Tag Archives: Cloud9

Analysis and Opinion

Hai Rise: How Hai’s Return Changed Cloud9

Call it a Cinderella story, a tale of redemption, a hero’s journey: no label can fully describe the triumphant return of Hai Lam to the Cloud9 roster mid-way through the 2015 Summer split, which culminated in an against-all-odds ascension through the Regional tournament to qualify for the 2015 World Championships.

After Hai’s first few games back, very few people gave Cloud9 much chance of avoiding the Relegation Tournament, let alone qualifying for Worlds. But as the regular season wound to a close, if you knew where to look, there were signs that this could be coming, hints of a team ready to make its triumphant return. A handful of different statistics revealed Cloud9 as a potential top-3 North American team over the last four weeks of the regular season.

We’re going to take a two-part look at Hai’s effects on Cloud9 this split.

  • The first part of the article tells the story of how Hai helped Cloud9 improve enough to squeak into Regionals, run the gauntlet, and qualify for Worlds.
  • The second part is a statistical appendix that digs into three ways Cloud9 played differently after Hai’s return.

Read both parts for the full perspective, or feel free to scroll down to the section that interests you most!

Read at Unikrn →

Analysis and Opinion

NA LCS FINALS PREVIEW: TSM VS C9, HEAD TO HEAD

Cloud9 vs. TSM is the dominant rivalry of the NA LCS. The matchup is maybe less storied than TSM’s older, more personal rivalry with CLG, which extends back to the pre-LCS years and is embodied by the colorful history between Reginald and HotshotGG, but while C9/TSM may lack that same level of animosity, it has featured much higher stakes: Cloud9 and TSM have faced off against each other in the last three NA LCS Finals.

Now North America’s two heavyweight franchises are set to meet in a fourth consecutive North American Final, this time with Championship Points and a trip to the Midseason Invitational on the line.

As we prepare for the Spring 2015 NA LCS Finals, let’s look at some statistics from the regular season and playoff games that both teams have played so far. We’ll explore each role matchup to get an idea of where each team’s advantages lie, and also compare some overall team stats.

These stats don’t tell the whole story, but they draw attention to some interesting facets of the players and teams which we might not otherwise notice. I’ve presented my interpretations based on these numbers, but as always, I encourage everyone to draw their own conclusions! Continue reading NA LCS FINALS PREVIEW: TSM VS C9, HEAD TO HEAD →

Analysis and Opinion

Cloud9’s Comeback: How Team Liquid Lost the Semifinals in Game 3

Team Liquid is fresh off a Semifinal loss to Cloud9 in a heartbreaking five-game series that looked to be well in hand after the first two games. Liquid had stormed out to a 2-0 series lead on the back of strong performances from Piglet’s 12-2-4 Lucian in Game 1, then FeniX’s surprising 9-1-10 Azir and Quas’s 7-2-7 Hecarim in Game 2. The team was riding high, and demonstrating their ability to carry from all three lanes.

A couple of hours later it had all melted away into bitter defeat after three straight losses, capped off by an opening skirmish in Game 5 that ended the game almost before it had even begun.

But long before Game 5 was decided in the first few minutes by LemonNation’s solo jungle harass, Team Liquid was mentally on the ropes. Cloud9’s Game 3 victory had given the higher-seeded team a surge of hope and a recipe for success, while on Liquid’s side the loss opened up old mental wounds, rekindling memories of the reverse sweep they suffered at the hands of LMQ in Summer 2014, a loss which denied them a chance to play at the World Championships.

Game 5 officially determined the winner of the series, but in many ways Game 3 was the deciding game. Continue reading Cloud9’s Comeback: How Team Liquid Lost the Semifinals in Game 3 →