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Watch This League of Legends Team Pull Off a Miraculous Run
League of Legends team Cloud9 might have just pulled off one of the most incredible cinderella stories.
At the end of the North American Summer Split, they were 7th in the standings. Seventh out of 10 teams. It was an abrupt fall from grace. In the Spring Split, they finished second in the standings--and now, they were trying desperately to avoid being relegated to the amateur league.
Things got so out of hand that they pulled one of their players, Hai Lam, out of retirement to revamp the lineup. The caveat? He wouldn't be playing in the same position. He'd have to learn a completely new role in the game.
The decision was met with skepticism, but with Hai's hefty competitive experience and leadership skills, Cloud9 managed to avoid relegations and secure their spot without being demoted to the amateur league.
Around the same time, the League of Legends World Championships was coming up and Cloud9's last chance of qualifying for it was to run the gauntlet.
The gauntlet is a last ditch effort for teams to qualify to play on the international stage, where the best teams around the world fight for the number one title.
There are three rounds in total and the system favors teams that performed well throughout the regular season by putting them at the end of the bracket--but it also gives teams that didn't perform in the regular season one last chance.
Cloud9 was seeded as Team 4, which meant they would have the longest run in the gauntlet. Not only would they have to play all three rounds against teams that were ahead of them all season, they would have to play three Best of 5s. A potential 15 games total in the span of three days.
In the first round, they faced off against Team 3--Gravity, who finished 4th in the Summer Split. And to nobody's surprise, Cloud9 lost the first two games.
Things were looking grim for Cloud9. Gravity only needed one more game to win to move on to the next round of the gauntlet.
But somewhere in the third game, a spark was lit--and Cloud9 would go on to win three consecutive games in a row, pulling off an incredible reverse sweep against the heavy favorites in the match-up.
And as if that wasn't enough, Cloud9 managed to keep fans on their toes the following day. In the second round of the gauntlet, they were put up against Team 2--Team Impulse, who were 3rd in the Summer Split standings.
As if history were about to repeat itself, Cloud9 would lose the first two games again. Fans on Twitter joked about another incoming reverse sweep but the prospects looked grim. Team Impulse had momentum on their side, and Cloud9 would only have to lose one more game.
Because somehow, they pulled it off.
Cloud9 managed to, once again, win three consecutive games in a row, pulling off a second reverse sweep.
With two series under their belt, Cloud9 secured themselves a spot in the final round of the gauntlet.
The team would have to triumph over Team 1--or Team Liquid, a team that had all the right cards. A team with highly skilled and mechanically gifted players. A team that was touted as one of the strongest teams in North America.
Sure, Cloud9 might've been able to capitalize off the mistakes of other teams like Gravity and Impulse. But this was Team Liquid, a team that managed to nab first in the Summer Season standings.
The odds were stacked against Cloud9. While Team Liquid's goal for the Summer Season was to win the whole thing and head to World Championships, Cloud9's goal for the Summer Season was to avoid being relegated to an amateur league.
But against all expectations--and against all odds, Cloud9 won. And no, there wasn't a reverse sweep this time around.
Cloud9 took the first game, lost the second game, and came back with a vengeance in the third and fourth games to close out the series 3-1. It turned out to be the best record they had throughout the entire gauntlet.
In fact, the loss was devastating for Team Liquid. Their star players were in tears after the series.
It might be easy to chalk it up to a fluke. But Cloud9's decision to bring one of its franchise players back from retirement is likely the reason why they've seen so much success lately. After all, he was the main decision maker in-game before he retired. And now, he's pulled his teammates through the gauntlet.
After the series was over, he said to his teammates, "I held my promise. I got you to worlds."
In the span of three days, the dark horse of the gauntlet managed to crush the dreams of three contenders fighting for the final seed at the League of Legends World Championships.
Below is their final game against Team Liquid. You can watch the rest of their games in the gauntlet here.
More...
At the end of the North American Summer Split, they were 7th in the standings. Seventh out of 10 teams. It was an abrupt fall from grace. In the Spring Split, they finished second in the standings--and now, they were trying desperately to avoid being relegated to the amateur league.Things got so out of hand that they pulled one of their players, Hai Lam, out of retirement to revamp the lineup. The caveat? He wouldn't be playing in the same position. He'd have to learn a completely new role in the game.
The decision was met with skepticism, but with Hai's hefty competitive experience and leadership skills, Cloud9 managed to avoid relegations and secure their spot without being demoted to the amateur league.
Around the same time, the League of Legends World Championships was coming up and Cloud9's last chance of qualifying for it was to run the gauntlet.The gauntlet is a last ditch effort for teams to qualify to play on the international stage, where the best teams around the world fight for the number one title.
There are three rounds in total and the system favors teams that performed well throughout the regular season by putting them at the end of the bracket--but it also gives teams that didn't perform in the regular season one last chance.
Cloud9 was seeded as Team 4, which meant they would have the longest run in the gauntlet. Not only would they have to play all three rounds against teams that were ahead of them all season, they would have to play three Best of 5s. A potential 15 games total in the span of three days.
In the first round, they faced off against Team 3--Gravity, who finished 4th in the Summer Split. And to nobody's surprise, Cloud9 lost the first two games.Things were looking grim for Cloud9. Gravity only needed one more game to win to move on to the next round of the gauntlet.
But somewhere in the third game, a spark was lit--and Cloud9 would go on to win three consecutive games in a row, pulling off an incredible reverse sweep against the heavy favorites in the match-up.
And as if that wasn't enough, Cloud9 managed to keep fans on their toes the following day. In the second round of the gauntlet, they were put up against Team 2--Team Impulse, who were 3rd in the Summer Split standings.
As if history were about to repeat itself, Cloud9 would lose the first two games again. Fans on Twitter joked about another incoming reverse sweep but the prospects looked grim. Team Impulse had momentum on their side, and Cloud9 would only have to lose one more game.
Because somehow, they pulled it off.
Cloud9 managed to, once again, win three consecutive games in a row, pulling off a second reverse sweep.
With two series under their belt, Cloud9 secured themselves a spot in the final round of the gauntlet.
The team would have to triumph over Team 1--or Team Liquid, a team that had all the right cards. A team with highly skilled and mechanically gifted players. A team that was touted as one of the strongest teams in North America.Sure, Cloud9 might've been able to capitalize off the mistakes of other teams like Gravity and Impulse. But this was Team Liquid, a team that managed to nab first in the Summer Season standings.
The odds were stacked against Cloud9. While Team Liquid's goal for the Summer Season was to win the whole thing and head to World Championships, Cloud9's goal for the Summer Season was to avoid being relegated to an amateur league.
But against all expectations--and against all odds, Cloud9 won. And no, there wasn't a reverse sweep this time around.
Cloud9 took the first game, lost the second game, and came back with a vengeance in the third and fourth games to close out the series 3-1. It turned out to be the best record they had throughout the entire gauntlet.
In fact, the loss was devastating for Team Liquid. Their star players were in tears after the series.
It might be easy to chalk it up to a fluke. But Cloud9's decision to bring one of its franchise players back from retirement is likely the reason why they've seen so much success lately. After all, he was the main decision maker in-game before he retired. And now, he's pulled his teammates through the gauntlet.
After the series was over, he said to his teammates, "I held my promise. I got you to worlds."
In the span of three days, the dark horse of the gauntlet managed to crush the dreams of three contenders fighting for the final seed at the League of Legends World Championships.
Below is their final game against Team Liquid. You can watch the rest of their games in the gauntlet here.
More...