Jump to content

Cloud9 League of Legends

Add links
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Cloud9 (League of Legends))

Cloud9
GameLeague of Legends
Founded2013
LeagueLeague of Legends Championship of The Americas
Team historyCloud9
2013–present
Based inLos Angeles, California
ColorsBlue, white, black
     
OwnerJack Etienne
Head coachAlfonso "Mithy" Aguirre Rodríguez
Domestic titles
WebsiteOfficial website

The League of Legends division of Cloud9 (C9) is a gaming team based in Los Angeles, California, and competes in the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA), the top-level professional league for video game League of Legends in the Americas, as a franchised team in the North Conference.

Established in 2013, the League of Legends division was the founding division of Cloud9. The team was originally a player-owned team before they were acquired by Quantic Gaming that same year; weeks later, the contracts of the players were sold to Jack Etienne.

Under their founding roster of Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, and LemonNation, Cloud9 won back-to-back League Championship Series (LCS) titles in their first two years of existence by winning the 2013 NA LCS Summer Split and 2014 NA LCS Spring Split. The team claimed their third LCS title by winning the 2020 LCS Spring Split in what was generally considered one of the greatest season performances by a team in the league's history.[1][2][3] The team's fourth LCS title came in Spring 2021 after winning the 2021 Mid-Season Showdown. Additionally, Cloud9 hold several LCS records, including the highest winning percentage in a single split (92.9%) and the longest game winning streak in a single split (18).

History

[edit]

Cloud9's League of Legends division traces its roots back to the disbandment of Quantic Gaming's League of Legends roster, which included Nientonsoh, Hai, Yazuki, WildTurtle, and LemonNation. Following their departure from Quantic Gaming, these five players came together to form their own team called Team NomNom.[4] However, their initial foray into the competitive scene faced an early setback when they were eliminated during the group stage of the Season 3 North American Offline Qualifier for the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Azure Gaming and Team MRN proved to be formidable opponents, leading to Team NomNom's elimination.[5] As a result, Nientonsoh and Yazuki decided to part ways with the team.[5]

In early 2013, Team NomNom underwent a rebranding and officially became Cloud9 (C9).[6] The team's emerged victorious at the 2013 MLG Summer Promotion Qualifiers, defeating Velocity esports in the finals. This win secured their qualification for the 2013 NA LCS Summer Promotion Qualifiers.[5][7] Cloud9 was then reacquired by Quantic Gaming on April 1. The roster, consisting of Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, and LemonNation, went undefeated in the Summer Promotion Qualifier, earning them a spot in the 2013 NA LCS Summer Split. Following their qualification, Quantic made the decision to revert the team's name back to Cloud9. However, the team would soon experience yet another ownership change, as former Team SoloMid manager Jack Etienne purchased the players' contracts for less than $20,000, solidifying the establishment of the Cloud9 organization.[5][8]

2013–2015: First seasons

[edit]

Back-to-back LCS titles

[edit]
From left to right: Balls, Hai, Sneaky, LemonNation.

In the 2013 LCS Summer split regular season, the team went on a 13-game winning streak, marking the longest winning streak in LCS history at the time.[9][10] They went on to finish the 2013 Summer split with a 25–3 game win–loss record to claim the top seed in the Summer Season Playoffs. With a bye into the semifinals, Cloud9 defeated Dignitas by a score of 2 games to 0.[11] The team went on to sweep Team SoloMid, 3 games to 0, in the grand finals on September 1 to claim their first-ever LCS title.[11][12] With the win, Cloud9 finished the season with a 30–3 game record and the highest winning-percentage in LCS history at 90.9%.[10]

Due to their NA LCS Summer Season championship, Cloud9 received bye into the quarterfinals at the Season 3 World Championship (Worlds).[11][13] In their first match, on September 23, Cloud9 lost to the top-seeded European team Fnatic by a score of 1 games to 2, eliminating them from the tournament.[14] On October 29, the organization announced the departure of coach Alex Penn and the addition of Dan Dinh as the team's coach as the team planned to move from San Jose to Los Angeles.[15][16] After a poll conducted earlier that month, Cloud9 was voted into IEM Season VIII - Cologne; the team received the most votes and was seeded directly into the semifinals.[17] Cloud9 faced Gambit Gaming in the semifinals match on November 24, but Gambit took the win to move onto the finals.[18][19] Cloud9 closed out 2013 by defeating European team Fnatic, 2–0, on December 22 at the Battle of the Atlantic. The win marked the first time that Cloud9 had defeated an international team.[20]

Cloud9 won the 2014 LCS Spring split championship.

In the 2014 NA LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 closed out the final five weeks on a 13-game winning streak, equaling their LCS record 13-game winning streak in 2013, to finish the regular season with a 24–4 record and the top seed in the playoffs.[21] With a bye into the semifinals, Cloud9 first defeated Team Curse by a score of 2–0 in the playoffs.[22][23] Cloud9 won their second consecutive LCS title after a 3–0 sweep over Team SoloMid in the grand finals on April 20.[4] After going 5–0 in the playoffs, Cloud9 extended their record winning streak to 18 games and had gone undefeated in back-to-back playoffs.[21][24][25]

Their LCS playoffs victory earned the team a spot in the 2014 All-Stars event in Paris, France. However, on April 30, Hai suffered a collapsed lung, which would prevent him from attending the All-Star event; two days later, Counter Logic Gaming's Link replaced him in the lineup on a loan.[26] In group stage of the tournament, the team defeated OMG, Fnatic, and Taipei Assassins, but lost to SK Telecom T1 K, to finish the stage with a 3–1 record.[27][28] In the playoff semifinals, Cloud9 lost to OMG, 0–2, and were eliminated from the playoffs.[29]

In the 2014 NA LCS Summer Split, Cloud9 suffered a mid-season slump, falling to as low as fifth place in the season standings, but recovered to finish with a 18–10 record in the regular season and claim the top seed in the playoffs.[12][30] After sweeping Team Curse the semifinals, Cloud9 advanced to the grand finals to face Team SoloMid for the third consecutive split.[31] Cloud9 won the first game, extending their playoff winning streak dating back to the 2013 NA LCS Summer split, but dropped three of the next four games to lose the match, 2–3, and finish in second place.[32]

With their finish at the 2014 NA LCS Summer split, Cloud9 qualified for the 2014 World Championship. In the World Championship group stages, Cloud9 became the first North American team in two years to defeat a Korean team after taking down NaJin White Shield.[33] Cloud9 advanced to the knockout stage but lost to Samsung Galaxy Blue, 1–3, on October 4 in the quarterfinals.[13][34] In November, Cloud9 was voted in by fans to play at IEM Season IX San Jose.[35] In the tournament, the team swept paiN Gaming, 2–0, in the quarterfinals and defeated Alliance, 2–1, in the semifinals.[36][37] The team took home their first IEM title on December 7 after they swept Unicorns of Love, 3–0, in the finals.[37]

First roster changes

[edit]

In the midst of the 2015 NA LCS Spring split regular season, Cloud9 competed in the IEM Katowice World Championship, which took place beginning on March 13, after qualifying as the winners of IEM San Jose in 2014.[38] The team made an early exit in the tournament after falling to GE Tigers and Flash Wolves in their first two matches of the group stages.[39]

