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Cloud9 Cooldown: Welcome Back From Academy Zven

Publish Date: July 2, 2021

So ends Cloud9’s ADC substitution experiment. After opening the summer with a 4-5 record through the first three weeks, K1ng is back on the Academy roster and Zven is once again on the LCS stage. Unfortunately the swap didn’t prove too beneficial for either party, but luckily C9 had a backup plan for a time like this. The two carries will go back to their previous lineups and Cloud9 is looking to make up for the lost ground.

Zven’s Return and Team’s Improvement

With Zven re-joining the LCS squad, there was an overwhelming sense of optimism among C9 fans. The all-star carry performed incredibly well down in Academy, and certainly made a case for a quick return. The middling performance from K1ng only made the decision easier for Cloud9’s coaching staff. Now with their Spring roster back together, it only makes sense to see C9 bounce back to their former strength.

Well, at least the team looked somewhat back to full strength. The past weekend featured a lot of the same from Cloud9, without really any real noticeable changes. Zven looked fine, but ultimately didn’t appear to make much of an impact in the first two matches. The team did look more cohesive as a unit however. The members of Cloud9 looked to be more in-sync during hectic moments during the game — save for a few questionable engages. Despite the shaky early games, Zven coming back should continue to help Cloud9 find their footing in the back half of the Summer.

Strength in Comfort, but Struggles in Experimentation

Things have changed quite a bit since MSI. Once Cloud9 returned to North America, the meta changed in such a way that has C9 struggling to figure out what they want to do. Gwen and Viego became available for pro play, adding two incredibly strong laners into the champion pool. The two have been hotly contested in most drafts, usually leaving the door open for other strong options in the bot lane and jungle. The influx of options has lead Cloud9 to try out some brand new playstyles.

Courtesy of Tina Jo/Riot Games via ESPAT

As with any experiment, there has to be some expectation that something can go wrong. Cloud9 tried to work through an interesting composition against 100 Thieves, but found themselves in a hole very early. Cloud9 aimed to focus around Blaber and have the combination of Varus and Kindred to dominate team fights with Perkz’s Lulu as protection. Seeing all the moving pieces needed to succeed, 100T simply selected Azir to push the members of Cloud9 around and stop any team fight that could be C9 favored. C9 clawed back to make it a pretty competitive affair, but Cloud9 just couldn’t pull through.

Comparing this draft to the one against CLG reveals that Cloud9 may look to more familiar game plans going forward as they get back into the swing of things. The anti-dive team composition from Cloud9 allowed them to play a much more structured team fight with familiar champions. It was against a worse team, but Cloud9 really showed that they can execute on a set game plan when the conditions are right.

To Adapt is to Survive

Even if the team succeeded with what they know best, they need to keep pushing the boundaries of what they can play. With the more familiar roster, C9 has the opportunity once again to keep adapting their playstyle. There is still a small window to experiment on stage with different compositions, and Cloud9 really needs to capitalize on the time they do have to try new things.

If Cloud9 can learn from their mistakes against 100 Thieves, their defeat will be a net positive for the team. It’s apparent Cloud9 needs to be able to adjust their playstyle a bit in order to consistently beat the top half of the LCS. If they can’t, C9 may just face another Summer breakdown for the second year in a row.