2018 NA LCS Summer PLAYOFFS - QUARTERFINALS SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2018 4:00 PM(CST): Echo Fox vs. Team SoloMid (Best of 5) SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018 (CDT, Houston Time) 2:00 PM(CST): 100 Thieves vs. FlyQuest (Best of 5) WATCH LIVE or VoD: YouTube
NA LCS Summer Playoffs Semifinals Day 1 (9/1/18) Cloud9 vs. TSM (Bo5) What a series! Spoiler: [VoD] C9 vs. TSM Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Full Match Series VoD Twitch Link: twitch.tv/videos/304655522
NA LCS Summer Playoffs Semifinals Day 2 (9/2/18) 100 Thieves vs. Team Liquid (Bo5) Spoiler: [VoD] 100 vs. TL Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Full Match Series VoD Twitch Link: twitch.tv/videos/305040041 (starts @01:17:44) Highlights Summer Finals next weekend!
NA LCS Summer Playoffs Final Match Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid September 9, 2018 - 4 pm CT TSM vs. 100T 3rd Place Match 9/8/2018 - 4pm CT WATCH LIVE https://www.youtube.com/user/LoLChampSeries/featured witch.tv/riotgames twitch.tv/nalcs
2018 LCK Summer Finals kt Rolster vs. Griffin Full Match VoD: twitch.tv/videos/307372316 (Game 1 starts @38:20) Spoiler: finals spoiler Congrats, Score! You deserve it more than anybody. 2012 2018
NA LCS Summer Playoffs 3rd Place Match (Best of 5) TSM vs. 100T Great series! Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
2018 World Championship Regional Finals Echo Fox vs. TSM Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler: Match results Echo Fox has been eliminated from the Worlds contention. The last series of the Regional Finals will be between Cloud 9 vs. TSM @4pm (CT) today (9/16/18). The winner of the two will go to the Worlds along with Team Liquid & 100Thieves.
2018 World Championship Regional Finals (best of 5) Cloud 9 vs. TSM Spoiler: [VoD] C9 vs. TSM Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler: Results Cloud 9 will go to 2018 Worlds along with Team Liquid and 100Thieves. TSM, come back stronger next year. Good luck at the worlds, Cloud 9. Hope to see you make it to the semifinals this time.
The young rookie Blaber is currently doing really good at Korean Bootcamp. Hope C9 & TL make it to top 8 at Worlds. Spoiler Lose the offseason, win the gauntlet: Cloud9 blocks out critics en route to Worlds ESPN Emily Rand 9/21/18 ... Amidst continued community criticism and a 1-5 start, C9 was forming its system with a seven-man rotating roster that included rookie jungler Robert "Blaber" Huang and stalwart challenger mid laner Greyson "Goldenglue" Gilmer. Although Jensen returned in Week 3 and Sneaky in Week 4, these roster plans were set in motion, using two mid/jungle duos: Blaber with Jensen and Goldenglue with Svenskeren. Creating this lineup was a delicate balancing act of rookies, veterans, egos and a lot of moving parts. "I think it's the right way to approach this game right now because the meta is constantly changing. Sometimes scrim partners blow up on you; you need a backup system in place," Etienne said. "For players that maybe get really frustrated on the LCS stage, they can play a few weeks in Academy, refocus without any pressure. It allows them to reset and come back stronger, but they're still helping. They're still part of it, and no one looks down on them for what they've done." ... Veteran players like Svenskeren took the swaps in stride even if their initial reactions were slightly shaky. This attitude of the team before all else is something that comes from the top with Etienne and trickles down through the coaching staff headed up by Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu, who was recently awarded Coach of the Split for his efforts this summer. "It's been good, almost surprisingly good," Licorice said of the team's attitude. "Everyone just really wants to win, and Reapered makes sure that we're all on the same page, that we're just here to win as much as possible." "We were really careful about trying to recruit players with a certain mentality that they weren't toxic, that they wanted to help their teammates and they would communicate well," Etienne added. "So these players, they really saw themselves as 10-man squad. They're not Academy versus LCS, and sometimes a lot of resentment can come from that, but these guys rose above that and were like, 'I want to help these LCS guys.'" C9's playoff and gauntlet success, despite a 3-0 finals loss to Team Liquid in the summer split finals, was bolstered by the support and player swaps between the LCS roster and C9's Academy team. At the NA LCS finals in Oakland, California, Cloud9's Academy members came with the team and made themselves available any time a player had to miss a scrim for a feature or photo shoot. In the last few days before the team's regional qualifier matches, Jack said that Cloud9 Academy was the LCS team's primary scrim partner -- a system used more frequently in both China and South Korea with secondary and even tertiary trainee squads. Spoiler: Full Article The phrase "C9 lost the offseason" is now a distant