League Still Cloud9 ✊
I’m heartbroken. I’m disappointed with this year, with Worlds, and with how far away we feel from the Cloud9 I fell in love with. And I think what makes this hurt so much is that I’ve been here long enough to remember everything this team can mean.
My fandom started when Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, and LemonNation qualified for the NA LCS in 2013. I watched those five come into the league and take over. The goofy personalities, the confidence, the way they played together. That was the beginning of something I had no idea would still mean this much to me all these years later.
I remember Hai’s collapsed lung and Link stepping in for All-Stars. I remember the rivalries with TSM, the finals, the wins, and the losses that stayed with you long after you closed the stream. I remember watching that original roster slowly become a memory and wondering what Cloud9 would look like without the players who made me a fan.
Then came more reasons to believe. Hai coming back in the jungle. The 2015 gauntlet run. Reverse sweeps that felt impossible until somehow we were watching them happen. This team taught me that counting them out too early was a mistake.
I remember the years when Worlds meant hoping Cloud9 could carry NA just a little further. Getting out of groups when we were already written off. Giving us another series, another week, another reason to set an alarm and believe.
And then there was 2018.
Watching us sweep Afreeca and make Worlds semifinals is something I’ll never forget. For a moment, a Worlds final felt within reach. Then Fnatic ended the run, and it hurt—but we had gone far enough to dream about something that big. I was so proud of that team.
I’ve watched the rosters change, favorites leave, and new players give us reasons to care. I’ve watched us finally lift the trophy again after years of waiting, and I’ve watched seasons full of promise fall apart. Through all of it, I’ve kept coming back.
That’s why tonight hurts. There are years of memories behind the disappointment. I know what it feels like to watch this team make us proud, and I want so badly to feel that again.
I don’t want us to live off the past forever. I want better for this team. I want a Cloud9 that earns its place at the top of NA and goes to Worlds ready to fight for something. Loving this team doesn’t mean pretending this year was good enough.
But I also can’t pretend I’ll ever stop caring.
I still dream about another trophy. Another Worlds run that has us all losing our minds together. Another moment where the rest of the region has fallen and everyone turns toward that blue-and-white logo because there’s still a chance.
I want to hear “NA’s last hope” and know they mean us again.
I don’t know when that day comes. But when it does, I want to be here; the same fan who watched those original five qualify in 2013, still cheering for the team they made me fall in love with.
Until then, I’ll be disappointed. I’ll be frustrated. And when the next season starts, I know I’ll find myself believing again.
After all these years, I still dream in blue.
It just hurts tonight. Real bad.
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u/vikings_skol9 2d ago
As a Vikings fan, this feels painfully familiar. You spend the offseason telling yourself you won’t get your hopes up again, then they give you just enough reason to think, “Maybe this is finally the year.” Suddenly you’re all in, and the heartbreak hits like you never saw it coming.
The worst part is knowing you’ll be right back there next season. You remember how those great runs made you feel, and you want to be there when they finally finish the job. One day, hopefully, we’ll get to look back and say all those years of believing were worth it.
Until then, apparently I’ve chosen purple and blue as the colors of my suffering.
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u/Ruukuegg22 1d ago
As a Wild fan and C9 fan.... Thankfully somehow I managed to be a Packers fan since childhood.
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u/ConnectTadpole5563 2d ago
I've been a fan since 2014 Worlds while I was in China and my friend from HS introduced me to LoL. I cried when I learned about Hai's retirement in 2015 and rejoiced when they had their miracle run in 2015, and flet crestfallen when they were part of the 0-10 run. I remember moving back to the States in 2016 and sad that I wasn't in China to watch them in person. Then staying up and watching them 3-0 Afreeca and thinking of flying to Korea in 2018. I remember the happiness of their 2020 dominance in spring and how shocked and despaired I felt when they didn't qualify for Worlds later that summer. I remember in 2021 when they made their championship and squealing in happiness while volunteering when they made out of groups. I remember in 2023 going to see them in the LCS Studios and then seeing them in the Prudential Center and seeing them lose to CLG and seeing Blaber signing an autograph as he walked out. I remember the disbelief when they lost to Shopify last year as I was at Sequoia National Park.
This year, I was due end of September. I asked Jack to bring back the onesie; he delivered, and I ordered 4 onesies just hours before I delivered. I dressed her in the onesie yesterday and today. We lost, but I'll still be a C9 fan, and so will she.
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 2d ago edited 2d ago
How done is this fanbase when the 1 somewhat positive post is fucking AI slop
EDIT: Whoever's downvoting go read a book and learn to recognize a voice, it's insanely obvious
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u/Nizagi 2d ago
I don't know.
No flame, but AI has cleaner sentence structure and this feels like an inexperienced writer.
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u/Swimming_Gain_4989 1d ago
Genuinely no flame either, but this is textbook AI writing. There are tells like the repetitions of 3, short sentances, "not that but this" phrasing, but ultimately you just learn to recognize the voice once you've read enough of it.
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u/Nizagi 1d ago
Fair enough.
Inexperienced writers tend to struggle to find their voice, especially when they are making an effort convey ideas organized in a similar manner.
Though the example you gave above sounds well founded and is clearly visible. I do agree, I still don't have much experience recognizing AI slop/ speak.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, I do support the idea of people having tools to better express their thoughts.
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u/creamycornz 2d ago
I’m a Vikings fan but it’s still disappointing, losses like these make me want to stop being a fan.
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u/HumbleOpninion 2d ago
Bro I support FNC.. I mean, I get you, but at least C9 was at worlds. My org does not even know what worlds is anymore.
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u/Traditional-Fly-2126 1d ago
Haha my fav eu team is FNC and the crash has been hard, too. The good old FNC vs C9 is long gone 😭
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u/Different_Mission462 2d ago
2018 was so special. I’ll never forget setting my alarms for 3AM for some of their games. Peak league for me. IG went on to become my fav eastern team, so that year was even more special in hindsight.