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How Cloud9 Blue secured their Playoffs place at VALORANT Champions 2021
Cloud9 Blue have played their first matches at VALORANT Champions 2021 and scored wins over Full Sense and Vision Strikers. Get the lowdown here and find out what lies ahead.
Cloud9 Blue have to be one of the most tenacious VALORANT teams in the world right now. Following a tricky 2021, which saw them finish joint eighth in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2021 North America Circuit, the team managed to rally all their strength and crush everyone in their path to take the win at the Last Chance Qualifier, narrowly snagging a place at VALORANT Champions 2021.
And though they've managed to secure a place in the Playoffs, the road to the quarter-finals hasn't been an easy one. They've had to hold firm through it the group stage by showing some incredible individual skill as well as impressive communication and strategising that helped them overcome all the obstacles. Here's how they stamped their ticket to the VALORANT Champions 2021 Playoffs.
Stormy beginnings
It would be wrong to discount Fnatic, though the stats were not in their favour – the team had struggled to score podium finishes throughout 2021, and had made it to VALORANT Champions 2021 off the back of a surprise run at VCT 2021 Masters 2 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Their second-place finish there had scored them enough points to finish third in the EMEA Circuit standings, and was the only tournament to score them points in the standings at all. For Cloud9 Blue's first opponent, this should theoretically have been a simple start to the tournament.
But as is often the case, things aren't always so easy. Fnatic came out the gates hungry for a win, and the scores stayed fairly even throughout the first game, with Fnatic clinching the win in round 24 with a tense 2v2 scenario that could have gone either way until the end. Fnatic continued this momentum into game 2, taking a strong lead and almost sealing a win after reaching 11 wins, while C9 fell behind with just six wins. But the North American team managed to pull together and come back even stronger, taking seven consecutive rounds and snatching the overall victory from the jaws of defeat.
Had they managed to continue this momentum further, Cloud9 would have potentially had a much easier trip to the Playoffs. But Fnatic couldn't be stopped – they once again stormed ahead in game 3, taking 12 wins while C9 had just six. Cloud9 managed to claw back six straight wins and level out at 12-12, forcing the game into overtime, but Fnatic wrapped up the game in two straight rounds, forcing C9 into the Elimination Match.
Silver linings
Cloud9 Blue's VALORANT Champions 2021 campaign had got off to a rough start, but everything was about to turn in their favour. Their opponent in the Elimination Match was Full Sense, a team that had snuck into the tournament through the APAC Last Chance Qualifier, and who had been thoroughly dismantled by South Korean team Vision Strikers in their first match.
It didn't take long for C9 to continue their destruction of Full Sense – their first game saw C9 reach 11 wins while Full Sense lagged behind with just four, with the game ultimately ending on an impressive 13-7 in C9's favour. Game 2 was a lot more tense, with neither team achieving a convincing lead throughout the entire series, eventually pushing the game into overtime. With the game at 12-12, C9 managed to snag the win with slow, calculated plays and a stunning sneaky defuse after Full Sense went for an early spike plant to force their opponents into the open.
All that stood between C9 and the Playoffs was Vision Strikers. This was never going to be an easy fight – VS had utterly dominated the competition in their home country, and had already destroyed Full Sense in the first match. They had struggled to find their footing with Fnatic, hence their drop into the Decider Match, but they remained a formidable team.
But Cloud9 Blue had the positive momentum behind them. The first match had C9 come out in full force, winning eight straight rounds before VS could even post a score on the board. C9 looked to have it all wrapped up by round 13, leading 11-1, but a frankly stunning comeback by VS held off C9's victory until round 23, when they finally managed to snag the last two all-important rounds.
Game 2 was a lot less dramatic, but no less tense, as the teams managed to stay fairly even until VS broke away and finished the game 13-9. But the final game proved that C9 can hold their own when backed into a corner. They immediately came out swinging, posting six wins to just one from VS – but a lengthy tech pause gave VS time to catch their breath, and they immediately responded with some wins of their own.
It all came to a head in round 24 – C9 needed just one win, while VS needed two and had a positive momentum behind them. VS decided to commit every member to pushing A site, with the team congregating in one small area while C9 covered as much of the map as possible. But by some small miracle, VS' ploy didn't pay off. C9's Mitch 'mitch' Semago, despite being under half health, managed to take down two of VS' team before falling as they pushed into the site in a fantastic display of quick reactions, while Nathan 'leaf' Orf flanked the leftovers of VS and cleaned up for a spectacular finish.
It was a tough run, but Cloud9 Blue have made it out the other side with some impressive wins, proving that they can hold their own against even the toughest opponents.
Next up they face Team Liquid, who had a mixed bag of a Group Stage, putting in dominant displays in some matches but also suffering an enormous 13-2 loss to Sentinels in their Winner's Match. If C9 can stand firm and continue to show their tenacity in the face of mounting pressure, there's no reason they couldn't taken Liquid down and continue onwards through the Playoffs.