memory, a meme only to be repeated with physical air quotations or a singsong tone. It was last said seriously in late January, before the team leapt out to a 7-1 start. But that phrase is embedded in the legacy of how North American League of Legends organization Cloud9 began its first year in franchising. This year began with what looked like a thud for the longtime NA LCS powerhouse when it Cloud9 picked up jungler Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen and top laner Eric "Licorice" Ritchie over Juan "Contractz" Arturo Garcia, the league's Rookie of the Split in spring 2017, and veteran top laner Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong. Contractz had established himself as one of the region's brightest young talents. Impact had only furthered his own personal North America fan base during his time on C9, coining phrases such as "top die" while helping carry his team through the regional qualifier gauntlet in 2017. By contrast, Licorice was a relatively untested rookie, albeit with impressive performances while on eUnited in the North American Challenger Series. After two years with Team SoloMid, Svenskeren was regarded as washed up, another jungler supposedly ruined by the TSM system. The team was mired in fan and community doubt, and thus, a meme was born. "It's easy to forget how brutal people can be sometimes," C9 CEO and founder Jack Etienne said. "When I took on Licorice and replaced Impact, that was heavily criticized, and I guarantee that the fans are really happy we did that now. The decisions to change the roster were based on a lot of information that people just didn't see." Losing the offseason was quickly forgotten but served as a prelude to further fan turmoil and anger this summer when mid laner Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen and AD carry Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi did not start for the first few weeks of the split. Sneaky, in particular, played for C9 since the team's first NA LCS split in the summer of 2013 and has a fervent fan base of his own from streaming, cosplay and his consistent performances in NA LCS. Jensen was considered one of the best, if not the best, player at his position when he was benched. "All the fans, they have so little information. They only see what they see onstage. So it's really easy to think that we just don't care or are doing things without thinking about it," Etienne said. "I actually totally understand why they got so upset. I do wish they could remember all the time and effort and care we do put into our business decisions, to have a little bit more faith and understanding, but I totally get why it was really hard." Amidst continued community criticism and a 1-5 start, C9 was forming its system with a seven-man rotating roster that included rookie jungler Robert "Blaber" Huang and stalwart challenger mid laner Greyson "Goldenglue" Gilmer. Although Jensen returned in Week 3 and Sneaky in Week 4, these roster plans were set in motion, using two mid/jungle duos: Blaber with Jensen and Goldenglue with Svenskeren. Creating this lineup was a delicate balancing act of rookies, veterans, egos and a lot of moving parts. "I think it's the right way to approach this game right now because the meta is constantly changing. Sometimes scrim partners blow up on you; you need a backup system in place," Etienne said. "For players that maybe get really frustrated on the LCS stage, they can play a few weeks in Academy, refocus without any pressure. It allows them to reset and come back stronger, but they're still helping. They're still part of it, and no one looks down on them for what they've done." The approach might have surprised fans, but its impact on players was a net positive, Svenskeren said after Cloud9 Academy won its first title with two other players who had seen NA LCS stage time, Goldenglue and Yuri "Keith" Jew, alongside him. "I have a good relationship with all of my teammates on this team," Svenskeren said. "Being able to help them achieve something they haven't been able to do before -- I know Goldenglue and Keith failed last split -- I mean, I'm just happy to be able to help them achieve this." Veteran players like Svenskeren took the swaps in stride even if their initial reactions were slightly shaky. This attitude of the team before all else is something that comes from the top with Etienne and trickles down through the coaching staff headed up by Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu, who was recently awarded Coach of the Split for his efforts this summer. "It's been good, almost surprisingly good," Licorice said of the team's attitude. "Everyone just really wants to win, and Reapered makes sure that we're all on the same page, that we're just here to win as much as possible." "We were really careful about trying to recruit players with a certain mentality that they weren't toxic, that they wanted to help their teammates and they would communicate well," Etienne added. "So these players, they really saw themselves as 10-man squad. They're