Cloud9 at 2015 Worlds

Cloud9 began the 2015 NA LCS Spring Split going 1–3. By the end of the regular season, the team finished with a 12–6 record, and after defeating Counter Logic Gaming in a tiebreaker match, they claimed the second seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.[12] After defeating Team Liquid in the semifinals match, Cloud9 advanced to the finals to face Team SoloMid for the fourth straight LCS split.[40][41] Cloud9 took an early lead, winning the first game but dropped the following three, losing 1–3 and placing second for the second LCS split in a row.[41] A few days after their second-place finish, on April 22, Hai officially retired from the team, citing chronic wrist pain and a loss of team confidence as the reasons for his retirement.[42][43] Hai's retirement ended the team's nearly 750-day record of having the longest starting lineup in professional League of Legends history.[44] While Hai stepped down as a competitor, he remained with Cloud9 in an organizational role as a partner management and team expansion assistant.[42] On May 8, Cloud9 officially signed Incarnati0n as a replacement for Hai as mid-laner.[45]

The team started the 2015 NA LCS Summer Split going 3–7.[46] After the poor start, Meteos stepped down from the starting roster, later citing internal issues with his teammates.[47] In his stead, Hai substituted back into the starting roster.[46] Cloud9 dropped the three of the next four games, heading into the final two weeks with a 4–10 record and in eighth place – a low enough placement to be relegated.[48] The team finished the season with a 6–12 record, and after defeating Team 8 in a tiebreaker match, they placed seventh in the regular season standings to avoid relegation but missed the LCS playoffs for the first time in their organization's history.[49][50]

After avoiding LCS relegation, Cloud9 qualified for the North American Regional Qualifier for the 2015 World Championship as the last seed.[51] In the tournament, they defeated Gravity Gaming, Team Impulse, and Team Liquid to earn North America's third seed in the World Championship tournament.[52] Cloud9 started the group stages going 3–0 in the first week, defeating ahq eSports Club, Invictus Gaming, and Fnatic.[53][54] In the second week of the group stage, they dropped three games in a row, and after losing a tiebreaker game against ahq, they were eliminated from the tournament.[55]

On October 23, Cloud9 officially announced that LemonNation would be retiring as a competitor and transitioning to a coaching role.[56][57] Cloud9 signed Rush and Bunny FuFuu in November, with Bunny FuFuu splitting time with Hai.[58] With the new roster, Cloud9's final tournament of 2015 was IEM X Cologne, as the team qualified for the tournament after winning a fan vote.[59] The team faced H2k-Gaming in the quarterfinals, but after winning game one of the match, they dropped the following two games and were eliminated from the tournament.[60]

2016–2020: Reapered era

[edit]

First head coach

[edit]

In the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 finished the regular season with a 12–6 record and the third seed in the Spring playoffs.[61] Jensen (formerly Incarnati0n) was named to the NA LCS Spring Split 1st All-Pro Team and was a runner-up for the league's Most Valuable Player award.[61][62] The team faced Team SoloMid in the quarterfinals on April 2; they won the first game of the match but lost the following three to lose by a score of 1–3.[63] Between splits, Cloud9 made the biggest roster changes in their organization's history, acquiring Impact from NRG eSports to replace Balls, bringing Meteos back to the main roster to replace Rush, and bringing Bunny FuFuu back to the main roster to replace Hai.[64] Additionally, the team added former Edward Gaming coach Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu as the team's first official head coach.[65]

Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu was signed as head coach in 2016.

Cloud9 began the 2016 NA LCS Summer Split regular season with an 8–5 record. Up to this point in the season, Bunny FuFuu and Smoothie split starts, but on July 10, Bunny FuFuu stepped down from the starting roster.[66] Similar to the 2016 Spring Split, Cloud9 finished the 2016 Summer Split regular season with a 12–6 record and the third seed in the Summer playoffs.[67] In their quarterfinal match against Team EnVyUs, Jensen set an LCS record 20 kills in a single game as the team went on to win, 3–1.[68] The team then defeated Immortals, 3–2, in the semifinals.[69] For the fifth time in the team's history, Cloud9 faced Team SoloMid in the finals.[67] In the match, Cloud9 took an early lead, winning the first game, but lost the following three, losing the match 1–3 and finishing the split in second place.[70]

With their performance in the 2016 LCS season, Cloud9 qualified as the second seed in the North American Regional Qualifiers tournament for the 2016 World Championship.[71] At the Regional Qualifiers, they swept Team EnVyUs, 3–0, in the second round and defeated Immortals, 3–1, in the finals, giving them the third seed for North America in the 2016 World Championship.[72][73] At the 2016 World Championship, Cloud9 was placed in a group with IMay, SK Telecom T1, and Flash Wolves.[74] Cloud9 went 3–3 in the group and earned the a spot a spot in quarterfinals, where they faced Samsung Galaxy on October 14.[75] The team was swept by Samsung, 0–3, and were eliminated from the playoffs.[76]

On December 19, Cloud9 officially announced they had promoted Contractz from their Challenger team to replace Meteos and signed former Dignitas player Ray as a substitute.[77]

Quest for third title

[edit]

Cloud9 went undefeated through the first four weeks of the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split, going 8–0.[78] Prior to week five, the contract of Meteos, a substitute player for Cloud9 at the time, was sold to Phoenix1.[79][80] The team finished the regular season in second place with a 14–4 record and a first-round bye in the Spring Split Playoffs.[81] Smoothie was named to the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split 1st All-Pro team, Reapered was named the NA LCS Coach of the Split, and Contractz was named the NA LCS Rookie of the Split.[82][83] In the playoffs, Cloud9 swept Phoenix1, 3–0, in the semifinals.[84] For the sixth, and second consecutive, time, Cloud9 faced Team SoloMid in the NA LCS finals.[85] After dropping the first two games of the match, Cloud9 won the following two to tie up the series but lost game five, finishing the split as the runners-up of the league.[86]

After starting the 2017 NA LCS Summer Split with a 6–6 record, Cloud9 finished the split on a six-match winning streak to finish the regular season with a 12–6 record and the fourth seed in the playoffs.[87][88] Jensen was named to the NA LCS Summer Split 1st All-Pro team and was the runner-up for the NA LCS Summer Split MVP.[89][90] The team faced Team Dignitas in the quarterfinals of the Summer Split Playoffs on August 19; Cloud9 lost the match, 1–3, ending their 2017 LCS season.[91]

Cloud9 was placed into the North America Regional Qualifiers for the 2017 World Championship play-in stage. The team defeated Counter Logic Gaming 3–1, to advance to the play-ins and represent North America as the third seed.[92][93] In the play-in stage, Cloud9 was placed in a group with Team oNe and Dire Wolves.[94] They went undefeated in their group with a 4–0 record to advance to the next stage of the play-ins.[95] In the second stage, a single match against Lyon Gaming, Cloud9 swept Lyon, 3–0, and qualified into the Group Stage of the 2017 World Championship.[96] In the group stage, Cloud9 was placed in a group which with Korea's SKT Telecom T1, China's EDward Gaming, and Taiwan's ahq e-Sports Club.[97] They achieved a 3–3 record in the group stage and advanced to the knockout stage as the second seed from their group.[98] In the quarterfinals, Cloud9 lost a 5-game match against Team WE from China and were eliminated from the tournament.[99]

In November 2017, Cloud9 made multiple roster changes. The team lost Impact to free agency and signed Licorice as his replacement.[100][101] Additionally, Cloud9 transferred Contractz to Golden Guardians and acquired Svenskeren from Team SoloMid as his replacement.[102][103]

Cloud9 began the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split strong, going 8–2 through the first five weeks.[104] They ended the split with an 11–7 record and in a four-way tie for third place with Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, and Clutch Gaming. After losing the third-place tiebreaker against Team Liquid and winning the fifth-place tiebreaker against Clutch Gaming, Cloud9 entered the playoffs as the fifth seed.[105] Licorice was named the NA LCS Rookie of the Split, while head coach Reapered was the runner-up for the NA LCS Coach of the Split.[106] In the playoffs, Cloud9 was swept by Team Liquid in the quarterfinals by a score of 0–3.[107]

