Cloud9 Holds onto the Top Spot
The iBUYPOWER Summer Invitational may not have had the same prestige as other tournaments, but it still adds to three important storylines in North American esports. Cloud9, once the top team in North America, has struggled in recent years. However, they had a major resurgence in the summer of 2015, placing 2nd in multiple tournaments and defeating some of the world’s best teams along the way. Unfortunately, Cloud9’s performance declined afterwards, leading to changes in the roster and a drop in results. Despite this, Cloud9 has managed to maintain a top three position in North America, thanks to the decline of other teams like CLG.
TSM Making a Comeback
TSM’s original North American roster received a lot of criticism before they started picking up wins. After parting ways with some players, TSM found new talent and began improving their performance in tournaments and qualifiers. Although TSM had a disappointing loss to Cloud9 in the iBUYPOWER Summer Invitational finals, their recent victories and steady improvement suggest that they can become a respected team in the future.
Selfless Remains a Force
Selfless, previously known as Enemy, lost their star player Koosta but managed to reform under a new name. They initially struggled to achieve the same level of success, but showed improvements online and qualified for major tournaments. Despite not performing well at LAN events, Selfless continues to be one of the stronger mid-tier teams in North America.