After a solid 3-0 start to the Spring season, Cloud9 look to continue their winning ways in week 2. Cloud9 easily dispatched TSM and Immortals to close out their week, while their first match against Golden Guardians was their closest match of the three. The second week of games for Cloud9 will certainly be more of a test for the Lock In runner-ups. With Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves, and FlyQuest on the schedule, Cloud9 are going to need excellent play from each member in order to duplicate their 3-0 start
[Related: How Cloud9 Made Camille Look Useless in the First Week of the LCS ]
Friday February 12, 8pm EST (6pm PST) on LoL Esports, Youtube, and Twitch
Top Lane: Fudge vs Impact
Jungle: Blaber vs Svenskeren
Mid Lane: Perkz vs Jiizuke
Bot Lane: Zven vs Deftly
Support: Vulcan vs Ignar
Evil Geniuses have the exclusive right to say they gave Cloud9 their first loss of the 2021 season. In the debut of both Fudge and Perkz, EG severely outplayed the two new C9 members. Fudge in particular received a beating from the veteran Impact in a rough Ornn vs Renekton matchup. While the returning cast of Cloud9 looking OK in the first game of the year, the match left a bad taste in the mouth of C9 fans.
After the first week of the official split, Cloud9 looks to have the upper hand on EG. Cloud9 appears a bit more focused than their first Week 2 opponent. While C9 never gave their opponents a chance to come back, EG suffered a loss in the opening weekend to 100 Thieves despite winning most of the match. Overall these two teams do seem even from a talent standpoint, meaning the difference maker in this game will be the drafts. Cloud9 has shown their ability to shutdown certain champions, but EG has room to work with thanks to an incredibly large hero pool from Jiizuke, Svenskeren, and Ignar.
Look for Cloud9 to once again focus on the top side matchup between Fudge and Impact. After seeing what happened to an unchecked Impact in the Lock In tournament, it’s a safe bet to guess that Blaber will make plenty of trips to the top side.
Saturday February 13, 5pm EST(2pm PST) on LoL Esports, Youtube, and Twitch
Top Lane: Fudge vs Ssumday
Jungle: Blaber vs Closer
Mid Lane: Perkz vs Damonte
Bot Lane: Zven vs FBI
Support: Vulcan vs Huhi
A Lock In quarterfinal re-match with two teams that look vastly different already. 100 Thieves seemed a bit out of sorts in the first week of the LCS. While the Lock In tournament showed a 100T team that was coordinated and clean, their first three official matches looked like a whole different roster logged into their accounts. Regardless, 100 Thieves sits on the top of the standings alongside C9 with a 3-0 record. The individual skill level across the team is dangerously high. This match is easily Cloud9’s toughest this weekend.
The key to win this game for Cloud9 is to see a true “mid gap” type of performance from Perkz. While the meta may be centered around control mages and global pressure champs, Perkz may need to opt into a more carry type of champion. Already fans have seen Perkz lock in the Yone a few times with varied success. Against Damonte and the rest of 100 Thieves, Perkz could be the difference maker for Cloud9.
Sunday February 14, 7pm EST(2pm PST) on LoL Esports, Youtube, and Twitch
Top Lane: Fudge vs Licorice
Jungle: Blaber vs Josedeodo
Mid Lane: Perkz vs Palafox
Bot Lane: Zven vs Johnsun
Support: Vulcan vs Diamond
Rounding out the weekend is a tightly contested match against FlyQuest. The last time these two teams met, FlyQuest was working with their backup jungler Nxi. Josedeodo joined the team right in time for the LCS opening weekend, and lead FlyQuest to a statement-win over TSM. The rookie jungle from South America appears to be the real deal, and Cloud9 will have to divert extra attention to FlyQuest’s jungle.
Or if Cloud9 wants to try and gain a massive advantage on a side lane, they may decide to devote their resources to bot lane. Zven and Vulcan are currently making a case for the best bot lane in the league right now. Not only have they shown to have crazy carry potential, but they have done so on a wide range of different champions and compositions. Cloud9’s bot lane duo should have no problem asserting their dominance on the bot side of the map. If they can use their lead to create opportunities around the map, this game could be over very quickly.
Featured image courtesy of Riot Games
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