DRIVE: The LemonNation Story

Daerek "LemonNation" Hart's journey to the NA LCS has seen its ups and downs -- from the highest highs of being a two-time NA LCS Champion, to the lowest lows of dealing with a team breakup -- but through it all LemonNation was able to find a second family.
Drive explores the parallels between Daerek’s parents’ divorce and his long-standing friendship with teammate Hai.
Follow Daerek on Twitter @LemonNation
Soundtrack:
"Easy" by Jamie Peter Fonti, Rachel Rosen, Sean Fonti
"Feel The Love" by Charles Drew, Higgi Sauce, Syed Saif Haider Naqvi
"Pursuit" by Alan Laurence Gold
"Welcome To Our World" by Axel Tenner
"I Can’t Forget" by Dystosound
"Uncertain Abilities" by Frederik Wiedmann
"Believe" by Benjamin Booker
"Unlimited Possibilities" by Axel Tenner

[@tommulvey4752]

This is probably my favorite DRIVE episode.

[@beverlyson]

It's up there.

[@Iceteahottea]

My favorite after Doublelift's episode tbh.

[@Nyjeezy]

baited

[@Spandaeur]

Tom Mulvey dad?

[@tommulvey4752]

Spandaeur nice pic son

[@Ikimono]

I miss the old cloud9 original roster :(

[@xJinRaGna]

Ur not the only one...

[@jruch_2949]

Ikimono Same, but it just wasn't working.

[@RumandCocaine]

i miss my life

[@MarksRockDog1]

They made it to Finals and went 3-1. Even now C9 has yet to win finals since that roster. I would love to give that roster another chance.

[@midastheunwise2423]

Same. I remember seeing Meteos' jungle pathing back in season 3 and just being blown away. That guy had a sixth sense for knowing where the enemy jungler was, and for always being at a lane exactly when needed. It's a shame he's just become a sub nowadays.

[@LurpN5]

This one was more emotional than I thought it would be

[@zodes_]

DoubleButtPlug Almost cried at one part ;(

[@LurpN5]

agreed...

[@kamisc2865]

I cried a few times. I really liked this episode.

[@pokeness686]

DoubleButtPlug | I liked that about it though. It was real, and honest. Makes for a more interesting story. It's awesome getting to know players.

[@MM_Future]

RIOT should do an event where the past great teams would get together again for a for fun tournament. Legendary teams like SSB/SSW, old c9, old fnc, 2013 skt and more. Hopeful wishing I guess

[@moviemaker2851]

Josh Juicy Moscow5 tho

[@aarushjawdekar1513]

I'd love to see an old showmatch between M5 and CLG.EU

[@NihilNick]

Josh Juicy Legendary for one split? What about 2014 TSM? Or Spring season 7 TSM? Oh wait c9 fanboi hmm.

[@discern456]

Gambit keepo

[@vuphu6419]

NickGaming C9 won 2 splits

[@TheGrimxcore]

I always thought Lemon was pretty cool but this gives me a new respect for the guy.

[@B00MBE43]

What a nice guy, honestly. Amazing episode

[@itshunter7157]

Lemon and Hai. Still a better lovestory that twilight

[@mhollis1231]

Hunter x lemons parents were too LUL

[@zodes_]

Mark Hollis too soon

[@jruch_2949]

Hunter x Better love story than Twilight in 2017? LUL

[@znout65]

when Lemon said that one of Hai's demands when he came back to C9 was that Lemon was put back in charge of pick/bans; I just lost it. That's amazing.

[@skulphire3679]

The grandpa of league esports.

[@ngacore4035]

28

[@Destromath2]

Luca Peter actually thats ambition i think

[@MrValgard]

"hi im Lemonnation, i play lol since 1977"

[@marksong8626]

It honestly makes me sad and happy at the same time that League Esports has went from friends forming and playing as a team together to what it is now.

[@yellowasian123]

lemon nation doesn't get enough credit that he deserves.

[@_ItsJustBrian_]

Man LemonNation is the best. Changed the NA scene's Pick and Ban phase with his notebook. Gotta love all his interviews with those tiny awkward pauses. Great video.

[@juIceGoD14]

Brian McNeil it was REALLLY GOOOODD

[@c_spare]

13:30 "I held my promise, I brought you to worlds" I don't know why, but that hit deep. Great episode Riot!

[@Kenny-1-1]

Hai and Lemon should become casters or analysts

[@raphduf25]

Hai as Analyst and Lemon as Coach, both on the same team

[@victorkhan5960]

Eggplant the other way around

[@HerrBrewer]

I'm a fan of Lemon but I don't know he is too awkward to be a caster.