Cloud9 in-game with a match against Echo Fox in 2018

Before the Summer Split began, Jensen, Sneaky, and Smoothie were benched from the starting lineup, with Goldenglue, Keith, and Zeyzal being promoted from Cloud9's academy team as their replacements.[108] With their starters benched, C9 started the Summer Split regular season with a 3–7 record and in last place through the first five weeks.[109] In that time, Jensen and Sneaky returned to the starting roster in weeks three and four, respectively, as the team implemented a seven-man rotating roster, with Blaber and Svenskeren splitting starts at jungle and Jensen and Goldenglue splitting starts in the midlane.[110] The team closed out the final four weeks of the regular season on an 8–0 run to finish the regular season in second place with an 11–7 record.[111] Jensen was named to the All-Pro 1st Team, Blaber was named the Rookie of the Split, and Reapered was named the Coach of the Split.[112] Cloud9 faced Team SoloMid in the semifinals match of the playoffs; after falling behind 1–2, Cloud9 won the final two games to win the match, 3–2, and advance to the finals.[113] In the finals, they were swept by Team Liquid, 0–3, to finish as the runners-up of the split.[114]

Cloud9 was placed in the North American Regional Qualifiers in order to qualify for the 2018 World Championship play-in stage.[114] With a bye into the final, Cloud9 swept Team SoloMid, 3–0, in the finals match and earned a spot in the play-ins.[115] Placed in a group with Japan's DentonatioN FocusMe and Brazil's KaBuM!, Cloud9 went 4–0 in their group and advanced to the second round of the play-ins.[116] With a 3–2 victory over Russia's Gambit Esports, Cloud9 advanced to the 2018 World Championship.[117] In the group stage, Cloud9 was grouped with Europe's Team Vitality, China's Royal Never Give Up (RNG), and Korea's Gen.G. The team finished with a 4–2 record in the group and tied for first with RNG; after losing a tiebreaker match against RNG, they finished second in their group and advanced to the knockout stage.[118] In the quarterfinals, Cloud9 swept Korea's Afreeca Freecs, 3–0, and advanced to the semifinals. The win marked the first time in seven years that a North American team had qualified for the World Championship semifinals.[119] Cloud9 was swept by Fnatic, 0–3, in the semifinals, ending their World Championship run.[120]

In November, Jensen was transferred to Team Liquid; Cloud9 acquired Nisqy from Splyce as his replacement.[121]

Cloud9 in the group stage at Worlds 2019

In the 2019 LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 secured the second seed and a bye to the semifinals of the playoffs after a win over FlyQuest on March 23.[122] With a win over Clutch Gaming in their final regular season match, the team closed out the regular season with a 14–4 record.[123] Licorice was named to the LCS All-Pro 1st Team and was the runner-up for the league's Most Valuable Player award, while head coach Reapered was named the Coach of the Split for the second split in a row.[124][125] In the playoffs, Cloud9 faced Team SoloMid in the semifinals on April 13. After winning the first two games of the series, Cloud9 dropped the following three to lose the match by a score of 2–3.[126]

Through the first six weeks of the 2019 LCS Summer Split, Cloud9 accrued an 8–4 record.[127] Prior to week seven, the team traded Keith to Golden Guardians in exchange for Deftly.[128] Cloud9 finished the regular season with a 12–6 record, again claiming the second seed in the playoffs and qualifying directly to the semifinals.[129][130] Svenskeren won the Summer Split Most Valuable Player award and was named to the LCS All-Pro 1st Team.[131][132] In the semifinals match, the team took a 3–1 win over Counter Logic Gaming and advanced to their seventh all-time LCS finals match.[133] Cloud9 faced Team Liquid in the finals; after leading the series 2–1, Cloud9 lost the final two games to lose the match, 2–3, and finish the split at the runners-up.[134]

After their LCS finish, Cloud9 qualified directly into the group stage for the 2019 World Championship as North America's second seed.[135] In the group stage, Cloud9 was drawn into a group with Griffin, G2 Esports, and Hong Kong Attitude. The team finished with a 2–4 record in the group, failing to advance to the knockout stage for the first time since 2015.[136]

After their 2019 season, the team acquired Dignitas' player Vulcan in exchange for a reported $1.5 million and academy player Johnsun.[137] Additionally, Cloud9 parted ways with Sneaky, the team's starting AD carry of the past seven years, although later it was announced that Sneaky would remain as a part of the organization as an owner, advisor, and streamer.[138] The team signed former Team SoloMid player Zven as his replacement.[139]

Third LCS title and first World Championship absence

[edit]

Cloud9 began the 2020 LCS Spring Split with a 12–0 record through the first six weeks, securing a spot in the winners bracket of the playoffs in the process.[140] The team's first, and only, loss in the regular season came on March 7, when they fell to Team SoloMid in week 7.[141] Cloud9 finished the regular season with a 17–1 record – tied for the best game record in LCS history – and the top seed in the playoffs.[142] All five starters, Licorice, Blaber, Nisqy, Zven, and Vulcan, were named to the 2020 LCS Spring Split All-Pro 1st Team, head coach Reapered was named the Coach of the Split, and Blaber won LCS Spring Split Most Valuable Player award.[143][144][145] In first round of the upper bracket of the playoffs, Cloud9 swept 100 Thieves, 3–0.[146] The team then defeated Evil Geniuses, 3–1, in the upper bracket finals, advancing them to their second consecutive finals appearance.[147] Cloud9 secured their third LCS title on April 19 after they swept FlyQuest, 3–0, in the finals.[148] The win gave the team their first LCS title since 2014. With an overall 26–2 game win–loss record, including playoffs, for the split, Cloud9 set a LCS record for the highest winning percentage ever in a single split by a North American team at 92.9%, breaking their previous record of 90.9% from the 2013 Summer Split.[1][2] The win qualified the team their first Mid-Season Invitational, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[149]

Cloud9 initially carried their momentum from the Spring Split into the 2020 LCS Summer Split, posting a 9–0 record regular season record throughout the first half of the split.[150] However, their momentum came to an end, as the team only won two of their next six games, including suffering their first 0–2 week for the first time in two years.[151] After splitting their final two games, they finished the regular season in second place with a 13–5 record and a bye into the second round of the playoffs.[152][153] Blaber and Zven were named to the 2020 LCS Summer Split All-Pro 1st Team.[154] In the second round of the upper bracket of the playoffs, Cloud9 fell to FlyQuest, 1–3, dropping them into the lower bracket.[155] The team then swept Evil Geniuses, 3–0, in the second round of the lower bracket.[156] Cloud9's playoff run ended after they lost to Team SoloMid, 1–3, in the third round of the lower bracket. Due to changes made in the 2020 LCS season, where only the top three teams from the Summer Split would qualify 2020 World Championship, Cloud9 did not qualify for the 2020 World Championship, marking the first time in the organization's history that they would not attend the World Championship.[157][158]

On September 14, Cloud9 parted ways with head coach Bok "Reapered" Hangyu, who had been the head coach of the team for the past four years.[159] The organization promoted Cloud9's academy team coach Kim "Reignover" Yeu-jin as their new head coach.[160] While the organization originally stated that the 2020 player roster would remain together going into the 2021 season,[161] it was later announced that the team had parted ways with Licorice and Nisqy; the team promoted Fudge from their academy team and acquired Perkz from G2 Esports as their replacements.[162][163]

2021–present

[edit]

Fourth LCS title

[edit]

The LCS made major changes for the 2021 LCS season onwards. Records for the Spring and Summer Splits would no longer be separated; records from the Spring Split carry over to the Summer Split. Additionally, the Spring Split Playoffs were replaced by the Mid-Season Showdown, which acts as a qualifier for the Mid-Season Invitational, and the Summer Split Playoffs were replaced by the LCS Championship, which would then act as a qualifier for the World Championship.[164]

