C9 is in the midst of one of the most improbable runs in NA LCS history. Just a few weeks ago they were the laughing stock of the region and no one was taking them seriously. Now they’re tied for third place and are on six-game winning streak.
They started the season 2-6 and have had more roster changes than anyone else this split. Despite a team of all-stars, only Licorice has managed to hold onto his starting role throughout summer. Even Sneaky and Jensen were relegated to the C9 Academy team for several weeks before they earned their roles back on the LCS stage.
Most surprising of all was the benching of Smoothie, who is considered by many to be one of the best supports in North America. After sitting out for weeks, Cloud9 finally made the choice to trade Smoothie and solidify Zeyzal’s spot on the starting roster.
Throughout all that, several things have been made clear. C9 has perhaps the largest talent pool of any NA LCS team. Their Academy team finished first place in the summer split and was anchored by Goldenglue, Svenskeren and Keith, all of whom also spent time on the LCS stage this split.
C9 is also the only team who has been willing to swap out players consistently and with success. Other teams have played occasional subs, but only C9 has had a constantly changing and evolving starting roster.
C9 has the longest current winning streak in NA
Aside from the team’s incredible winning streak, their flexibility is what makes them most dangerous going into playoffs. And thanks to the new 7-man roster rule for playoffs, C9 will be able to keep their starting lineup on a constant swivel. That means that whoever faces them will have to train for a larger champion pool and countless more matchup possibilities.
C9’s final two games are against 100 Thieves and Flyquest, both of whom are ahead of them in the standings. If they can win both games, they’ll be one of the favorites to win it all in playoffs.