Melany M. June 4, 2019
Cloud9 closed week one in the LCS undefeated with a victory over Clutch Gaming.
The win cemented Cloud9’s place as one of the strongest contenders in the LCS and showed that the team’s offseason boot camp in South Korea was time well spent.
For its game against Clutch, Cloud9 chose to return to the Sona and Taric combination. Clutch Gaming’s Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon took a page out of Martin "Wunder" Hansen’s book and locked in a top lane Pyke, a move the G2 Esports player popularized during the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational.
The match started with Clutch applying early pressure and reveling in a strong performance from Cody “Cody Sun” Sun, who made a great impression in his return to the LCS stage after splitting from 100 Thieves. Unfortunately, while Cody Sun continued to roll and managed to destroy a turret, the rest of his team was falling apart.
In the top lane, Eric “Licorice” Ritchie completely neutralized Huni, which forced Clutch into an overly aggressive style.
Cloud9 took advantage of Clutch’s mistakes to secure structures and drakes. After 20 minutes, Cody Sun was the only threat on his team, but he wasn’t nearly powerful enough to take on the entirety of Cloud9. Cloud9 focused him down to secure a baron buff and three kills around the pit.
After the reset, a poised Cloud9 began its final siege. Four kills inside the base were enough to take the game and advance the team’s record to 2-0.