Cloud9 drops Zven, promotes K1ng for 2021 LCS Summer Split

Cloud9 will be entering the 2021 LCS Summer Split with big changes to its bot lane and coaching position. 

In a recent roster update, Cloud9 announced that Calvin “K1ng” Truong will act as the starting bot laner for the team while veteran Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen will be playing for the academy roster to start off the split. Furthermore, Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin will take a step back to become the assistant coach as Alfonso “Mithy” Rodríguez takes his place as head coach.

The changes for the bot lane will come as a surprise to most fans, as Zven has been a core part of Cloud9 since he joined in November 2019. The Danish bot laner has been considered one of the best players in his role since moving to the LCS and will now be playing in the academy league after a fairly disappointing performance in the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. 

Cloud9 will instead be giving K1ng a shot in the LCS after performing well in the Academy league and most recently the LCS Proving Grounds. K1ng hasn’t had a shot in the LCS yet, so it’s fair to assume that Cloud9 wants to see how he develops when playing on the big stage. If the swap doesn’t succeed, it’s likely that Zven will return to his position as the starting bot laner. 

Mithy becomes new Cloud9 head coach over Reignover

The other big change for Cloud9 moving into the summer split is in the head coach position. Last split, Reignover acted as the head coach after previously coaching the Cloud9 Academy squad. Moving forward, Mithy will take over as the head coach after Reignover reported that the role was taking a toll on his mental health. 

“Prior to MSI, Reignover came to me and let me know that the position as head coach was taking a toll on his mental health,” CEO of Cloud9 Jack Etienne said. “The organization first experimented with Mithy as the head coach and Reignover as the assistant coach at MSI.” 

The swap in the coaching staff might end up as the right choice for Cloud9, as Mithy has been a natural leader ever since his time as a professional player. Reignover likely has the tools to succeed in other coaching positions and could return to a head coaching position in the LCS at a later date. 

The newly updated Cloud9 squad will enter Summoner’s Rift when the LCS Summer Split kicks off on Friday, June 4.