing tons of damage, and generally dominating the enemy team. Their impressive performance makes it feel like there are 9 copies of that player on the team rather than just one.
For example, if an ADC player is 12/0/5 with 200 CS at 20 minutes, their team may say “Wow, our ADC is 9x this game”. This means the ADC is carrying so hard that it feels like there are 9 of them. The term is often used humorously to praise strong individual performances that help secure victory.
Where Does the 9x Term Come From?
The origins of “9x” as gaming slang are unclear, but it has been used in LoL and other online games for many years. Here are some possible origins:
- It may come from the idea of someone being so good they count as 9 players, not just 1.
- It could reference getting 9 times the normal kill/death ratio in a match.
- The “X” may stand for experimental or extreme, referring to an extremely impactful performance.
- “9x report” is sometimes used to request 9 reports against a very toxic/trolling player, which could have evolved into 9x as praise.
Whatever the exact origin, “9x” has cemented itself in the LoL community as shorthand for a carry performance. It evokes a player dominating so hard that it feels like there are multiple copies of them leading the team to victory.
Common Usages and Examples of 9x in LoL
Here are some common ways “9x” is used in League of Legends chat and gaming circles:
- “Wow, our mid is 9x their mid, we got this game in the bag.”
- “The enemy jungler is 9x, be careful or they’ll carry.”
- “I was 9x that game, look at my KDA”
- “Better hope your top isn’t 9x this time or we’ll lose for sure.”
- “We need our ADC to go 9x if we want to win late game teamfights.”
As these examples illustrate, 9x is generally used to describe lopsided matchups where one player is outplaying their opponent by a large margin. It hypes up carry performances and warns about enemies who are extremely fed and strong. The term is often used both preemptively and retrospectively when discussing matches.
What Kind of Performance Qualifies as 9x?
There are no official thresholds, but here are some general guidelines for when a player might be considered 9x in LoL:
- Very high KDA (kill/death/assist ratio), often at least 5 KDA or higher
- Big gold and XP leads over their direct opponent in lane
- Drawing a lot of enemy jungle pressure but escaping ganks or securing kills
- Solo killing their lane matchup multiple times
- Getting first tower very quickly and rotating around the map
- Dealing very high damage in teamfights
- Securing objectives like dragons/Baron quickly
Essentially, a 9x player is exerting tons of map pressure, outplaying enemies, and putting their team on their back. They tilt matchups heavily in their favor and often draw multiple enemy players to try and deal with them, giving their own team advantages elsewhere.
9x Players Often Exhibit These Traits
Players described as 9x in LoL generally exhibit exceptional skill in these areas:
- Mechanics – Using their champion’s abilities skillfully to outplay and kill enemies.
- Decision Making – Choosing when to fight/engage/retreat intelligently.
- Awareness – Excellent map awareness and vision control.
- Farming – Earning gold/XP quickly and efficiently via minion kills.
- Positioning – Flawless positioning in teamfights and skirmishes.
- Objective Control – Securing neutral objectives like dragons when possible.
Players who are 9x make very few mistakes while optimizing their champion’s strengths. They identify and capitalize on enemy weaknesses ruthlessly.
Examples of 9x Performances
To illustrate what a 9x LoL performance can look like, here are two examples:
9x Mid Laner
- Playing Talon into a mage like Orianna
- Gets solo kill pre-6 and constantly pressures Orianna under tower
- Roams bot for a double kill and takes first mid tower by 10 minutes
- Outfarms Orianna by 40 CS at 15 minutes
- Flawlessly assassinates the enemy ADC and APC in every teamfight
- Ends game with a KDA of 14/2/7
9x Jungler
- Playing hypercarry like Master Yi
- Counterganks enemy jungler early and secures double kills
- Has 50 more CS than enemy jungler at 20 minutes
- Solo takes dragons/heralds when possible
- Deletes squishies immediately in every teamfight
- Split pushes aggressively pulling multiple enemies and escaping ganks
- Wins game with a statline of 23/3/12
In both these examples, the player exerts enormous pressure on the enemy that they are unable to contain, and carries their team to victory as a result.
How Impactful is a Single 9x Player?
A single 9x player can often have a match-winning impact, but does not guarantee victory. Generally:
- If all else is equal, a 9x player will tip the scales heavily in their team’s favor.
- But if their teammates are very behind, even a fed carry can struggle to 1v9.
- 9x players have the most impact securing objectives like Baron to end the game.
- Their pressure attracts enemy focus, allowing allies to thrive in 4v3 or 4v2 situations.
- A 9x jungler or roaming mid/top has more impact than a 9x ADC.
So while one 9x player gives a big advantage, the game is still 5v5. Their performance must translate into team objectives to close out victories against coordinated opponents.
How Often Does a 9x Performance Occur?
True 9x performances are relatively rare, though the term can be used loosely:
- In lower elos, smurfs may 9x frequently by completely dominating inexperienced players.
- At higher elos like Diamond+, a sincere 9x is uncommon. Probably 1 in 15-20 games.
- 9x is more likely when a hard counter matchup occurs.
- Premade teams can enable a carry to 9x by playing around them.
- In competitive esports, 9x is very rare due to coordinated opponents.
So while the term is thrown around often, performances where a player truly 1v9’s by completely taking over the game are not everyday occurrences, especially against skilled organized opponents.
Does 9x Ever Refer to Negative Performance?
Almost always, 9x refers to a great performance carrying a game. But there are some rare cases where it refers to a terrible performance:
- If someone dies repeatedly in lane, their team may jokingly ask “are you 9x inting this game?”
- A jungler who never ganks or powerfarms all game may be called “9x farming jungle” sarcastically.
- Supports who roam but never help their ADC might be mocked as “9x roaming”
So in some instances, 9x can mockingly refer to someone who is uselessly repeating a damaging behavior all game. But this is much rarer than using 9x positively.
Key Takeaways on 9x in LoL
- It refers to a player hard carrying and dominating the enemy team.
- Originates from them performing so well it’s like having 9 players.
- Usually indicates very high KDA, map pressure, and objective control.
- Can turn games singlehandedly but guarantees nothing.
- Is rarely seen in elite competitive play.
- Distinct from “inting” which means dying intentionally.
So in summary, “9x” in LoL conveys a player is exerting an extremely high level of skill, outplaying opponents consistently, generating big leads, and putting their team in a position to win.
Conclusion
Being called “9x” is one of the biggest compliments an LoL player can receive. It indicates they completely took over a match through a display of high level mechanics, macro decision making, and champion mastery. While most uses of 9x are meant sincerely to praise a carry performance, the term can also occasionally be used sarcastically to mock poor play. But in either case, it signals a player who is having an exceptionally dominant impact on the outcome of the match, whether for better or worse. Striving to reach the vaunted status of 9x is what drives many LoL players to improve.