not Academy versus LCS, and sometimes a lot of resentment can come from that, but these guys rose above that and were like, 'I want to help these LCS guys.'" C9's playoff and gauntlet success, despite a 3-0 finals loss to Team Liquid in the summer split finals, was bolstered by the support and player swaps between the LCS roster and C9's Academy team. At the NA LCS finals in Oakland, California, Cloud9's Academy members came with the team and made themselves available any time a player had to miss a scrim for a feature or photo shoot. In the last few days before the team's regional qualifier matches, Jack said that Cloud9 Academy was the LCS team's primary scrim partner -- a system used more frequently in both China and South Korea with secondary and even tertiary trainee squads. "When they won Academy Worlds, a lot of players would just be like, 'I'm done for the season. See you in January. I'm out.' But they stayed here, and we were practicing with them this morning," Etienne said after his team's Worlds berth-winning sweep of Team SoloMid. "For the past two days, we didn't have scrim partners. We were practicing with them the entire time. They were fully invested in the success of this team and went the extra mile to support us. "For me it was one of the proudest moments of the season, to see those players behave that way. That's what you really want to see as an owner. The players are invested in the system. They're not just thinking about themselves; they're a team."
Esports Company Cloud9 Raises $50 Million In Series B Funding Forbes Oct 15, 2018, 10:00am Matt Perez, Forbes Staff “At our heart, we really were a family business,” says Jack, who is also Cloud9’s CEO. That family business just scored another big win this year, as Cloud9 announced Monday it received $50 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Valor Equity Partners, and its founder and managing partner, Antonio Gracias, joins Cloud9’s board. Other investors include TrueBridge Capital Partners, Reimagined Ventures and Glassdoor founder Robert Hohman. The influx of equity enables the company to take some significant steps forward in 2019. According to Nielsen, Cloud9 has the broadest reach in the United States and the United Kingdom, which has helped make merchandising one of its strongest revenue segments. With an operational headcount of 35, Etienne is hoping to build out a team to make it more robust and to increase the team’s retail footprint. And like its North American peers Team Liquid and TSM, Cloud9 has begun plans for a 20,000-to-30,000 square foot training facility and home base for its operations in Los Angeles. Its disparate teams will all practice at the facility, while also consolidating its staff of managers, a sports psychologist, a physical therapist and chef. While it’ll no doubt be finished by the end of 2019, Etienne is hoping to be up and running by the start of next year’s competitions. These facilities aren’t just for competitive performance, either. A major focus for the company moving forward is facilitating youth esports. Many players train solo and are inexperienced in a team setting. As detailed by Cloud9’s president, Dan Fiden, the company is hoping these spaces become, “the esports analogue to a Little League diamond.” “Your 14-year-old daughter loves Overwatch and wants nothing more than to get coached and participate in a league—this could be the place that you take her for practice on Wednesday afternoon every week,” Fiden says. It’s a forward-looking plan that’s emblematic of its CEO, whose company made this year's list of Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups. This time last year, Cloud9 closed a Series A funding round for $20 million that was co-led by Founders Fund, who seek out companies with strong leadership already in place. Spoiler: Full Article Founded in 2013 by Jack and Paullie Etienne, the esports company Cloud9 has always been a bit of a mom-and-pop operation. Once during those early days, Jack’s father, a retired lawyer, paid a visit to his son’s house, discovering a floor covered in shirts, sweaters and hoodies. The husband-and-wife team were spending their time stuffing envelopes by hand and shipping out merchandise to fans. His father wanted to pitch in and started helping ship that merchandise, and even eventually served as the company’s first legal counsel. “At our heart, we really were a family business,” says Jack, who is also Cloud9’s CEO. That family business just scored another big win this year, as Cloud9 announced Monday it received $50 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Valor Equity Partners, and its founder and managing partner, Antonio Gracias, joins Cloud9’s board. Other investors include TrueBridge Capital Partners, Reimagined Ventures and Glassdoor founder Robert Hohman. The influx of equity enables the company to take some significant steps forward in 2019. According to Nielsen, Cloud9 has the broadest reach in the United States and the United Kingdom, which has helped make merchandising one of its strongest