[@sebastianloya96]

Hai's voice is a no no.

[@actualdaws]

HerrBrewer but he and hai can joke about suicide

[@mycotic]

We love you lemon! Good luck with the rest of this split

[@H4HDJD]

needed to be longer and go into how he felt leaving C9 and moving to FlyQuest

[@7AtomicPenguins]

Lmao dude Flyquest used to be C9 Challenger. They got bought by another org. He didnt choose to leave C9.

[@kevinle8027]

H4HDJD Isi

[@afkroyal7642]

This comment section is the most chilled i have seen in a while. Like just scrolled through the first 20 comments or so and i haven't seen spam, shittalk, like begging etc.

[@belalcazr2010]

Actually pretty moving Drive episode. Teared a bit, so much emotion. LemonNation has certainly been my favorite support. Not because he's the most mechanically talented, although he certainly can be in some situations of a game. But because he seems like the brain or backbone of his team, much like Hai. Maybe just me....

[@imCylo]

Lemon is such a nice guy and a chill dude. Makes me want to forgive him for all the times he died unnecessarily so far this season

[@jonaspohls8759]

Beautiful. Probably my favourite DRIVE-episode. Honestly, I didnt really have an opinion of LemonNation before this, but now I think he is such a nice, polite and gentle guy. It's really easy to understand his feelings and struggles. Also, probs to the people who made this video. Great music selection and editing!

[@malunggay4103]

The camerawork is AMAZING, especially the part where Balls looks over to Hai's chair but seeing Jensen instead. :'( This easily brings me to have FlyQuest as one of my favorite teams just by having so much history behind them. I hope they do well in the next Split. Let's GO FLYQUEST!!!

[@Icewulf1111]

Just let me say that , i really enjoyed this video , I really really liked it since you can have some insight

[@JKHighLightOfficial]

"To become friends with Balls" just doesn't sound right even after all the years lol

[@nobleeseful]

JK HighLight dude balls are yours and my best friend

[@Rjp610]

lol

[@golden-sun]

I love balls

[@emillarsson1299]

are you like 12

[@daraxiong19]

This Drive episode is probably the best you guys did. It dived deeper into who the player is and showed that its not just being on a team, but building bonds that are so strong. Also totally agreed with Lemon, I thought it was weird that hai left after c9 placing second two times in a row. I mean that's still pretty successful considering tsm won summer 3-2, and spring 3-1 (which I think could have went to five). There were changes to be made, but I don't think it needed to result in replacing players.

[@ethan2060]

God I love lemon so much

[@jessejames7116]

Hai is the best in game leader NA has ever had

[@MellowSquash]

jesse james HAHAHA. Still dreaming, FQ fans have endless hope

[@jessejames7116]

you assume too much.

[@GamerThatSucks13]

MellowSquash Even though FQ is struggling you still can't deny Hai's success when he was on C9

[@jessejames7116]

being the best in game leader does not correlate to being the bast player or the best team or the best anything really.. but its literally undeniable at this point.

[@TheDeathby2]

Aphro tho.

[@09557610]

This man got me into support and why in still a C9 fan and will always be. Respect bro, Not the best season but keep your head up

[@vonnnov]

yup, but the same reason why i switched over to Flyquest

[@crazySeafood]

This is the only DRIVE video I watched without feeling bored and skipping ahead. Lemon offers so much more maturity than most players.

[@indal6043]

I actually don't watch so many drive episodes, but I am a huge C9 fan and I felt like I *had* to watch this. And I'm glad I did because it was so emotional and honest and just beautiful

[@Kakuren]

8:50 to 9:05 sums up the Lemonation story. Emotional but a beautiful story.

[@OhItsNekoAgain]

You actually can't watch this video without crying...

[@jamesbaxter5416]

I didn't cry

[@tailee7020]

I didn't cry

[@spooky1487]

For all people who struggle with broken families, this right here is a sign that even in times of distance among families, there is always something that can pull them together to bond over. It's such a cool idea that playing a video game can bring together a broken family. Gratz Riot, you should be proud.

[@dropoutbear5514]

Hands down best drive story. Had the nostalgic feel of the old c9 back when they were one of the best in NA alongside with tsm.

[@Olegnas705]

God I love C9

[@kitten1591]

These stories always make me wanna tear up and cry! I think these are beautiful. It really shows who the players are beyond/outside of the game. I think for most people, including myself, that we forget that players really are people too. Too often we just look at a person (or their teams') stats and standings; critique them but videos like these really reveal the character of the players that we love. I especially love that they did a video on a support, arguably the most underappreciated role, and a bottom tier team at that. Thank you for this.

