LCS Recap: 100 Thieves vs. Cloud9

100 Thieves have a tough weekend ahead of their schedule coming off of their first win this Split. Their first match of the weekend is against Cloud9, a formidable opponent that they’ve had quite the storied history with. While the team may be coming off their first win, 100 Thieves had a long road ahead of them in a matchup against a top team like Cloud9.

Draft Phase

Early on, 100 Thieves focused their first ban phase on removing champions that Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer would excel at. Alongside that, Sona was banned to remove any Sona+Tank bot lane from Cloud9. Karma remained permanently banned on red side and both teams focused specific players in the second ban phase. 100 Thieves aimed to replicate the success from their first win in bot lane with the lover’s duo and strong front line. Cloud9 looked to retaliate with a strong pick comp and strong side lane pressure.

Cloud9 Comes Out Swinging

The game started with explosive fighting right from the get-go. Maurice “Amazing” Stückenschneider face checked a bush level 1 to meet three of Cloud9’s roster. After a small chase, Cloud9 sacrificed three flashes for a free buff and early pressure. Robert “Blaber” Huang challenged Amazing for his red buff soon after, leading to a 2 on 2 skirmish in the mid lane. Cloud9 took a quick lead and a double kill against 100 Thieves, using their level advantage properly.

https://twitter.com/100TBlade/status/1142574896171692033

100 Thieves immediately turned it back around bot side with a sneaky lane gank from Amazing on the Cloud9 bot lane.

https://twitter.com/100TBlade/status/1142576590725046289

Both teams went blow for blow from there on. Kills were traded across the map and led Cloud9 to what was a small gold lead at 1-2k. 16 minutes in, 100 Thieves and Cloud9 found themselves at an impasse. The Thieves engaged what looked to be a winning fight for Cloud9. Despite that, teleports on both sides turned the tide and led 100 Thieves to 3 kills for 1.

100 Thieves Take The Reins

Finally, 18 minutes in the first tower of the game was taken on the side of 100 Thieves, shrinking Cloud9’s lead to zero. The game stalled from there for quite some time until the teams decided to fight for the Infernal Drake. The fight went in favor for Cloud9 which granted them the Drake. The Thieves aimed to retaliate on the top side with a teleport flank from Bae “Bang” Jun-sik.

https://twitter.com/100TBlade/status/1142580684936142848

It was much of the same old song and dance from both teams. 100 Thieves took turrets, Cloud9 took Drakes. Both teams tried to fight one another but it led to nothing but free summoner spells used. Just shy of 30 minutes, the teams turned to one another in 100 Thieves jungle. What looked like a free pick on Ryu “Ryu” Sang-wook was a free team fight for the Thieves. Alongside the team fight, they picked up both an ace and a free Baron.

https://twitter.com/100TBlade/status/1142582209427193856

The game was textbook from there. 100 Thieves pushed both bot and mid in for free inhibitors and challenged Cloud9 on the top side. Winning the final team fight, 100 Thieves finished their first day of Week 4 with a win against a top tier team in Cloud9.

100 Thieves Steal a First Place Victory

100 Thieves beat Cloud9, but it wasn’t just a win. It was a win against a top tier team. If fans had any doubt in their mind about swapping in Ryu in exchange for Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho in regards to imports, their opinions might start to change fast. While the team still has a lot ahead of them, a win against a top team like this surely could set a fire beneath them going into the second round robin.

Featured Image Courtesy Of 100 Thieves Live Twitter

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