As quickly as the summer split started, our regular season has come to an end. Through all their trials and tribulations, Cloud9 has cemented their legacy as the team of miracles. The team, who at one point was dead last in the standings, has managed to secure themselves a playoff bye.
Fans and analysts came into the weekend with a mountain of various playoff scenarios. Looking at C9 specifically, the team had a chance to not only secure a spot at playoffs, but secure themselves a playoff bye. To accomplish this, Cloud9’s hot streak would have to last them through the final week of the regular season against two tough opponents, 100 Thieves and FlyQuest.
Courtesy of LoL Esports
100 Thieves would be a difficult task. While the 100 Thieves were experiencing a bit of an up and down season towards the end, they were still a team that was not to be taken lightly. 100 Thieves’ roster of incredibly seasoned veterans, led by Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black, had the potential to play spoiler to C9’s post-season dreams. Even if C9 were to beat 100 Thieves, they would still have to fight the equally hot FlyQuest for a potential playoff bye. While it was doable, it definitely seemed like a tall order.
Cloud9 certainly came to play against their playoff gatekeepers. Against 100 Thieves, Cloud9 was able to pull out some classic looks through Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen’s Fizz and Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi’s dominant Quinn. They also displayed something new with jungler Robert “Blaber” Huang playing Trundle instead of his go-to snowballing carries. While the match had some touchy moments, overall Cloud9 was able to dismantle 100 Thieves in a convincing fashion to lock in a spot for playoffs.
Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr
Going into the FlyQuest match, Cloud9 seemed to be thoroughly prepared based off their draft. Coach Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu was able to pull off not one, but two rounds of mind games by flexing Camille and Zilean to unexpected roles. From there, the match was almost too easy. Jensen seemed to dance circles around FlyQuest, while Blaber’s Camille provided the perfect set up for his team to gain hefty leads. Beyond that, there is actually not that much to say considering how one-sided this match was. After a few fights, Cloud9 easily marched their way to destroy Fly’s nexus, plain and simple. With their second win in the final week, C9 was able to secure themselves a playoff bye.
Looking ahead, Cloud9 has put themselves in a spot where they control their own destiny. The playoff bye allows the team to scout out the meta and their potential opponents. It will not be an easy semifinals, however, as the quarterfinals is a rogues gallery of strong teams. C9 must put all their energy into their practice if they are to survive their next test.
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Featured Image courtesy of Riot Games. Images courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr
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