revenue segments. With an operational headcount of 35, Etienne is hoping to build out a team to make it more robust and to increase the team’s retail footprint. And like its North American peers Team Liquid and TSM, Cloud9 has begun plans for a 20,000-to-30,000 square foot training facility and home base for its operations in Los Angeles. Its disparate teams will all practice at the facility, while also consolidating its staff of managers, a sports psychologist, a physical therapist and chef. While it’ll no doubt be finished by the end of 2019, Etienne is hoping to be up and running by the start of next year’s competitions. These facilities aren’t just for competitive performance, either. A major focus for the company moving forward is facilitating youth esports. Many players train solo and are inexperienced in a team setting. As detailed by Cloud9’s president, Dan Fiden, the company is hoping these spaces become, “the esports analogue to a Little League diamond.” “Your 14-year-old daughter loves Overwatch and wants nothing more than to get coached and participate in a league—this could be the place that you take her for practice on Wednesday afternoon every week,” Fiden says. It’s a forward-looking plan that’s emblematic of its CEO, whose company made this year's list of Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups. This time last year, Cloud9 closed a Series A funding round for $20 million that was co-led by Founders Fund, who seek out companies with strong leadership already in place. “Jack is exactly the type of founder we’re looking for,” says Brian Singerman, the partner at Founders Fund that led its investment into Cloud9. “If you know Jack, he quite literally lives and breathes C9.” Cloud9’s 2018 has been full of wins, starting in January when its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team became the first North American squad to take top honors at a Major tournament. Its dramatic championship win at ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018 had a concurrent viewership peak of 1.1 million, a record for a single channel on Twitch. In July, the Overwatch League’s inaugural season was capped off with a sold-out Grand Final at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where Cloud9’s affiliate, London Spitfire, became the league’s first ever champion after taking down the Comcast-backed Philadelphia Fusion. Due to the road map toward local matches in the league, Cloud9 is also planning a London facility in addition to its headquarters in Los Angeles. As one of the new kids on the block in Rainbow Six Siege, Cloud9 entered September’s DreamHack Montreal 2018 as a significant underdog, yet carved a dramatic road toward victory against the team, Rogue. And in line with its focus on developing younger players, its League of Legends team has brought three rookies to its sixth-consecutive appearance at the World Championships going on right now, the longest streak of any team in the esport. With so much going on this year, its CEO is eager to get started with all of its new initiatives planned for next year. “I am so excited for the future of Cloud9."
NBA legend Michael Jordan invests in Team Liquid's parent company Oct 26, 2018 ESPN Jacob Wolf Eight years after acquiring his hometown NBA team, Michael Jordan is once again betting big on blue. On Thursday, the 55-year-old NBA legend and owner of the Charlotte Hornets became the most recent sports icon to invest in esports as a part of a $26 million Series C funding round in aXiomatic, the parent company of Team Liquid. Spoiler: Full Article Jordan, his family office Jump DC, Hornets vice chairman Curtis Polk and Declaration Capital -- the family office of Washington, D.C.-based billionaire David Rubenstein -- join the star-studded cap table of aXiomatic, one of esports' most valuable organizations. The Series C investment round also includes additional investment from existing chairmen of the company: Golden State Warriors co-owners Peter Guber and Bruce Karsh, Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. Jordan and Rubenstein's family offices, both of which are based in the Washington area, were both recruited into aXiomatic by Leonsis. "The next generation of sports fans are esports fans," Leonsis said in a statement. "Esports is the fastest-growing sector in sports and entertainment, and aXiomatic is at the forefront of that growth. We are thrilled to welcome Michael and David to aXiomatic and look forward to working together on some truly cutting-edge opportunities." In summer 2016, Leonsis and Guber co-founded aXiomatic and appointed former Sony Interactive Entertainment and Mattel executive Bruce Stein as CEO. Among the company's initial investors were Magic Johnson, AOL co-founder Steve Case, and Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney. "Now our group has both Jordan and Magic on the same team," Stein told ESPN. "For the purposes of bringing on traditional sports strategy, competitive training and being able to take best-of-class learning from other sports, it was pretty