Cloud9 Seeking New Talent to Replace FNS
Cloud9, a popular North American esports team, is reportedly on the lookout for fresh talent to join its Major-winning roster. The decision to replace Pujan “FNS” Mehta may have been prompted by the team’s less-than-stellar performance at the ECS Season Five Finals in June. According to a report from DBLTAP, potential replacements for FNS include Nathan “NBK” Schmitt and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire from G2 Esports, who may be available due to an upcoming roster shuffle.
Struggles Under FNS’ Leadership
Since FNS took over as a replacement for Jake “Stewie2k” Yip in March, Cloud9 has encountered difficulties going up against strong opponents in major tournaments. Even teams they’d normally perform well against, such as FaZe Clan, Heroic, and TyLoo, have proven to be challenging. Interestingly, Stewie2k is now on trial with SK Gaming, and they too are experiencing their own set of issues in the same events. FNS was bought out from compLexity Gaming for $200,000, according to C9 CEO Jack Etienne.
FNS Underperforms, Team Chemistry Affected
FNS’ tenure with Cloud9 has been short-lived, as he has only been part of the team for two months. This is his second departure from a team in 2018, with his previous stint being with coL. Under his leadership, Cloud9 has struggled to advance past the group stages in three consecutive tournaments: DreamHack Marseille in April, IEM Sydney in May, and the EPL Season Seven Finals last weekend. The team’s chemistry has suffered since the change, with coach Soham “valens” Chowdhury noting a decline in natural chemistry in an interview with HLTV.
Potential Replacements and Challenges
Possible options for Cloud9 to replace FNS are NBK and apEX from G2 esports. Reports suggest that the French duo may be left out of G2’s next lineup, led by Richard “shox” Papillon. However, the likelihood of these changes occurring is uncertain, given the circumstances and the unknown timeline of the upcoming French shuffle. Another potential option for Cloud9 is Braxton “swag” Pierce, who recently left Torqued. However, adding swag to the roster would mean that Cloud9 would have to opt out of Valve Major competitions due to his ban from $1 million tournaments.
FNS has yet to directly address the report, as he did not deny it when asked by DBLTAP’s Jarek “DeKay” Lewis on Twitter.
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