Cloud9 kicked off the third week of VCT Americas with a bang, as the roster continues to defy the low pre-season expectations following a shocking 2-0 victory over 100 Thieves. C9 now sit at 2-1 on the season.
For the third week in a row, C9 claimed the opening map of the series with a confident 13-7 win on Lotus. All five C9 players went positive on their pick, and overall teamplay difference was the theme of the entire series. C9 plans and executes were well thought out, with each player filling the needs of the play, while 100T relied on a lot of individual playmaking and heroics.
That was the case on Ascent as well, but C9 had the added benefit of putting the tremendously talented leaf back on Jett for a big match. He finished with 26 kills in the overtime victory, and won 9 of 12 opening duels. Yet another week, the two C9 rookies, runi and jakee, showed up and did their jobs, holding their own against established tier-one talent.
Related: Two top VCT Americas highlights come from a Cloud9 rookie sensation
While the standout performance of both the rookies and C9 as a whole may surprise viewers, it’s expected from a confident coach in mCe. Following their close loss to LOUD last week, despite impressing many fans, mCe was still “very upset with how [C9] played.” But he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks anyway.
The coach, who admittedly hates losing more than he enjoys winning, told Dot last week, “I don’t care if people think we can beat them or not. It doesn’t matter if they think we suck; we still beat them and that’s what matters.” During that talk, mCe also told Dot that both jakee and Runi have “done an excellent job,” and “understand the game better than people give them credit for.”
But a big test awaits C9 in the upcoming super week when they take on both NRG and FURIA over three days.
