Photo: C9
The surprise was followed by incomprehension. On the networks and within the community, everyone is wondering. Why Cloud9 parted ways with his League of Legends headcoach Nick”LS” De Cesare? While the coach had moved to the United States and had built a roster in his image with three Korean players (Summit, Winsome and Berserker) his departure does not seem to make sense. It’s even worse when you look at the team’s recent encouraging results in the LCS.
But while the fans of the former coach and the structure are still in shock and they don’t really know which foot to dance on, everyone is hoping and waiting for an explanation. But for the moment, it is radio silence on both sides… LS would however have mandated lawyers to defend its interests and there could well be other twists in this affair. For those who haven’t followed everything, we’ll give you the update!
Cloud9: a minimum communication that raises questions
Cloud9 is a well-known structure in the League of Legends scene and more generally in the esports scene. Old and respected, it has a rather positive image and has in the past shown great transparency in relation to its transfers (transfers to CS:GO, price of Perkz…) which has been appreciated by the community . But for once, the structure has not really made an effort and it maintains the mystery. According to LS, he would have been notified of his thank you only 4 hours before the start of a match… We can therefore legitimately think that he did not expect such a decision.
As the questions swirled, Cloud9 decided, nearly 24 hours later, to make an official video statement with the big boss (Jack Etienne), the new coach (Max Waldo) and some players (Summit and Blaber). Fans rushed to the video hoping to find answers to their questions. But in the end they left disappointed… Cloud9 really did the bare minimum by mentioning “significant differences” between the structure and its former headcoach. Without going into details, it was a question of notions a little boat : strategy, culture, working method. Even if it is still too early to cry foul, it makes us smile. The “LS method” is well known and on stream he had already revealed his entire personality and style. Cloud9 should perhaps have inquired better before recruiting him and having him move for a few weeks… Finally, we will add that the structure has fully embraced the LS style at the marketing level, communicating in particular around “Korean 9” or of the “L.S. Church“.
LS: the position of a martyr
LS is already back home and has resumed his good old habits: streaming and commenting games of League of Legends. Obviously, the questions rained on his chat and everyone wanted to know more… On screen, the most Korean American in LoL remained dignified and did not show any particular emotion. He also did not wish to speak about his feelings, explaining in particular that “lawyers” were in the process of settling the administrative details. We imagine that LS does not intend to leave empty-handed and that he expects allowances for the inconvenience and this early dismissal. Even if the details are not known, obviously it was C9 who made the unilateral decision to end this collaboration. Originally, LS’s contract was to end after the Worlds…. 2024 !
LS nevertheless stressed that he would not take Never again the role of coach in a team in the future. This suggests a certain disgust vis-à-vis his treatment and the situation in which he found himself. Once again, our curiosity is far from being appeased and we would like to learn more. In any case, this affair smells of sulfur and for the moment, LS has the position of martyrdom and of victim in this story.