exciting for us to bring both Magic and Michael together in this group." In September 2016, aXiomatic acquired a majority stake in Team Liquid, one of esports' oldest and most popular teams, based out of Los Angeles and Utrecht, Netherlands. Team Liquid holds teams in multiple esports titles, including League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and others. In a $16.5 million Series A round in June 2017, Vinik invested in aXiomatic, alongside the likes of former Minnesota Wild CEO Jac Sperling and The Walt Disney Company (the parent of ESPN). Karsh joined the company in April as the lead in a $25 million Series B investment round that also included Chicago-based investment firm Vernon & Park Capital. Jordan's interest in esports comes years after the Hall of Famer, who played primarily for the Chicago Bulls, famously refused to license his likeness for use in video games during his playing career. Now Jordan is the latest addition to a rapidly growing crossover between the NBA and esports. Fifteen NBA teams, including the Wizards, Warriors, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat, have mutual ownership or partnership with traditional esports teams. There are 21 NBA team affiliates that will participate in the second season of the NBA 2K League. This partnership between the NBA and NBA 2K developer Take-Two Interactive is expected to launch in early 2019. In NBA arenas around the U.S., thousands of esports fans have gathered to see some of the largest competitions in the competitive ecosystem. In September, Oracle Arena, the home of the Warriors, hosted the 2018 North American League of Legends Championship Series Summer Split Finals, where Team Liquid was crowned champion. Two weeks later, Brooklyn Nets arena Barclays Center hosted its third-annual ESL One New York. In October alone, three major esports organizations have completed significant funding rounds. On Oct. 15, multi-game team Cloud9 completed a record-setting $53.7 million Series B funding round led by Chicago-based Valor Equity Partners. On Tuesday, North American League of Legends team 100 Thieves, which is co-owned by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, completed a Series A round backed by Grammy-winning artist Drake and Scooter Braun, whose company manages Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
Esports Ownership Group aXiomatic Secures Investments from Michael Jordan and Declaration Capital OCTOBER 25, 2018 AXIOMATIC PRESS RELEASE Capital will support continued growth of esports brand Team Liquid. LOS ANGELES- As part of an ongoing mission to empower unforgettable esports experiences, esports ownership group aXiomatic today announced the addition of Michael Jordan and Declaration Capital as investors. “The next generation of sports fans are esports fans,” said Ted Leonsis, Co-Executive Chairman of aXiomatic and Founder, Chairman, CEO and Majority Owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “Esports is the fastest-growing sector in sports and entertainment, and aXiomatic is at the forefront of that growth. We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Declaration Capital to aXiomatic and look forward to working together on some truly cutting-edge opportunities.” Declaration Capital, the family office of David M. Rubenstein, focuses on venture, growth and family-owned investments. Rubenstein is the co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group. Joining the Group is NBA legend Michael Jordan, through his family office. In his thirteen seasons playing for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan led the team to six NBA Championship titles, in addition to creating his Jordan Brand (a division of Nike). With a decade’s long reputation as one of the greatest athletes of all time, this is Jordan’s first step into the digital sports realm with an esports investment. Curtis Polk, the Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of Hornets Sports & Entertainment, and manager of the financial and business affairs of Michael Jordan and his related companies is also joining as an investor. “I’m excited to expand my sports equity portfolio through my investment in aXiomatic. Esports is a fast-growing, international industry and I’m glad to partner with this great group of investors,” commented Michael Jordan. With this bolstered investor lineup, aXiomatic looks forward to powering even more engaging esports experiences, and strengthening existing partnerships, including Team Liquid, a global competitive esports team and premier esports media brand. “From the beginning of our esports and video gaming journey aXiomatic has sought to bring together world-class talent in its investor group. We are extremely excited to welcome these esteemed investors into the aXiomatic and Team Liquid family and look forward to their valuable and unique perspectives,” said aXiomatic CEO and co-founder, Bruce Stein. George P. Stamas of the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher acted as aXiomatic’s counsel for this funding round.
