The countdown to Worlds 2026 has begun. To start the hype for the international event, we are looking at every team in the tournament. Cloud9 last appeared on the international stage in 2023. They bowed out in the Swiss Stage with a 1-3 record. The organisation has struggled in recent years. They were always a contender to qualify. But they always fell at the final hurdle. They got past that block, beating LYON in the Upper Bracket.
Cloud9’s Roster
- Park “Thanatos” Seung-gyu – Korean Top Laner
- Robert “Blaber” Robert Huang – American Jungler
- Eain “APA” Stearns – American Mid Laner
- Lee “Loki” Sang-min – Korean Mid Laner
- Jesper “Zven” Svennigsen – Danish Bot Laner
- Edward “Tactical” Ra – American Bot Laner
- Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme – Canadian Support
APA left Team Liquid at the start of the year. He joined C9 to replace Loki. After spending a few months on HANJIN BRION, Loki returned to the roster for split 3. Tactical joined the roster as well. They replaced APA and Zven.
Getting Past Their Struggles
C9 has been one of the favorites in the LCS/LTA. On paper, they have had dominant rosters. Those rosters performed well in the regular season. However, once the lights shone brightly in the playoffs, C9 faltered. They were favored in the Lock-In phase. LYON defeated them in the Grand Final. The loss saw them miss the First Stand. They went undefeated in the Spring Regular Season. After narrowly beating FlyQuest in the Upper Bracket, C9 lost 3-0 to both LYON and Team Liquid. The third-place finish meant they did not qualify for MSI. Another failed playoff run. They missed out on EWC through the qualifiers.
The Summer playoffs saw them break the block. They dominated LYON in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals. It represented a great shift for the organisation. They qualified for an international event and defeated Inspired on the way. He had been a thorn in their side since he joined Evil Geniuses in 2021. They did not translate that success into more wins. Granted, both Team Liquid and LYON were stronger on the day. Breaking the veil should help the roster. The inclusion of Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi and Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera as the head coach has impacted the roster.
Key Player – Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme
The Rock
Vulcan is a crucial piece to the C9 puzzle. He is the secondary shot caller. Often, when Blaber makes calls, Vulcan reins him in. IWillDominate confirmed this during a podcast with Caedrel. He mentioned that Blaber always wants to look for aggressive plays. Vulcan is there to confirm whether he should go for the play. Vulcan is more than just an important voice. His gameplay is consistent. Give him engage champions, and he knows the angles they need. He is even better on enchanter supports. Very few LCS supports can match his impact on Enchanters. Even CoreJJ is not as good on enchanter supports.
Cloud9 Expectations
They have a stern test getting through the Play-Ins. Karmine Corp is a dangerous threat. They might even have to face FURIA again. The last time the two teams played, FURIA dominated the series. That was a much different team. C9 has improved significantly since then. However, there is no guarantee that they will not regress against the Brazilian team. Of course, they could face LOS, depending on the CBLOL results. If they reach the Swiss Stage, they could do damage. They do not seem likely to reach the Bracket Stage. However, they might get good bracket luck or hit a rich form.
Play-Ins Qualification
Only one Swiss Stage spot remains. C9 will battle Karmine Corp, MVK Esports, and the CBLOL second seed for the final spot. Teams will be drawn against each other after the CBLOL final. The teams will play in a best-of-five double-elimination bracket.
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