Cloudy Skies
Riot·8/20/2014, 12:16:16 AM·0 votes·17,088 views
For the third straight split, Cloud9 has finished at the top of NA LCS, winning the top seed heading into the playoffs and giving them a very good chance at Worlds. This probably should come as no surprise: Cloud9 has been the best team in North America since they burst on the scene in 2013 and racked up an unmatched 25-3 record in the summer split. They were similarly dominant in the spring, where they posted 24-4.
Cloud9's freshman year was utterly charmed. They blew the doors off a seemingly moribund North American scene and rode a wave of success and hype all the way to the 2013 World Championship playoffs.
That's when Cloud9 came down to earth. They played just a single series in the 2013 World Championship, going 1-2 against Europe's mercurial Fnatic. It was a disappointing end to a magical story.
The Fnatic match established the European team as Cloud9's first real international rival, and the two teams would clash a few more times within the next year. But it also illustrated that Cloud9 needed to reach a new level if they were going to have a good shot at Worlds.
Yet 2014 has not been smooth for Cloud9. They may have schooled North America last summer and this spring, but they also helped catalyze major changes within the scene. TSM and CLG both overhauled their rosters in 2014, followed by Curse and Dignitas making more big moves between splits. They faced much stronger opposition this summer, and they no longer have the benefit of surprise.
As if that didn't make things tricky enough, team captain Hai Du Lam ended up in the hospital before the summer split, being treated for a collapsed lung… right around the time his core champions underwent substantial balance changes. That, combined with a tougher-than-ever NA LCS, caused Cloud9 to have their toughest season ever. A team that once comfortably led NA LCS now found itself dipping as low as fifth place in Week 7, neck and neck with four other teams.
If their slide was surprising, their rally was even more so. After Week 7, they won eight of their last ten games to tie newcomers LMQ in the standings, and clinched the head-to-head advantage with a win over the Chinese team in Week 10. Now, Cloud9 finds itself once again on familiar ground: they are the top team in North America, but there are a lot of questions they can't answer until they return to Worlds.
The brain and the heart of the team might well be its captain, Hai. His hospitalization and ensuing difficulties adjusting to the summer meta reflected just how dependent Cloud9 is on having its mid lane leader at the top of his game. But now that he's gotten comfortable with more Orianna and Yasuo picks, replacing his terrifying springtime LeBlanc, he's once again enjoying considerable success.
But as important as Hai's presence in the lane can be, it's really his shot-calling that gives Cloud9 a competitive edge. He's a cool, confident tactician, making strong reads and calling smart plays even in the midst of frenzied chaos. That also means there's even more responsibility on him heading into Worlds. In the past, Cloud9 have had trouble winning big fights on international stages. As good as their mechanics are, as smart as their objective play can be, they've yet to show that they're masters of the high-stakes brawl that some teams, especially Fnatic, use to win games.
Still, Hai's got a lot of help that should ensure Cloud9 gets an edge in most of their games. Meteos is one of the most formidable junglers in North America, and his Lee Sin is a force to be reckoned with. In the top lane, Balls had a difficult summer split thanks to a slightly lackluster Renekton, but he had a strong finish to the year and comes into Regionals with some momentum.
Sneaky and LemonNation have historically been one of the strongest bot lane duos in the LCS. While they were not immune from the troubles that afflicted Cloud9 throughout this summer, including some changes to the meta that cut against Sneaky's strengths, they've still managed to post respectable numbers despite a slightly awkward pool of champions.
But in League of Legends terms, what happened this past winter and early spring might just be ancient history. The game has changed a lot since then, and so has Cloud9. A better litmus test for C9's prospects might be their performance at All-Star in Paris. In Paris, Cloud9 went 3-1 in the group stage, dropping only a single game to SK Telecom T1 K. They handed defeats to Fnatic, OMG, and Taipei Assassins, before getting blanked by OMG in the All-Star semifinal.
Furthermore, team analyst Charlie Lipsie said that Cloud9 have been doing more scrimmages with Korean teams lately and they've been winning a decent share of them.
If Cloud9 can bring that level of performance to Worlds, they have all the key ingredients needed to prepare a strong challenge the best teams of Europe as Asia. On the other hand, if it took everything they had just to finish on top of NA LCS, are they really in shape to take on teams like Alliance or Samsung Blue?
Cloud9 may have schooled North America last summer and this spring, but they also helped catalyze major changes within the scene.This summer's victory feels different, though. It's not just that they won by the skin of their teeth at 18-10, it's that they’ve never had to work so hard to stay at the top. They've never come into a playoff season looking as fallible as they did over the course of this summer split, nor have they ever labored under the kind of hopes and expectations they do now. North America's best team has only narrowly retained that title, and now they have to show they're capable of competing on a global stage. It's a lot to ask. But while Cloud9 may have been challenged more than they've ever been over these last few months, they've also overcome adversity like never before.