[Source] American Telecommunication Conglomerate, Comcast Aims to Buy an LCK Seed Team InvenGlobal Oct 30, 2018 Will we be able to see a Comcast sponsored LoL team in the upcoming LCK split? According to Korean esports officials, American telecommunication company, Comcast has been making numerous meetings with LCK officials, players and coaches starting from this October. It is told that Comcast has been receiving consultant on buying an LCK organization before the transfer market which will be opening on the start of November. With an American conglomerate aiming to find a spot in the Korean esports market, Comcast is currently in the center of attention among LoL officials; some say that this will possibly bring positive effects in the LCK. If Comcast joins the Korean LoL market, gaming teams might be able to stop the top LCK players from leaving to other leagues. As a matter of fact, Longzhu Gaming (currently Kingzone DragonX) and Gen.G Esports were able to make contract renewals with their players from the help of foreign capital. Comcast will also be able to expect a cost-effective advertisement effect. In order to buy an NA LCS seed team, one has to spend an exorbitant amount of money. On the other hand, buying an LCK team is much cheaper. With the amount of money that is needed to buy an NA team, one can even cover player/coach wages and the overall team management expenses of an LCK organization. Moreover, considering the advertisement effect of signing a popular player, and the huge brand exposure if the team makes it to the next Worlds, Comcast is expected to receive marketing benefits to a great extent. With the Korean LoL scene hitting a slight downturn due to the LCK teams failing to make it to the 2018 Worlds Semis, Comcast moving into the LCK itself is expected to bring a positive wave in the market. If they can successfully manage a team in the near future, it can make a good example for the other companies that are hesitant towards esports marketing. Although specific details are yet unknown, Comcast's move to the Korean LoL scene will indeed become the center of attention.
Jungler UmTi's available now starting today. He declared his free agency and is willing to get out of S. Korea and come to NA. He seems to speak decent English and as I heard he's quite a verbal person will be a quick language learner. Wonder who's gonna pick him up first.
Sources: Liquid in process of buying out Jensen from C9 ESPN Nov. 19, 2018 Jacob Wolf Team Liquid is in the process of facilitating a buyout agreement with Cloud9 that will see Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen move to Liquid as the new starting mid laner, sources close to both teams told ESPN. Jensen will replace mid laner Eugene "Pobelter" Park, who throughout the course of 2018 helped lead Liquid to two North American League of Legends Championship Series split titles in Miami in April and Oakland, California, in September. Pobelter's contract with Team Liquid expired Monday, as multiple players across the globe become free agents in professional League of Legends. Team Liquid and Cloud9 declined to comment. Spoiler: Read more The Jensen transfer is the first step in what is expected to be a tumultuous offseason in North American and European League of Legends. On Tuesday, Riot Games plans to announce the 10 team selections for the European League of Legends Championship Series, four of which will enter the league and have to start from scratch. That will create an interesting and enticing market for European players, some who will have to choose between competing in North America or Europe. Throughout his three-and-a-half years of competing in pro League of Legends, Jensen has become one of the best mid laners in North America. Prior to entering competitive play, he -- then known as "Incarnati0n" -- was banned by Riot Games for alleged toxicity and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks toward his peers in Europe. Following the lifting of his ban, Jensen moved to North America and began competing for Cloud9. In 2018, Jensen had well-documented issues in Cloud9, which led to his benching in June. Throughout the summer, he alternated with backup mid laner Greyson "Goldenglue" Gilmer. However, at the end of the season and later at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship, Jensen became the de facto starting mid laner for the team. Both Team Liquid and Cloud9 represented North America at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship in October. Team Liquid failed to make it past group stages after making it to the event as the first-seeded North American squad. Cloud9, however, proceeded to make a run to the semifinals after making it past South Korean squad Afreeca Freecs. Cloud9 then fell to Fnatic, who ended up in second place.
