Cloud9, one of the most popular esports organizations, is returning to Dota 2. The last time we saw Cloud9 in Dota 2 was in 2017 and now they’re back with a new squad.
A brief history of Cloud9 in Dota 2
The North American organization made a couple of attempts to take over the Dota 2 scene and they were partially successful. With plenty of fans to back them up, the team’s success led them to multiple editions of The International where they had decent results. In 2014, they finished 5th/6th and in 2015 – 9th/12th. After that, the team disbanded and a new attempt was made in 2017 when Cloud9 picked up the roster of Danish Bears right before the start of The International. They managed to make it to the event and earned 13th/16th place this time, but despite that, the squad was short-lived and ceased to exist.
From 2017 up until now, Cloud9 abandoned Dota 2 as a whole, but the title is still as tempting as ever for small and big organizations alike. With the biggest prize pool in a single event from all other esports, it was no surprise that teams would often form just in the hopes of grabbing a piece of the pie.
The hints were already there
Rumors of Cloud9 taking another shot at Dota 2 have been around for quite a while. Different sources claimed that the organization was very interested in signing a new team, but no official statement was ever given. A few days back on January 27, 2020, Cloud9’s official Twitter channel basically confirmed it all true.
Lakad Matatag?
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) January 27, 2020
For those unfamiliar, “Lakad Matatag” is a famous phrase in the Dota 2 community which was made popular by two Filipino casters and even Gabe Newell himself used it in his opening speech during The International 2018 to greet all Canadians. It basically means to “walk strong”.
The new roster
Today, we saw the first reveal of Cloud9’s new Dota 2 squad. Previously, the organization would usually just sign an already existing team that they deemed worthy, but this time that’s not the case. The current team is as follows in order of position played:
- • Andrei “skem” Ong – last played for Neon Esports
- • Ji Hao “vtFaded” Cheng – loaned from the Chinese EHOME
- • Rasmus “MISERY” Filipsen – last played for Chaos Esports Club
- • Francis “FLee” Lee – last played for Demon Slayers
- Johan “pieliedie” Åström – last played for Newbee
As it becomes obvious, the 5 new players haven’t played together previously and are all coming from different teams. MISERYand pieliedie have actually been a part of Cloud9 in the past, but not at the same time. Many expected Jacky “EternalEnvy” Mao to make an appearance among the roster, but it seems they were wrong.
Cloud9 CEO and Owner Jack Etienne commented:
“Ever since departing the Dota 2 space in 2017 we’ve been keeping an eye on finding the best time to re-enter and I’m glad to say it’s finally arrived. These players have had success across the world and everyone here is looking forward to what they’ll do as a team.
Cloud9 Sr. General Manager Gaylen Malone added:
“Dota 2 continues to be a phenomenon, consistently putting on some of the greatest moments esports has to offer, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of that once again. With Noukky at the helm, and faces both familiar and new, Cloud9 is ready to make waves.”
For now, we can only wait and see how the team will perform in their first event. Chances are we’ll see them in upcoming DPC events like the StarLadder ImbaTV Minor in Kiev or the ESL One Los Angeles Major, both of which are happening in March.
