Cloud9’s Run Ends in Disappointment at ECS Season Five Finals
Cloud9’s journey at the ECS Season Five Finals came to an end yesterday as they were eliminated after a disappointing 0-2 group stage run in London.
The North American favorites suffered a defeat to Astralis in a best-of-one match and a close best-of-three loss to Fnatic, resulting in their departure from FACEIT’s $660,000 event. This tournament also marked the last appearance of Pujan “FNS” Mehta with the team, as Tarik Celik took over the in-game leading role.
Related: Liquid and FaZe Secure Spots in Playoff at ECS Season 5 Finals
Led by Will “RUSH” Wierzba, Cloud9 participated in a Q&A session with , Blitz Esports, Unikrn, and VP Esports on June 7, just before the start of the event.
Considering Players Outside of North America
Blaze “draulon” Lengyel from Unikrn: Would you be open to recruiting players from outside of North America?
RUSH: We are considering players from outside of NA. I can’t disclose specific names, but I’m sure you are familiar with them. These players bring a wealth of experience to the table. We are carefully weighing our options and have yet to decide on a fifth player. We will play it by ear and see what we can find.
Parting Ways with FNS
Jamie Villanueva from : How is the team dynamic now that FNS will be leaving soon? I understand that it was a mutual decision to part ways.
The team dynamic isn’t affected negatively by FNS’s departure. He is a good guy and easy to get along with, so there are no hard feelings. I’m sure he wants to showcase his skills, which he possesses. He has no reason to underperform or be upset. Surprisingly, practice has been going well with him. Even though he is not officially on the team anymore, he is currently standing in. He has been playing really well, despite not being in the calling role because Tarik is leading in our practice sessions. It wasn’t a mutual decision. We decided it ourselves, but I think he had an idea that it was coming because we weren’t performing at our best. It wasn’t because his calling was bad, but rather he didn’t fit well with the style of play and calling that we wanted. It just didn’t match up.
Plans for Improvement in the Coming Months
: How do you plan to improve in the next few months? Considering you will have a new fifth player soon, there will be a need for adjustments.
To improve in the next few months, we need to find a player that we are fully committed to. We don’t want to settle for someone we are unsure about and potentially have to replace them down the line. Whoever we choose, we want it to be a long-term commitment that will help us improve at a higher rate than we have been recently.
Potential Contenders Among Other NA Teams
: Which other NA teams do you think have the potential to reach the same level as NRG Esports and Team Liquid?
In terms of NA teams that can reach the top tier like NRG and Liquid, I would say compLexity probably has the potential. They recently acquired Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan and Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz, both of whom I have played with in the past. I know their capabilities, and although they have had some issues in the past, I believe they have matured and are ready to resolve their differences and improve. We have practiced against them, and they seem to be performing really well.
I’m trying to think of other NA teams… Luminosity has been showing promising performance. I think with Lucas “steel” Lopes, they have the potential to be really good. Given time, they will prove themselves against top teams as well.
These are two teams I believe could make a breakthrough.
Note: Portions of the conference call were omitted due to audio-related technical issues.
Cloud9, ECS Season Five Finals, North American, disappointing, eliminated, group stage, Astralis, Fnatic, Pujan “FNS” Mehta, Tarik Celik, in-game leading role, Q&A session, player recruitment, team dynamic, improvement, NA teams, NRG Esports, Team Liquid, compLexity, Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan, Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz, Luminosity, Lucas “steel” Lopes