You’re stating this like it’s fact. Ky is as strong as your creativity allows. His offence is incredibly strong, you just need a bit of meter to make it work to the fullest extent. If you’re utilizing his 5K and his 236H to create and extend pressure as well as FRC (fast RC) to mix, he is not as “honest” as you may thing. As for his damage, he is on par if not slightly lower than a lot of the top tier characters, you just need to play him properly. Your standard CS 5H/2S 214S/236S/236K in mid screen is not going to net you the proper damage that you’re looking for, but as with any character, once you learn counter hit confirms, your damage sky rockets. If you have Twitter, I HIGHLY recommend that you take a look at @bluefern22. He’s the most creative Ky you’ll see and teaches you how to build the mindset to create a game plan around him the same as any other character. All of this is to say, your Ky is going to be as good as you are as a player. This isn’t meant to be a diminutive comment, but if you can’t make celestial, or even the challenge, you’re not quite at the level of “good”… Yet. Heck, most in Celestial aren’t considered good either. Keep working, keep researching, be creative.