BY SURPRISE
Cloud9's freshman year was utterly charmed. They blew the doors off a seemingly moribund North American scene and rode a wave of success and hype all the way to the 2013 World Championship playoffs.
That's when Cloud9 came down to earth. They played just a single series in the 2013 World Championship, going 1-2 against Europe's mercurial Fnatic. It was a disappointing end to a magical story.
The Fnatic match established the European team as Cloud9's first real international rival, and the two teams would clash a few more times within the next year. But it also illustrated that Cloud9 needed to reach a new level if they were going to have a good shot at Worlds.
Yet 2014 has not been smooth for Cloud9. They may have schooled North America last summer and this spring, but they also helped catalyze major changes within the scene. TSM and CLG both overhauled their rosters in 2014, followed by Curse and Dignitas making more big moves between splits. They faced much stronger opposition this summer, and they no longer have the benefit of surprise.
As if that didn't make things tricky enough, team captain Hai Du Lam ended up in the hospital before the summer split, being treated for a collapsed lung… right around the time his core champions underwent substantial balance changes. That, combined with a tougher-than-ever NA LCS, caused Cloud9 to have their toughest season ever. A team that once comfortably led NA LCS now found itself dipping as low as fifth place in Week 7, neck and neck with four other teams.
If their slide was surprising, their rally was even more so. After Week 7, they won eight of their last ten games to tie newcomers LMQ in the standings, and clinched the head-to-head advantage with a win over the Chinese team in Week 10. Now, Cloud9 finds itself once again on familiar ground: they are the top team in North America, but there are a lot of questions they can't answer until they return to Worlds.
FAMILIAR FACES
Cloud9 is unusual among Worlds contenders in that they've managed to achieve a lot of success over two seasons without resorting to roster changes. Despite their ups and downs over the past year, they remain the same team they were when they ruled NA LCS.
The brain and the heart of the team might well be its captain, Hai. His hospitalization and ensuing difficulties adjusting to the summer meta reflected just how dependent Cloud9 is on having its mid lane leader at the top of his game. But now that he's gotten comfortable with more Orianna and Yasuo picks, replacing his terrifying springtime LeBlanc, he's once again enjoying considerable success.
But as important as Hai's presence in the lane can be, it's really his shot-calling that gives Cloud9 a competitive edge. He's a cool, confident tactician, making strong reads and calling smart plays even in the midst of frenzied chaos. That also means there's even more responsibility on him heading into Worlds. In the past, Cloud9 have had trouble winning big fights on international stages. As good as their mechanics are, as smart as their objective play can be, they've yet to show that they're masters of the high-stakes brawl that some teams, especially Fnatic, use to win games.
Still, Hai's got a lot of help that should ensure Cloud9 gets an edge in most of their games. Meteos is one of the most formidable junglers in North America, and his Lee Sin is a force to be reckoned with. In the top lane, Balls had a difficult summer split thanks to a slightly lackluster Renekton, but he had a strong finish to the year and comes into Regionals with some momentum.
Sneaky and LemonNation have historically been one of the strongest bot lane duos in the LCS. While they were not immune from the troubles that afflicted Cloud9 throughout this summer, including some changes to the meta that cut against Sneaky's strengths, they've still managed to post respectable numbers despite a slightly awkward pool of champions.
RETURN TO WORLDS
Cloud9's international record can be a source of optimism or concern for the team, depending on how you look at it. They can't be happy that they came up short against Fnatic at Intel Extreme Masters earlier this year. With the exception of an off-season beatdown during the Battle of the Atlantic, Fnatic has a significant edge in their rivalry with Cloud9. Nor did Cloud9 have a great showing at IEM Cologne, where they lost to the OG Gambit lineup 2-0.
But in League of Legends terms, what happened this past winter and early spring might just be ancient history. The game has changed a lot since then, and so has Cloud9. A better litmus test for C9's prospects might be their performance at All-Star in Paris. In Paris, Cloud9 went 3-1 in the group stage, dropping only a single game to SK Telecom T1 K. They handed defeats to Fnatic, OMG, and Taipei Assassins, before getting blanked by OMG in the All-Star semifinal.
Furthermore, team analyst Charlie Lipsie said that Cloud9 have been doing more scrimmages with Korean teams lately and they've been winning a decent share of them.
If Cloud9 can bring that level of performance to Worlds, they have all the key ingredients needed to prepare a strong challenge the best teams of Europe as Asia. On the other hand, if it took everything they had just to finish on top of NA LCS, are they really in shape to take on teams like Alliance or Samsung Blue?
