Jake “Stewie2K” Yip to Replace Cloud9 Captain Sean “sg@res” Gares
Cloud9 has announced that Jake “Stewie2K” Yip will be replacing former captain and in-game leader Sean “sg@res” Gares.
Gares, a veteran player in the pro scene, left Cloud9 late last year. In contrast, Yip is a newcomer to the professional scene who has yet to face international competition.
Yip recently played for Splyce in the ESEA premier division, where he showcased his high level of technical ability. Well-known players like Sam “DaZeD” Marine have praised Yip for his performance in the FPL, an in-house matchmaking system for professional and high-level players created by Faceit.
Some fans may be surprised by this acquisition. Tarik Celik, the frontman for Counter Logic Gaming, had been linked to the vacant spot for weeks. However, Cloud9 was unwilling to meet CLG’s buyout price and eventually lost interest in Celik.
While Yip has shown great potential, he still lacks international experience, unlike the rest of the Cloud9 lineup. The team will now have to see if Yip has what it takes to perform on the world stage.
This move also brings a change in the team’s dynamic. Gares was the team’s in-game leader, and it was speculated that Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert took over that role before his departure. With the inexperienced Yip replacing Gares, it is likely that Gilbert will fill the in-game leader position unless the team decides to bring in a coach.
Image via Valve | Remix by Jacob Wolf
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