Cloud9 sat atop the regular season standings throughout the entirety of the Spring Split of the 2021 LCS season, and after a win over Immortals in their Spring final regular season match, Cloud9 finished with the first half of the season with a 13–5 record and secured the top seed in the 2021 Mid-Season Showdown.[165] Blaber, Perkz, and Zven were all named to the 2021 LCS Spring Split All-Pro 1st Team, and Vulcan was named to the 2nd Team, while the Cloud9 coaching staff won the Coaching Staff of the Split award.[166][167] In the Mid-Season Showdown, Cloud9 defeated 100 Thieves, 3–0, and Team Liquid, 3–1, to advance to the finals.[168][169] In the finals match, the team once again faced Team Liquid, who had made it to the finals through the lower bracket of the playoffs. Cloud9 took home their fourth LCS title on April 11 after taking down Team Liquid by a score of 3–2.[170]

Cloud9's Mid-Season Showdown title qualified them to play in the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) as the sole representatives of North America.[171] For the first round of the tournament, Cloud9 was placed into Group C with Korea's DWG KIA, Japan's DetonatioN FocusMe and Latin America's Infinity Esports.[172] After a 1–2 win–loss record to begin the group stage, Cloud9 won their final three matches to finish the group stage with a 4–2 record and advanced to the next stage of the tournament, the Rumble stage, as the second seed from their group, behind DWG KIA.[173] Cloud9 finished the Rumble stage with three wins and seven losses and did not advance to the next stage of the tournament.[174] Following their fifth-place finish in the MSI, Cloud9 promoted Calvin "K1ng" Truong from their academy team and sent Zven to their academy team. Additionally, Reignover stepped down as head coach to become the team's new assistant coach, while Alfonso "Mithy" Rodriguez took over as the team's new head coach.[175]

After beginning the Spring Split of the 2021 LCS season with a 4–5 record, Cloud9 brought Zven back to the starting roster, and K1ng returned to the Academy team.[176] After posting a 21–12 record partially through the season, the team secured a spot in the LCS Championship on July 6.[177] Cloud9 finished the 2021 regular season in fourth place with a 27–18 record.[178] In the first match of the double-elimination 2021 LCS playoffs, Cloud9 faced Team Liquid, and lost by a score of 1–3, sending them to the lower bracket.[179] The team went on to win three series in a row in the lower bracket, defeating Golden Guardians, Evil Geniuses, and Team SoloMid by scores of 3–0, 3–0, and 3–2, respectively, securing the third and final spot for North America at the 2021 World Championship in the process.[180][181] The team lost 1–3 in the lower bracket finals to 100 Thieves, ending their playoff run.[182]

At Worlds, Cloud9 started in the Play–In stage, and were drawn into Group A, alongside Taiwan's Beyond Gaming, Japan's Detonation FocusMe, Turkey's Galatasaray Esports, and the Unicorns of Love of the LCL.[183] The team went 3–1 in the group stage, placing second in their group after losing the tiebreaker to Detonation FocusMe,[184] before defeating PEACE from Oceania with a score of 3–0 to qualify for the main event.[185] In the group stage, Cloud9 were placed in Group A alongside Korea's Dawmon Kia (DK), China's FunPlus Phoenix (FPX), and Europe's Rogue.[186] Group A was dubbed the "Group of death" by the media,[187][188] as it hosted the two previous World Championship winners in DK and FPX, who were the favorites to win the tournament.[189][190] Cloud9 lost their first three games, before winning two of their three games on the last day, putting them at a three-way tie with Rogue and FPX, with each team sitting at a 2–4 record.[191][192] Cloud9 won the tiebreaker game,[191] which was against Rogue,[193] and advanced to the quarterfinals, becoming the first North American team to make it past the group stage since the previous Cloud9 team reached semifinals in 2018.[194][195] In the quarterfinals, Cloud9 were matched up against Korea's Gen.G, and were swept 0–3, ending their run, and placing 5th–8th overall.[196][197]

After their defeat in the 2021 World Championship quarterfinals, Perkz and Vulcan left the team, and Cloud9 signed Summit, Beserker, and Winsome as players and Nick "LS" Desare as their new head coach.[198][199] After a strong 3–1 start to the split, falling only to heavy favorite Team Liquid, it was announced less than an hour before Cloud9's first match of week three that LS had been dismissed as head coach.[200] Regardless, Cloud9 would end the regular split in sole position of second place, but would end the spring split playoffs in fourth after 0–3 defeats to both 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses, only managing to beat Golden Guardians in a best of 5 during the first round of the losers bracket.[201] On May 2, Isles, Summit, and Winsome departed Cloud9.[202]

Rivalries

[edit]

Team SoloMid

[edit]

Team SoloMid and Cloud9, two of the oldest professional Western League of Legends teams, developed a rivalry as a result of their four consecutive North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) finals matches from Summer 2013 to Spring 2015.[203][204] In 2013, former Team SoloMid manager Jack Etienne purchased the contracts of the players of Cloud9, and the team's first season was in the 2013 NA LCS Summer Split. Earlier that year, Team SoloMid had won the 2013 Spring Split, making them the defending champions of the LCS.[205] The first meeting between the teams took place in Cloud9's first-ever LCS Regular Season match on June 12, 2013; Cloud9 went on to win the match.[204] Cloud9 defeated Team SoloMid in the 2013 Summer and 2014 Spring finals. In the following two LCS Finals, Team SoloMid defeated Cloud9 in both the 2014 Summer and 2015 Spring finals.[206]

They met again in three consecutive NA LCS playoffs from Spring 2016 to Spring 2017; Team SoloMid won each match, which included the 2016 Summer and 2017 Spring finals.[63][207] Cloud9 defeated Team SoloMid in the 2018 Summer semifinals.[206] The same year, Cloud9 took down Team SoloMid in the 2018 World Championship play-ins, eliminating Team SoloMid from qualifying for the World Championship.[115] In 2019, Team SoloMid defeated swept Cloud9 in the 2019 Spring semifinals match.[126] Team SoloMid handed Cloud9 their only loss in the 2020 Spring Regular Season.[208] Team SoloMid eliminated Cloud9 in Summer 2020 Playoffs, which also prevented Cloud9 from securing a spot at the 2020 World Championship.[209] The following year Cloud9 returned the favor, defeating Team SoloMid in the 2021 Summer Playoffs, eliminating them from post-season contention and in doing so, Cloud9 claimed the finals spot at Worlds 2021.[210]

Roster

[edit]
Cloud9 League of Legends roster
Players Coaches
Role Handle Name Nationality
Top Thanatos Park, Seung-gyu South Korea
Jungle Blaber Huang, Robert United States
Mid Jojopyun Pyun, Joseph Canada
Bot Berserker Kim, Min-cheol South Korea
Support Vulcan Laflamme, Philippe Canada
Head coach
  • Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu
Assistant coach(es)
  • Marius "Veigar v2" Aune
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: April 16, 2024.

