Cloud9 Releases Reigning LCS MVP Amid Another Roster Overhaul
Cloud9 is quickly becoming notorious for being one of the biggest spenders in esports, alongside the likes of 100 Thieves and Vitality, and their latest cash splash has once again foiled, and another expensive rebuild project is on the cards.
Having dipped from being North America's shining light at the 2021 League of Legends World Championships to only managing a fourth-place finish in the Spring Split, the money invested into their LoL roster has yet to prevail, and they are planning three huge changes to revive their chances of making Worlds again.
Cloud9 Axe Three Players Including Reigning MVP
Cloud9 reinvested in their roster going into the 2022 campaign, having settled on a nice price with Vitality to allow Luka "Perkz" Perković to return home to Europe and play for their "super team", and earning a nice chunk of capital for Philippe "Vulcan" Laflamme's transfer to Evil Geniuses.
With these moves going out of C9, the 'brand in blue' eyed up some of the LCS' best talents and snapped up the Most Valuable Player in Park "Summit" Woo-Tae from Sandbox Gaming. Bot laner Kim "Berserker" Min-Cheol made the switch from Korea to accompany his native Top laner, and Jonah "Isles" Rosario was promoted from the academy team to see fan favourite Ibrahim "Fudge" Allami move positions.
However, the roster has since underperformed, and Cloud9 have now waved goodbye to Summit, Jonah "Isles" Rosario, and Kim "Winsome" Dong-keon.
The moves come into play as Cloud9 is reported to be reuniting Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen and Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen, as rumours suggest Zven will be restored to the starting roster after a stint in the academy team, while Jensen could be acquired by the organisation, after leaving Team Liquid after the 2021 campaign.
All three of Cloud9's departures have now become free agents, whilst they also look to save pennies on Jensen's return with the Danish veteran also being on the market for a free pick-up.
This time, it appears Cloud9 is looking to invest wisely and build a team with synergy, rather than opting for superstars - a method they have also adopted in CS:GO.