[@Killeuzee]

This episode has been by far my favorite. I've been following Lemon and Hai since before they made it onto the scene as C9. I've stopped following league for a while now, but this episode brought back so many good memories, got me feeling so nostalgic, and reminded me why League felt like home for at least half a decade. Thank you.

[@2tofff]

this is the most humanizing DRIVE yet! this episode was very beautiful! keep it up Lemon!

[@gabrielignacio.x]

By far, one of the most touching episodes.

[@blacktop1213]

This and Matt's story are easily my favs. I didn't expect this one to be so emotional. I understand where he's coming from since my parents are divorced to. It's so much harder to communicate.

[@yamikokoro4401]

LemoNation's one of the most reason that i play support and like that role ty so much

[@KeldNeedsCoffee]

This drive was excellent. Really appreciate that candid look and real talk.

[@Gabemichaela]

Best Drive series yet. You can tell the emotion and passion through his story. Respect.

[@Icysoulwind]

Their split was what got me into watching league. I'm really grateful that cloud9 existed and happened and is still happening. Thx

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

This one really got to me more than I expected it to, because it resonates with me. My parents fought each other and divorced, although they did it a lot later in my life. My father and I had little in common when I was growing up beyond a fondness for games, although we didn't really play the same type (I was a console gaming kid). I'm distant from my brother, who doesn't really "get" me and does his own thing while I spend too much time playing games. And I have one really close long-time friend who I'll freely admit that I love more than my own brother. Also, I'm a support main. The biggest difference between us, of course, would be our LoL ranks, because at my skill level I'm not fit to polish his boots on the rift.

[@manoj.kovalam]

FLY Lemon FLY.

[@peacepeople10]

favorite drive. Starting playing 2016 still feel apart of the hype.

[@crossmd]

This is the best episode yet of this series.

[@martinsonnleitner5516]

Very moving story. I really like him and this was probably really hard to do for him. Like being calm and introverted as he seems to be, this deserves so much credit. Thanks for sharing your most intimate stories with all of us. Keep it up lemon. We love you. ;)

[@matte5447]

It feels like LemonNation got to direct this video, it's so unique compared to the other ones in a good way ofc

[@spencerrosario-mccabe8185]

This was the best drive so far, I'm glad lemon decided to do it, after watching him play in lcs for several years I feel like we never really got to know him. This helps fixes that, and turns out lemon is a pretty cool dude.

[@privettadam]

Lemon has been my favorite player since I started playing / watching league. So happy to watch this video

[@jamesdouthit3791]

I've always been a TSM fan but always loved you lemon! Good luck in the future.

[@xxKapiMasterx]

Definitely one of the greatest episodes of Drive

[@hellixx256]

The one line that choked me up: "I held my promise, I brought you to worlds"

[@NekoHibaCosplay]

This is THE episode. Never seen a better one to date.

[@TendoPlays]

Please Riot lets create a tournament where the old teames with the old rosters and the old jerseys play against each other, so we can see the old C9, TSM, DIG, and all the other Teams like how they were for 3 or 4 years. That would be so awsome, even once...i would give so much for that.

[@eFrog27]

Koya dyrus, theoddone, Regi, Chaox, xpecial

[@zoahsalvador4716]

oddoneVillain Rainman* he was Dyrus' predecessor

[@eFrog27]

zoah salvador I thought he got permad

[@zoahsalvador4716]

oddoneVillain he did for scripting. But Rito could always unban him for this event.

[@gnparticle]

This episode is SO RAW and Lemon is so honest about things

[@an0nsaiko890]

I love these series. Looking what's behind every player makes me feel I have a connection with them.

[@johnzumax]

I love this episode. The story, the editing, the music, it feels like everything meshed very well together.

[@theepisodeone256]

Gods do cry too. Made my day.

[@theepisodeone256]

charbel too salty for a kid ei

[@Animexduo]

My favorite DRIVE episode for sure

[@paugentes6346]

This guy is my hero in terms of support role.. Despite of the age, he's still on the level...

[@clementine2355]

I never really liked Lemonnation as player or he never was the best but he definettly is smart and this Drive is one of the best, really. And now i kinda like him as a person

[@Yurgin764]

If you think about it he was/is the first coach/analyst with his notebook and strats he is a LEGEND

[@LordVVar]

I wish you the best of luck LemonNation!!!!!! I remember, back in the day, I would tell all my friends how LemonNation brought a notebook to every game and the reason they were the best was because they had a plan. I still believe in you LemonNation!!!!!!!!

