esports
Worlds is back! These are the most important factors that will decide how successful Cloud9’s Worlds run will be.
It’s the best time of the year again for League of Legends fans. Worlds will start in less than two weeks time and after their absence in 2020, US heavyweights Cloud9 qualified for Worlds 2021. As the third seed, Cloud9 will have to battle through the play-in stage to qualify for the main event. After a turbulent year in the LCS, what are Cloud9’s chances for a deep Worlds run? What are the factors that will determine their success?
If Cloud9 make it out of play-ins, they will be locked into Group A together with DWG KIA, FunPlus Phoenix and Rogue. An incredibly difficult group, but nothing is impossible as Cloud9 have made it out of difficult groups before. We’ll explain down below.
Play-ins
Because of their Worlds seeding, Cloud9 have to fight through play-ins to earn the right to play in the group stage. Fortunately for them, there has only ever been one team from the “main” big regions to not make it out of play-ins (MAD Lions last year). At this stage, the meta for the rest of the tournament is often shaped, so it’s great practice for the squad to play the first official games on the new tournament patch.
Notable opponents at this stage are Hanwha Life Esports, LNG and Beyond Gaming. However, the smaller regions have been stepping up over the years, taking games (and sometimes even series!) from the big regions. Cloud9 will have to make sure that they bring their A-game, even at this stage.
If they manage to take the number one spot in their play-in group, they automatically qualify for the main tournament group stage. The fight for first place will be between Beyond Gaming and Cloud9 in group B. Winning against the PCS would almost guarantee them the top spot in their group (barring major upsets of course).
Group stage
This is where it gets more complicated for the North American squad. FPX, DWG and Rogue are all formidable opponents in their own right. DWG Kia won the LCK and FunPlus was on an absolute rampage in the LPL before being stopped by EDG at the last hurdle. Both Rogue and Cloud9 will have to be in peak form if they want to contest for either first or second place.
However, all hope is not lost. LPL and LCK teams always play best of three series in their own regions. This means that they are not used to playing the best of one double round-robin style that the group stage uses as the format. Especially LPL teams, who are known to have bombed out of groups, most notably RNG during Worlds 2019 when they lost a tiebreaker against Fnatic.
The Fudge Factor
Betting on your opponents to lose is never a good strategy though. Luckily Cloud9 have an extremely talented roster and when the pieces fall into place, they are strong enough to take any team on at any time. One of the biggest playmakers for Cloud9 is Ibrahim ‘Fudge’ Allami. Since he joined the team earlier this year, he has made massive strides in improving his play. He has beaten plenty of veterans in the LCS this year through sheer laning power alone.
Worlds would be the perfect opportunity for him to play against the best players in the world and accelerate his play even more. Fudge is the kind of player that hardly makes the same mistake twice, and quickly adapts to any scenario opponents will throw at him. In the play-ins he will get his first taste of Worlds, which will give him that extra push to perform at his best when the group stage starts.
Perkz Worlds Buff
Cloud9’s biggest addition to their roster this year is Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković. Previously, Perkz has made it into the finals and semi-finals of Worlds and has even won the MSI. It’s safe to say that Perkz is a veteran when it comes to international competition. Perkz will show up when it counts, whether it was his incredible LeBlanc play against RNG in Worlds 2018 or his Yasuo against SKT at Worlds 2019.
Perkz is a highlight machine and doesn’t tilt when his back is against the wall (the so-called 0-2 Perkz comfort zone). If Cloud9 has a deep run, it will come off the back of some incredible performances from Perkz. This midlaner will come up with creative plays, so never count him out.
Worlds play-in stage will start on October 5, so make sure you tune in to see how Cloud9 plans to navigate through the play-in stage!