Season-by-season records

[edit]
Year League Championship Series Mid-Season Invitational World Championship Ref.
P W L W–L% Pos. Playoffs
2013 Summer 28 24 4 .857 1st Winners – Quarterfinals
2014 Spring 28 18 10 .643 1st Winners – Quarterfinals
Summer 28 20 8 .714 1st Runners-up
2015 Spring 18 12 6 .667 2nd Runners-up Did not qualify Group stage
Summer 18 6 12 .333 7th Did not qualify
2016 Spring 18 12 6 .667 3rd Quarterfinals Did not qualify Quarterfinals
Summer 18 12 6 .667 3rd Runners-up
2017 Spring 18 14 4 .778 2nd Runners-up Did not qualify Quarterfinals
Summer 18 12 6 .667 4th Quarterfinals
2018 Spring 18 11 7 .611 5th Quarterfinals Did not qualify Semifinals
Summer 18 11 7 .611 2nd Runners-up
2019 Spring 18 14 4 .778 2nd Semifinals Did not qualify Group stage
Summer 18 12 6 .667 2nd Runners-up
2020 Spring 18 17 1 .944 1st Winners None held[a] Did not qualify
Summer 18 13 5 .722 2nd Lower bracket round 3
2021 Spring 45 28 17 .622 1st Winners Rumble stage Quarterfinals
Summer 4th Lower bracket finals
2022 Spring 18 13 5 .722 2nd Lower bracket finals Did not qualify Group stage
Summer 18 10 8 .556 5th Winners
2023 Spring 18 14 4 .778 1st Winners Lower bracket quarterfinals Swiss stage
Summer 18 13 5 .722 1st Runners-up
Totals 417 286 131 .686 (2013–2023, includes only regular season)

Accomplishments and awards

[edit]