[@SuperMK1989]

Easily the best Drive story to date. Well done.

[@michaelnguyen7595]

This must have been the best episode thus far.

[@MisaeShimamura]

Favorite drive story with my favorite Player! I really like Lemonnation. As a support main, I look at him as a role model, even though he is not that great. I really like him for some reasons even I can't explain. #FLYWIN

[@SilverWears]

Wow. I loved this DRIVE episode SO much! Best episode by far. LOVE YOU LEMON!!

[@davidscadding11]

Easily my favorite League of Legends player. My favorite teams are based pretty much solely on how much I like the current team rosters. Whatever team Lemon is on will be my favorite for however long his career is. During every interview (and this video), Lemon comes across as really thoughtful and sincere. I hope that whenever Lemon retires, he becomes a caster or something. Lemon, Phreak, Kobe tri-cast and I could die happy.

[@JessWasMistaken]

This was surprisingly emotional, thanks to lemon for being so open with the fans

[@carson9763]

LemonNation is the most INTJ person I've seen. Analysis of courses of action in relationships and other systematic ways of diagnosing relationships.

[@Nogux]

This should be 1 hour long. I Love it.

[@jaciunscripted]

this is so good, so many feels. i like the part where he said forgiveness 10:50 "i don't think holding grudges or not forgiving anyone is the correct course of action..." it's a very technical / logical kind of way to say. it's true, it's just very lemonnation i think how he puts words together. XD

[@ToxicCloudIV]

i have even more respect for him now then i did before old c9 was definently my favorite team at there prime

[@Doctor_CoRo]

definitely my favorite drive, I literally watch 3 times in a row

[@dan.prosser]

This is a MASTERPIECE! Thanks LemonNation and Drive for putting this awesome video together. Bery touching.

[@PTUS]

What an episode!!! Great work guys... great f****** work!!!

[@ROSPoetry1]

Probably my favorite drive story next to doublelift. I can't hate players who had it rough in life but ended up on the lcs stage winning.

[@smasher6539]

Amazing story !

[@fallenangemon0]

This was genuinely one of the best stories I've ever heard.

[@ArghBruce1]

me too . this is my favorite DRIVE episode

[@edugugli7879]

Holy this is the best drive episode by far! it's was beatiful, at least to me.

[@ryzeonline]

Stunningly well done. Brilliantly moving about two of my fave players. Thanks for this.

[@mpadam12able]

Best DRIVE story so far. Loved it.

[@diddymies]

LemonNation

[@craigevans9338]

This made me cry :') favorite episode by far!

[@JurnellG]

Great episode. Pro players shouldn't have an age limit. Everyone always forces players to retire at a certain age. Play until you feel like you can't play at a high level anymore. Glad you shared this.

[@connorcalder8191]

JurnellGaming Look at Xmithie he is 27 and is looking better than ever on IMT, age is a huge factor for reactions and skill, but your understanding of champs, abilities and understanding of players becomes better with age

[@JurnellG]

Indeed

[@johanlinares1701]

The BEST DRIVE of League i ever see yet! Just Amazing! Is not easy open your's problems life Like This!

[@Kaotiko1234]

Lemon is my favorite Player since i watch him 3 years ago in C9 with the naut supp meta .. he initiates me in the support role c:

[@quagsoul]

this was a good episode. personal, and beautiful

[@PossMcLeod]

LemonNation is amazing! First time I've heard about his history though, makes me like him even more! Thank you for sharing!

[@runescapeisacoolgame]

They should've mentioned the legendary interview with balls and phreak #reallygood

[@glasslilacs]

LemonNation is actually my favourite person in the entire world

[@dicecream.]

im in tears for so many things

[@thehunk23]

Please make an episode on Hai.

[@MahfuzSaad]

lemonnation is probably my favorite person in lcs. no matter what team i'm rooting for , but i always look after this guy. want him to win. it just not that i want him to win, i want him to do well. and hope everything goes well with him and his family. i ope he continue doing something with league of legends even if he leave playing lol.

[@GomuGomu4]

C9 and the gauntlet games plus the last game of the regular season VS TSM was the best games for me as a C9 fan.

[@gavinholtzapple5531]

This literally made me cry

[@N1tecrawler11]

I didn't realize until the end that I was staring at the replay button smiling :)

[@longshot0]

Honestly the best Drive story to date 👌🏽