Rebuilding Cloud9: Should they go international?
The Counter-Strike world couldn't have been more excited when Cloud9 signed Major winners electroNic and Perfecto prior to IEM Cologne 2023.
On paper, it was one of the most talented teams in the world, and it combined strong pieces from both NAVI and Gambit who had dominated during the online era.
Cloud9's former roster failed to live up to the hype. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenSadly, less than a year later. The project failed.
The departure of sh1ro was the first stumbling block, but the recent transfer of electroNic and the benchings of Perfecto and HObbit have left the organisation in a precarious position very few would have seen coming.
With the team now left with just two players and in freefall, they have to rebuild.
Owner Jack Etienne has already promised they will do so around Ax1Le and Boombl4, but what direction do they take? Do they stick with Russian players? Or do they follow the trend of the international meta and look elsewhere to create the strongest roster possible?
Sticking to the same language
Despite the trend of international teams in the last few years, players from Russia have tended to remain within national teams.
It's understandable, there is an immense amount of talent within the nation, as well as a number of surrounding countries who can also speak the language fluidly. They simply don't face the same issues as other nations do when it comes to building teams.
As a result, we think it would be a logical decision if Cloud9 were to stick with being home to a Russian team after this rebuild. It would likely make Boombl4 and Ax1Le more comfortable, and they deserve to be repaid for the faith they have shown.
So, who would we go for?
H0bbit has been benched after two years with the organisation. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenAWPer
Although Boombl4 has previously told us that he is comfortable AWPing and hasn't exactly been bad while AWPing for Cloud9, it's doubtful that he would continue in that role moving forward. There are several options we could go for, so let's take a look at them.
Starting with deko, the youngster has been impressive for a while in tier two, but we'd be willing to bet that issues with his attitude will be a limiting factor in terms of him ever moving up a tier. If you're confused by that, let's just take a look at what Boombl4 told us about him back at BLAST Premier World Final 2023.
So, deko is out then.
Next, we have ArtFr0st. ArtFr0st was the unfortunate loser back when Spirit signed sh1ro, and it's a shame the AWPer hasn't yet had an opportunity in tier one, especially because Cloud9 didn't have an AWPer for so long.
Former Cloud9 AWPer sh1ro replaced ArtFr0st on Spirit. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenDespite a lack of strong results for his new team, PARIVISION, in 2024, ArtFr0st has remained strong outside of Spirit with a 1.19 HLTV rating in 2024. He would be a great pick-up, although we do think there could be a couple of drawbacks.
It's incredibly common for players to struggle to make the step up from tier-two to tier-one, and that is especially true for AWPers.
Even someone like Nicoodoz, who absolutely shone for Preasy in tier two, has struggled to replicate the same form on HEROIC this year.
Not just that, but given his relatively young age and the hype that surrounded him in 2023, it's hard to imagine that PARIVISION would have signed him without including a reasonably large buyout.
So, if those two reasons mean ArtFr0st is also out, who are we left with?
degster has been out of action since being benched by OG. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenRemember degster?
degster was a player who was incredible as Spirit emerged as a threat during the PGL Majors in Stockholm and Antwerp, and he continued to impress on OG even despite the struggles they faced as a roster.
Stats-wise, he is one of the best AWPers in the world, and those stats have come in tier one makes that even better.
Even better yet, he is still signed to OG, meaning the organisation will still be paying his wages despite the fact he is on the bench. This might mean they're willing to let him go for free, which could be a huge benefit to Cloud9.
So, we choose degster as the AWPer.
With degster, Boombl4 would no longer be forced to AWP. Photo: Stephanie LindgrenStar rifler
With Ax1Le serving as a star lurker and Boombl4 as more of an aggressive, supportive in-game leader, the new team will definitely be in requirement of an aggressive star rifler.
For that role, there are two options: KENSI from Aurora, and Magnojez from BetBoom.
KENSI is arguably the more proven of the two, even if his tier-one experience is limited to RMR events.
He's also been in great form recently and is definitely the bigger guarantee of the two for higher-level performances.
As for Magnojez, he has also shone since signing for BetBoom from Spirit's academy earlier this year. His performances are only slightly worse than KENSI's (1.17 HLTV rating to 1.24 in the past three months), and at 19, he is three years younger, meaning that in theory, he has greater potential to improve.
KENSI is starring for AURORA in 2024 Photo: Michal KonkolGiven that Magnojez has only just signed for his new team, it might be hard to prise him away from them, so with that in mind, we'll go for KENSI.
Completing the team
For the final player, we think there is only one answer: AURORA's r3salt.
r3salt may have just signed for AURORA, but his impact since joining the team is easy to see.
Having already won the Skyesports Masters 2024, Aurora have only lost four times since r3salt joined the team and are well on their way to surging up the rankings.
r3salt has transformed AURORA into one of the best teams in Russia. Photo: Michal KonkolSome might say he would be foolish to leave, but joining Cloud9 would lead to opportunities AURORA would struggle ever to provide.
As well as that, if they were to lose KENSI to this rebuild, the project would instantly become far less attractive.
r3salt is a no-brainer for the team. He fills the roles left vacant by the other players, and with a 1.20 HLTV rating in the past three months, he is currently starring in tier two.
Our pick for a Cloud9 roster after a rebuild:
Ax1Le is now the only man left from the team Cloud9 signed in 2022. Photo: Michal KonkolGoing international
When it comes to building an international team, this is where it gets far more difficult.
Because international teams are commonplace, this doesn't mean it is easy to build a good one. Even organisations with great backing, such as OG, NIP, and fnatic have all struggled to do so compared to the likes of FaZe, Vitality, NAVI, and MOUZ.
When Cloud9 signed Gambit in 2022, they did so to compete with the likes of those teams at the top. Not fall off in the way teams like fnatic have done, and that makes finding players capable of playing in a top-tier international team so difficult.
They could try to raid MOUZ, but why would any of those players leave? They are playing on a great team in great form under the most promising IGL in Counter-Strike. It would be a foolish move even if Cloud9 were throwing incredible salaries around.
Why would a MOUZ player leave? Photo: Michal KonkolIf you try to fill the roles previously looked at, such as the aggressive rifler role, names like XANTARES, Wicadia, and juanflatroo all come to mind, but the same problem persists. These players love the teams they are playing for, and for them, playing in those teams means more than just playing CS.
That forces you to look elsewhere, such as SAW's ewjerkz or MIBR's insani. They're both great players, but something about them playing alongside Russian players doesn't exactly feel like a recipe for success.
Even from looking at just one of the roles that need to be filled, it's clear that unless Cloud9 is happy with tumbling into eternal mediocrity, signing an international squad is a poor idea.
Cloud9 has to stay as a Russian team. They have the players for it already, and there is enough talent that they can sign a roster that is capable of living up to the hype of the roster they have just lost.
Playing for Guild Eagles means too much to juanflatroo for him to leave. Photo: Michal KonkolCloud9 is an organisation with a rich history in Counter-Strike. They don't exist in the space without expecting to fight for trophies. if they want to do that, they should stick to what they know. A national team is the only way forward for them.