Sources:[211][212][213][214][215][216][217][218][219][220][221][222]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Cloud9 qualified for the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational, but the event was cancelled due to COVID-19.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b DaMour, Henrique (April 19, 2020). "Cloud9 complete historic run with 2020 LCS Spring Split championship sweep over FlyQuest". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Field Level Media (April 19, 2020). "Cloud9 completes domination, wins LCS NA spring". Reuters. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  3. ^ Ousley, Parkes (April 19, 2020). "Cloud9 Reapered on C9's strength: "We shifted our culture to be more serious and professional."". Inven Global. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Melo, Gabriel (September 26, 2018). "Cloud9 entra no Mundial de LoL querendo quebrar tabu de não chegar nas semis" [Cloud9 enters the LoL World Cup wanting to break the taboo of not reaching the semis]. ESPN (in Spanish). Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Shields, Duncan 'Thorin' (April 28, 2014). "The history and formation of Cloud 9 – Part 1 of the Cloud 9 story". OnGamers. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Cloud9: An American Revolution – A complete history of the original Cloud9 team, and how they changed the LCS, League of Legends, and esports forever". Esports Heaven. November 23, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Archey, Russell (March 19, 2021). "Worlds best in Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Starcraft 2 take home $170k at MLG Winter Championships". Gaming Nexus. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  8. ^ Newcomer, Eric (August 6, 2018). "Can this man make his video gaming team a $1 billion business?". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Wolf, Jacob (February 27, 2016). "CLG end Immortals' winning streak". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Peel, Jeremy (September 16, 2014). "Prepare for d'aww: Cloud 9 talk what makes the best League of Legends team in North America tick". PCGamesN. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Breslau, Rod (September 2, 2013). "Cloud 9 takes League of Legends Season 3 North American Playoffs". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Wynne, Jared (April 10, 2015). "Is Cloud9 set for another title run?". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Erzberger, Tyler (September 28, 2016). "NA's history at the League of Legends World Championship". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Shields, Duncan (April 20, 2014). "A new kind of domination – Part 2 of the Cloud 9 story". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Lawrence, Jessie (October 28, 2013). "Dan Dinh to coach Cloud9". Riot Games. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Kwilinski, Darin (October 29, 2013). "Alex Penn released from Cloud 9, Dan Dinh steps in as coach". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Cloud9 and CLG to represent America in Cologne". Intel Extreme Masters. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  18. ^ "Cologne: The first day has finished!". Intel Extreme Masters. November 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  19. ^ "Gambit are Cologne's new champions!". Intel Extreme Masters. November 24, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Nordmark, Sam (December 22, 2013). "Cloud 9 defeat fnatic in the Battle of the Atlantic. "I'd like to say we could win a best of 5 or 7 against them"". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Shields, Duncan (May 8, 2014). "Top 20 LoL streaks in esports history: 10–1 (Part 2 of 2)". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  22. ^ Lingle, Samuel (April 20, 2014). "Cloud9 dominates Curse, will face TSM in NA LCS finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Shields, Duncan (May 4, 2014). "Repeating as champions – Part 3 of the Cloud 9 story". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  24. ^ Lingle, Samuel (April 21, 2014). "It is official: Cloud9 is the best 'League of Legends' team in North America". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  25. ^ Lucker, Carl (April 3, 2017). "3 Best Playoff Runs in the History of the NA LCS". DBLTAP. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  26. ^ Lingle, Samuel (May 7, 2014). "Can Link replace Hai? Here's what the stats say". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  27. ^ Lingle, Samuel (May 9, 2014). "What you missed from the first day of All-Stars Paris". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  28. ^ Mitchell, Ferguson (May 10, 2014). "A resurgent Cloud 9 highlights day 2 at All-Stars Paris". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  29. ^ Zacny, Rob (May 13, 2014). "Worlds Collide at LCS All-Star 2014". Red Bull. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  30. ^ Barker, Ian (August 29, 2014). "Cloud9 begin title defense against Curse: What the stats tell us". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  31. ^ Lam, Kien (August 30, 2018). "Ranking all the C9 vs. TSM playoff series". Riot Games. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  32. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (April 18, 2015). "Cloud9 vs Team SoloMid: an in-depth look at NA's top rivalry (Part 2)". TheScoreEsports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  33. ^ Barker, Ian (September 29, 2014). "Three up, three down: The best and worst from week 2 of Worlds". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  34. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (September 27, 2016). "LCK's history at the League of Legends World Championship". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  35. ^ Lingle, Samuel (November 4, 2014). "Fans vote Cloud9 and Unicorns of Love into IEM San Jose". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  36. ^ "Cloud 9 vs. paiN Gaming: is rain forecast for paiN's parade?". ESL Gaming. December 7, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  37. ^ a b Lingle, Samuel (December 8, 2014). "Cloud9 still the team to beat in the West with IEM San Jose win". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  38. ^ "IEM Season 9 World Championship Preview". SK Gaming. 2014. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  39. ^ Lingle, Samuel (March 27, 2015). "Hai on wrist injury, IEM failure, and why he is still on cloud nine". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  40. ^ Jacobs, Harrison (April 16, 2015). "These guys earn six figures and live for free in LA just for being great at video games". Business Insider. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  41. ^ a b Lingle, Samuel (April 20, 2015). "After another NA LCS title, TSM will aim for international glory". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  42. ^ a b Gafford, Travis (April 23, 2015). "Cloud 9's Hai Steps Down From Mid Lane: Retires". GameSpot. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  43. ^ Brian, Matt (April 27, 2015). "One of eSports' biggest stars retires with repetitive strain injury". Engadget. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  44. ^ Wolf, Jacob (April 23, 2015). "Hai steps down from Cloud9 lineup". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  45. ^ Lewis, Richard (May 8, 2015). "Incarnati0n officially joins Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  46. ^ a b Wynne, Jared (July 3, 2015). "Cloud9's Hai steps in for Meteos". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  47. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (June 12, 2016). "Q&A with Meteos: Being on a team is very similar to being in a relationship". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  48. ^ Lingle, Samuel (July 14, 2015). "Here's what is at stake with 2 weeks left in the LCS". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  49. ^ Spinn, Riot (August 18, 2015). "How the Hai road led to Cloud9's shot at Worlds". Riot Games. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  50. ^ theScore Staff (July 26, 2015). "Cloud9 save season, beat Team 8 in tiebreaker for seventh". TheScoreEsports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  51. ^ "Cloud 9 Run the Entire Gauntlet to Secure a Spot at Worlds". Inquirer. September 3, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  52. ^ Taylor, Josh (September 14, 2014). "Road To Worlds: Cloud 9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  53. ^ Dator, James (October 4, 2015). "Balls' Pentakill leads Cloud9 to 3rd straight upset victory at League of Legends World Championships". SBNation. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  54. ^ Lingle, Samuel (October 4, 2015). "The West is the best (for now) and other lessons from the first week of Worlds". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  55. ^ Volk, Pete (October 11, 2015). "League of Legends World Championship 2015 scores: Fnatic wins Group B, ahq advances". SBNation. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  56. ^ Isaakov, Emil (November 23, 2015). "Cloud9 acquires Rush and Bunny FuFuu". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  57. ^ Rosen, Daniel (October 23, 2015). "Cloud9 to hold tryouts for Support or Jungle role, Hai to fill other spot". TheScoreEsports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  58. ^ Cocke, Taylor (November 19, 2015). "Rush comes on as new jungler, while Bunny FuFuu will be splitting time with Hai in the support role". Red Bull. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  59. ^ Lingle, Samuel (November 24, 2015). "Cloud9, Team Liquid invited to IEM Cologne after winning fan vote". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  60. ^ Lingle, Samuel (December 18, 2015). "American teams headed home following opening day of IEM Cologne". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  61. ^ a b Volk, Pete (April 1, 2016). "Cloud9 vs. TSM preview: 2016 NA LCS playoffs kick off with one of esports' oldest rivalries". SBNation. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  62. ^ LoL Esports Staff (March 24, 2016). "Announcing the 2016 Spring Split award winners". Riot Games. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  63. ^ a b theScore Staff (April 2, 2016). "Team SoloMid defeats Cloud9 3–1, advance to NA LCS semifinals". TheScoreEsports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  64. ^ Cocke, Taylor (May 10, 2016). "Cloud9 signs Impact, adds Meteos and BunnyFuFuu to the starting roster". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  65. ^ Jacobs, Jamie (May 24, 2016). "C9 Reapered: Cloud 9 Hire Ex-EDG Coach". Esports Edition. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  66. ^ Cowley, Patrick (July 17, 2016). "BunnyFuFuu Pushed to Side of Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  67. ^ a b Lee, Timothy (August 24, 2016). "Establishing a dynasty: Cloud9 vs. Team SoloMid". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  68. ^ Rosen, Daniel (August 13, 2016). "Jensen sets record for most kills in one LCS game with 20 kills". TheScoreEsports. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  69. ^ Lee, Timothy (August 21, 2016). "Cloud9 defeats Immortals in NA LCS semifinals". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  70. ^ Berkman, Fran (August 28, 2016). "TSM outduels Cloud9 to win 4th NA LCS championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  71. ^ Robichaud, Andrew (August 29, 2016). "TSM wins NA LCS summer title in Toronto". TSN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  72. ^ Nordmark, Sam (September 5, 2016). "Cloud9 secure spot at Worlds with win over Immortals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  73. ^ Lee, Timothy (September 4, 2016). "Impact leads Cloud9 to dominating victory over Envy". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  74. ^ Jacobs, Jamie (September 14, 2016). "Worlds Group B 2016: A Closer Look". Esports Edition. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  75. ^ Hester, Grey (October 10, 2016). "Worlds Quarterfinals Preview: Samsung Galaxy vs. Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  76. ^ Zacny, Rob; Marshall, Cass (October 14, 2016). "SSG Crown on C9, H2K, First Blood and Winning". Red Bull. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  77. ^ Wolf, Jacob (December 9, 2016). "Confirmed: Cloud9 promotes Contractz, signs Ray as sub". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  78. ^ Waltzer, Noah (February 18, 2017). "Team SoloMid breaks Cloud9's winning streak". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  79. ^ Bury, Josh (February 16, 2017). "Riot: Meteos traded to Phoenix1". TheScoreEsports. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  80. ^ Mickunas, Aaron (February 16, 2017). "Meteos is being subbed in this weekend—but not for Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  81. ^ Geracie, Nick (April 23, 2019). "On this day in LoL Esports History: 2017 NA LCS Spring Finals". Inven Global. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  82. ^ Rosen, Daniel (April 14, 2017). "Reapered named NA LCS Coach of the Split, Contractz takes home Rookie of the Split award". TheScoreEsports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  83. ^ LoL Esports Staff (April 7, 2017). "2017 NA LCS Spring Split Award Winners". Riot Games. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  84. ^ Hickey, Brendan (April 15, 2017). "Cloud9 sweeps Phoenix1 to earn NA LCS finals berth". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  85. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (April 21, 2017). "A rematch made in Canada: TSM vs. Cloud9". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  86. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (April 23, 2017). "Team SoloMid defeat Cloud9 to retain the NA championship crown". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  87. ^ Salazar, Andrew (August 8, 2017). "Week 9 Recap: Team SoloMid On Top". Esports Source. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  88. ^ Geddes, Chase (August 6, 2017). "Cloud9 wins sixth straight, sweeps Echo Fox". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  89. ^ Sum, Youngbo; Woo, Hyun (August 16, 2017). "Ssumday on 'ALL-PRO': "I'm proud that I was selected instead of Hauntzer and Flame – players of the top two teams"". Inven Global. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  90. ^ LoL Esports Staff (August 15, 2017). "2017 NA LCS Summer Split Award Winners". Riot Games. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  91. ^ Sim, Youngbo; Lee, Jaeic; Woo, Hyun (August 20, 2017). "DIG Ssumday-Shrimp to Altec: "I want to play Sejuani, but I'll play Nunu for you because I believe in you."". Inven Global. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  92. ^ Newell, Adam (September 5, 2017). "NA LCS Summer Regional Qualifier schedule". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  93. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (September 14, 2017). "Cloud9 ace Jensen wants to establish his team as world contender". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  94. ^ Rand, Emily (September 19, 2017). "LoL Worlds Play-In preview: C9 faces little opposition in Group B". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  95. ^ Walter, Noah (September 24, 2017). "2017 LoL World Championship Play-Ins: C9 relentless in back-to-back wins". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  96. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (September 28, 2017). "Cloud9 sweep Lyon Gaming to qualify for the Worlds group stage". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  97. ^ Mickunas, Aaron (September 29, 2017). "The groups for the Worlds group stage have been finalized". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  98. ^ "SKT, Cloud9 round out Worlds quarterfinalists". ESPN. October 15, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  99. ^ Stubbs, Mike (October 25, 2017). "How the underdogs made Worlds 2017 the best yet". Red Bull. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  100. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (November 22, 2017). "Wiggily, SELFIE, and Licorice join Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  101. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (November 28, 2017). "Team Liquid sign Impact, complete NA LCS starting lineup". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  102. ^ Wolf, Jacob (November 24, 2017). "Sources: Golden Guardians finalize League roster". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  103. ^ Mickunas, Aaron (February 17, 2018). "C9 Svenskeren shows up big in his revenge win over TSM". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  104. ^ "Clutch Gaming drops Team SoloMid to finish off strong Week 5". ESPN. February 18, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  105. ^ Fitch, Adam (March 19, 2018). "NA LCS Week 9 Recap". Esports Edition. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  106. ^ LoL Esports Staff (March 24, 2018). "2018 NA LCS Spring Split Award Winners". Riot Games. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  107. ^ Mickunas, Aaron (March 24, 2018). "Liquid sweep Cloud9 under the rug and advance to the NA LCS semifinals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  108. ^ Summers, N (June 29, 2018). "Fans are mad at one of the biggest 'League of Legends' teams". Engadget. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  109. ^ Wolf, Jacob (July 24, 2018). "Sources: Echo Fox to pick up Smoothie, release three players". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  110. ^ Rand, Emily (September 21, 2018). "Lose the off-season, win the gauntlet: Cloud9 blocks out critics en route to Worlds". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  111. ^ "NA LCS by the numbers – Summer Split playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  112. ^ LoL Esports Staff (August 24, 2018). "2018 NA LCS Summer Split Award Winners". Riot Games. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  113. ^ Jang, Davis (September 2, 2018). "[2018 NA LCS Summer Split Semifinals Review] C9, TL Proceed to Finals, TL Secures a Spot at Worlds". Inven Global. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  114. ^ a b Waltzer, Noah (September 9, 2018). "Team Liquid beats Cloud9 for second straight NA LCS title". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  115. ^ a b Won, Ben (September 16, 2018). "C9 beats TSM to earn final NA LCS slot in Worlds". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  116. ^ Mickunas, Aaron; Newell, Adam (October 6, 2018). "Worlds 2018 play-in stage results and standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  117. ^ Stevens, Amanda (October 6, 2018). "Cloud9 Goes the Distance With Gambit Esports at Worlds". VPEsports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  118. ^ "Cloud9 , RNG roll out of Group B at the League of Legends World Championship". ESPN. Rotowire. October 14, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  119. ^ Abbas, Malcolm (October 21, 2018). "Cloud9 eliminate Korea from the World Championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  120. ^ Mickunas, Aaron (October 28, 2018). "The NA dream is dead as Cloud9 get knocked out by Fnatic in the Worlds semifinals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  121. ^ Binkowski, Justin (November 23, 2018). "Nisqy officially joins Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  122. ^ Geracie, Nick (March 23, 2019). "Cloud9 will start C9 Academy in final 2019 LCS Spring Split match versus Clutch Gaming". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  123. ^ Heath, Jerome (March 25, 2019). "Cloud9 Academy could be better than almost half of the teams in the LCS". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  124. ^ "2019 Spring Split LCS Awards Winners". Riot Games. LoL Esports Staff. March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  125. ^ Geracie, Nick (April 6, 2019). "C9 Reapered: "I actually thought the Golden Guardians Coach or the FlyQuest Coach would win Coach of the Split."". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  126. ^ a b Geracie, Nick (April 6, 2019). "TSM defeats Cloud9 3–2, moves onto LCS Finals in St. Louis". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  127. ^ Geracie, Nick (July 19, 2019). "C9 Zeyzal on Cloud9's atmosphere: "...If we die, we all die together."". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  128. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (July 17, 2019). "Golden Guardians trade Deftly to Cloud9 for KEITH". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  129. ^ "League of Legends global power rankings through Aug. 6". ESPN. August 6, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  130. ^ Tuting, Kristine (August 15, 2019). "Here are the four teams set for the 2019 LCS Summer Playoffs semifinals". One Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  131. ^ LoL Esports Staff (August 9, 2019). "2019 LCS Summer Split Awards". Riot Games. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  132. ^ Byers, Preston (August 9, 2019). "4 Team Liquid players named to summer LCS All-Pro 1st Team". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  133. ^ Kolev, Radoslav (August 18, 2019). "Cloud9 beat CLG 3–1 to advance to LCS Summer Finals". VPEsports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  134. ^ "Liquid rally past Cloud9 for fourth straight LCS title". ESPN. Reuters. August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  135. ^ Geracie, Nick (August 26, 2019). "Team Liquid and Cloud9 will not bootcamp in South Korea before the 2019 World Championship". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  136. ^ ESPN Stats and Info (October 18, 2019). "League of Legends Worlds behind the numbers: Cloud9's downward spiral". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  137. ^ Wolf, Jacob (November 18, 2019). "Sources: Cloud9 to pay $1.5 million buyout for Dignitas support Vulcan". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  138. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (January 15, 2020). "Sneaky becomes an independent full-time streamer, will remain C9 owner and advisor". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  139. ^ "Sneaky confirms his departure from Cloud9". ESPN. Reuters. November 19, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  140. ^ Kolev, Radoslav (March 3, 2020). "Cloud9 achieve the 12–0 in LCS, three weeks away from perfect split". VPEsports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  141. ^ Erzberger, Tyler; Rand, Emily (March 9, 2020). "Who won the weekend – TSM put up perfect record in Week 7". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  142. ^ Geracie, Nick; Ousley, Parkes (March 30, 2020). "The 2020 LCS Spring Playoffs bracket has been set". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  143. ^ Binkowski, Justin (April 3, 2020). "Cloud9's entire starting lineup named to 2020 LCS Spring Split All-Pro first team". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  144. ^ Geracie, Nick (April 10, 2020). "[OFFICIAL] Cloud9 Head Coach Reapered awarded Coach of the Split in 17–1 LCS Spring Split". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  145. ^ Ocal, Arda (April 17, 2020). "Cloud9's Blaber named LCS spring split MVP". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  146. ^ Kolev, Radoslav (April 6, 2020). "Cloud9 massacre 100 Thieves in LCS playoffs, Nisqy goes 17/0/19 on Zoe". VPEsports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  147. ^ Geracie, Nick (April 11, 2020). "[LCS Spring Playoffs] Cloud9 defeats Evil Geniuses 3–1; secures second consecutive Finals appearance". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  148. ^ Rand, Emily (April 19, 2020). "Cloud9 defeat FlyQuest in dominant LCS spring split finals". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  149. ^ Goslin, Austen (April 23, 2020). "League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational canceled due to coronavirus pandemic". Polygon. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  150. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (July 12, 2020). "100 Thieves end Cloud9's undefeated streak in 2020 LCS Summer Split". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  151. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (August 3, 2020). "Cloud9 had their first 0–2 week since 2018 LCS Summer Split, now 2–6 in second half of current season". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  152. ^ Asuncion, Joseph (August 12, 2020). "2020 LCS Summer Playoffs: Everything you need to know". Yahoo News. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  153. ^ DaMour, Henrique (August 12, 2020). "TSM's Broken Blade: "I think it is very clear that C9, as they are right now, are not gonna dominate anything internationally"". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  154. ^ Asuncion, Joseph (August 19, 2020). "2020 LCS Summer Split Awards All-Pro Teams announced". Yahoo News. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  155. ^ Geracie, Nick (August 20, 2020). "[LCS Summer Playoffs] FlyQuest upsets Cloud9 3–1; qualifies for Worlds 2020". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  156. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (August 22, 2020). "Cloud9 sweep Evil Geniuses to move forward in the 2020 LCS Summer Playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  157. ^ Rutledge, Caroline (January 8, 2020). "Riot Games Announces Major LCS Format Changes Ahead of 2020 Season". TheGamer. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  158. ^ Ousley, Parkes (August 29, 2020). "TSM returns to Worlds, Cloud9 misses for the first time in org history". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  159. ^ Wolf, Jacob (September 14, 2020). "Cloud9 part ways with head coach Reapered". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  160. ^ Ousley, Parkes (November 2, 2020). "Cloud9 promote Reignover as head coach, replacing Reapered". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  161. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (September 4, 2020). "Cloud9 confirms that its League roster is staying together for 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  162. ^ Geracie, Nick (November 16, 2020). "[UPDATED 11/16] Cloud9 parts ways with Licorice, Nisqy, Palafox, Diamond & Rapidstar, promotes Fudge & Reignover to LCS". Inven Global. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  163. ^ Geddes, George (November 20, 2020). "Cloud9 officially acquires Perkz from G2". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  164. ^ Ray, Nick (December 21, 2020). "2021 LCS Format Breaks Spring Split Into Three Parts". Hotspawn. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  165. ^ Kelley, Michael (March 14, 2021). "Cloud9 secure first place in 2021 LCS Spring Split after victory over Immortals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  166. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (March 26, 2021). "Cloud9 win coaching staff of the split award for 2021 LCS Spring Split". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  167. ^ Geracie, Nick (March 19, 2021). "The 2021 LCS Spring Split All-Pro teams have been revealed". Inven Global. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  168. ^ Geracie, Nick (March 21, 2021). "[LCS Mid-Season Showdown] Cloud9 sweeps 100 Thieves out of the upper bracket". Inven Global. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  169. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (April 3, 2021). "Cloud9 turn the tables on Liquid with dominant 3–1 series win in 2021 MSS Playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  170. ^ Geracie, Nick (April 11, 2021). "Cloud9 defeats Team Liquid 3–2 in finals of 2021 LCS Mid-Season Showdown". Inven Global. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  171. ^ Garcia, Ethan (April 11, 2021). "Cloud9 win 2021 LCS Mid-Season Showdown over Team Liquid, secure ticket to Mid-Season Invitational". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  172. ^ Heath, Jerome (April 28, 2021). "Everything you need to know about MSI 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  173. ^ Geracie, Nick (May 11, 2021). "[MSI] DWG KIA & Cloud9 advance from Group C, DetonatioN FocusMe & Gillette Infinity eliminated". Inven Global. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  174. ^ Stewart, Jack (June 7, 2021). "How MSI experience can help Cloud9 dominate the LCS Summer Split". Red Bull. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  175. ^ Garcia, Ethan (May 29, 2021). "K1ng to replace Zven in Cloud9's starting roster, Mithy takes over as head coach for 2021 LCS Summer Split". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  176. ^ Geracie, Nick (June 22, 2021). "Zven set to return to Cloud9 LCS roster". Inven Global. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  177. ^ Geracie, Nick (July 6, 2021). "[UPDATED 7/6] Every team qualified for the 2021 LCS Championship". Inven Global. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  178. ^ Kelly, Michael (August 1, 2021). "Cloud9 clean up Team Liquid behind Zven's pentakill to close out 2021 LCS Summer Split". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  179. ^ Kelly, Michael (August 8, 2021). "Santorin, Team Liquid send Cloud9 to LCS Championship losers' bracket with decisive first-round victory". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  180. ^ Geracie, Nick (August 19, 2021). "Cloud9 eliminates Evil Geniuses from 2021 LCS Championship in lower bracket sweep". Inven Global. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  181. ^ Garcia, Ethan (August 22, 2021). "Cloud9 return to Worlds as final NA representatives with victory over TSM in LCS Championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  182. ^ Kelly, Michael (August 28, 2021). "100 Thieves advance to Grand Final of LCS Championship after 3–1 victory over Cloud9". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  183. ^ Hanes, Robert (September 22, 2021). "Worlds 2021 Play-Ins Groups Draw Results". The Game Haus. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  184. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (October 7, 2021). "DetonatioN FocusMe become first LJL team to qualify for Worlds main event group stage". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  185. ^ "LoL Worlds 2021: LNG, DetonatioN FocusMe, Hanhwa Life Esports and Cloud9 qualify for the Group Stage". news.yahoo.com. October 10, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  186. ^ "Cloud9 make quick work of PEACE, breeze into the group stage at Worlds 2021". Upcomer. October 9, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  187. ^ "Worlds 2021 Groups Draw: Group A is Death, Group B is Scary". Hotspawn. September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  188. ^ tea, journalist of 10+ years Lives on black; Love, Corgi (September 22, 2021). "Worlds 2021 group draw results: Rogue gets group of death again". InvenGlobal. Retrieved March 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  189. ^ "Worlds 2021 group draw roundtable | Results, reactions and analysis". Upcomer. September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  190. ^ "League of Legends Worlds 2021 group draw takeaways". Nerd Street Gamers. September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  191. ^ a b "Catch up with results from the Worlds 2021 Group Stage, as the competition moves into the knockout stage". Red Bull. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  192. ^ "Cloud9, Rogue and FPX tie at 2–4 in Group A at Worlds 2021". Upcomer. October 15, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  193. ^ Heath, Jerome; Kelly, Michael (October 18, 2021). "How tiebreakers work at Worlds 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  194. ^ "[UPDATED 10/15] Cloud9 qualifies for knockouts for the first time since 2018; Rogue, FPX eliminated". InvenGlobal. October 15, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  195. ^ André González Rodríguez (October 15, 2021). "Cloud9 qualify for Worlds 2021 knockout stage after tiebreaker win over Rogue". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  196. ^ Geracie, Nick (October 25, 2021). "Gen.G eliminates Cloud9 from Worlds 2021 in quarterfinals clean sweep". Inven Global. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  197. ^ Kelly, Michael (October 25, 2021). "Gen.G cleanly sweep Cloud9, North America out of Worlds 2021, set up first all-Eastern semifinals since 2017". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  198. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (November 12, 2021). "Cloud9 officially parts ways with Perkz". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  199. ^ Kelly, Michael (December 2, 2021). "Cloud9 officially signs LS as League of Legends head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  200. ^ Kelly, Michael (February 22, 2022). "C9 gives update on LS' release: 'We decided that it was important that we make a change'". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  201. ^ Garcia, Ethan (April 17, 2022). "Evil Geniuses head to Houston after eliminating Cloud9 from 2022 LCS Spring Playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  202. ^ Kelly, Michael (May 2, 2022). "One and done: C9 releases Winsome, Isles, and reigning MVP Summit after one LCS split". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  203. ^ Volk, Pete (April 1, 2016). "Cloud9 vs. TSM preview: 2016 NA LCS playoffs kick off with one of esports' oldest rivalries". SBNation. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  204. ^ a b Erzberger, Tyler (April 17, 2015). "Cloud9 vs Team SoloMid: an in-depth look at NA's top rivalry (Part 1)". TheScoreEsports. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  205. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (January 31, 2016). "The TSM vs. Cloud9 rivalry is as strong as ever". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  206. ^ a b Kolev, Radoslav (April 1, 2019). "NA LCS semifinals set up TSM vs. Cloud9 rivalry face-off". VPEsports. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  207. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (April 20, 2017). "Nine splits, nine finals: A reflection on Team SoloMid's many iterations". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  208. ^ Porter, Matt (May 21, 2020). "How Reapered masterminded Cloud9's amazing return to the top of the LCS". Red Bull. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  209. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (August 27, 2020). "Death, taxes, and TSM vs. Cloud9: The next chapter in their perpetual rivalry". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  210. ^ "Cloud9 defeat TSM 3–2 to qualify for Worlds 2021". Upcomer. August 23, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  211. ^ "Announcing the 2016 Spring Split award winners". League of Legends Esports. March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  212. ^ "And the winners of the 2016 LCS Summer Split Awards are ..." League of Legends Esports. August 10, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  213. ^ "2017 NA LCS Spring Split Award Winners". League of Legends Esports. April 7, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  214. ^ "2017 NA LCS Summer Split Award Winners". League of Legends Esports. August 15, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  215. ^ "2018 NA LCS Spring Split Award Winners". League of Legends Esports. March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  216. ^ "2018 NA LCS Summer Split Award Winners". League of Legends Esports. August 24, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  217. ^ "2018 Spring Split LCS Award Winners". League of Legends Esports. March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  218. ^ "2019 LCS Summer Split Awards". League of Legends Esports. August 9, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  219. ^ "2020 LCS Spring Split Awards". League of Legends Esports. April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  220. ^ "2020 LCS Summer Split Awards". League of Legends Esports. August 14, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  221. ^ "2021 LCS Spring Split Awards". League of Legends Esports. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  222. ^ "2021 LCS Summer Split Awards". League of Legends Esports. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by League Championship Series winner
Summer 2013 – Spring 2014
Spring 2020
Spring 2021
Summer 2022 – Spring 2023 		Succeeded by
Team SoloMid
Team SoloMid
100 Thieves

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cloud9_League_of_Legends&oldid=1256768186"