Six years of futility have finally been redeemed as Cloud9 sweeps FlyQuest to clinch their first title in as many years. Gone are the days of old with Hai and Jensen. Gone is Sneaky. Gone is the reigning MVP Svenskeren. But also gone are the C9 days of heartbreak. Gone are the second place finishes. Gone is the missed Zhonyas. And gone are all the challengers for their split-long perch atop the LCS.
Their cumulative 26-2 mark is the best in LCS history, and while we won’t immediately get to see them play against international competition, I do hope we will still remember them as one of the best teams to ever play in NA. A lot could change between now and summer, but the run they put together just now was historically great, and it’s a great shame we’ll have to wait to see them test their mettle against the world.
Game 1 opened with a great Blitzcrank hook from IgNar onto Blaber’s Kindred to propel FLY to a strong early and mid game in which they traded blow-for-blow with C9. C9, however, seemed to constantly gain small advantages here or there in team fights which made it feel like they had a stranglehold over the game even though it was extremely close. Then, during the critical mid game fight, just as FLY managed to wipe four C9 members from the map, Nisqy’s last breath (a Q+W combo) landed on WildTurtle and prevented FLY from doing anything with the team fight win. This led to a scramble from them that saw C9 secure not just the Ocean Soul but a couple of kills and subsequently Baron. From there, C9 closed out the game in typical fashion.
Most analysts expected a clean sweep from but the way Game 1 went gave us all hope that this Final might turn into a competitive series. C9, however, had other plans. A huge roam from Vulcan’s Thresh flipped a fight against FLY that started off brilliantly for them in the top lane resulting in a fed Nisqy Yasuo. From there it was a series of attempts from FLY to make a play that was thwarted by C9 having an extra member roaming in that direction. As such, C9 was able to build their standard 3k gold lead at 15 minute and threaten a Dragon Soul by 23 minutes, which they of course secured. But not before a 21 minute Baron. C9 completely stomped Game 2.
And with a 2-0 lead in the series, C9 moved to within one game from the All-Time win percentage record in the LCS. FLY would once again secure first blood in the series, but as has become evident this split, C9 doesn’t die just because they bleed. You need to turn first blood into second and second into third or C9’s other heads will turn and snap you in half. All it took was a single team fight -- one that FLY looked like they were winning -- to go sour and that was it. C9 took the fight, the Baron, and then they ended the FLY season.
*Photo via Cloud9.*
FLY put up as admirable a showing as you might expect, but like every other team this split, they just couldn’t close the gap between them and C9. There will be much work for them to do in the offseason, but for now I hope they can take some time to reflect on the most successful split in their franchise’s young history. Both on the Rift and off the Rift with their treequest initiative, this was a terrific split for them.
Cloud9, now, has a truly underrated challenge ahead of them. We watched Team Liquid succumb to their own success, and before them it was TSM. To stand atop the LCS is one thing, but to stay there is clearly not enough for fans and for the players alike. Their next task will not only be to continue to thrive in the summer but to surpass it and then bring this level of play to the international stage. Fans will always ask you for more, and with them being so historically dominant, the ask will be greater than ever before.
Before that, though, we will enter a short offseason where everyone can take some time to rest from a split that will be memorable both for the good and for the truly unfortunate. There are a lot of terrible things that occupy the mind and the body these days, and so it is extremely important to celebrate the bright moments of joy as they come. Cloud9 knows, perhaps better than any other team in the LCS, that these moments are fleeting. You might not feel this way for another six years, and by then, you might look up and not recognize a single face. But, perhaps, those old faces will still be watching you from afar.
