A number of the top teams in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene are undergoing major changes in preparation for the Intel Extreme Masters in October and the other majors that will follow. One of the most notable pieces of news is Cloud9’s decision to completely overhaul their roster only a year after bringing in a whole new team.
Many would argue that this is a wise idea that could prove to be fruitful, as the team has failed to have a massive impact since the majors in 2018. Indeed, it may be time to expect Cloud9 to start making waves again in the latter half of 2020 and into 2021.
Cloud9 have been in turmoil for some time now, constantly chopping and changing their main roster to little effect. At the end of 2019, they put their faith in Damian “daps” Steele to lead a new and improved line-up. But after a few short months the key components of that team were snapped up by rival CS:GO outfit Gen.G. Cloud9 were forced into a reshuffle at the start of 2020, this time with Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen in the mix and Johnny “JT” Theodosiou leading the squad that had been so successful in the ESL Pro League 10 Finals.
Unfortunately, these players were unable to capture the form that inspired Cloud9 to sign them in the first place, and they were eliminated in the group stages of both the DreamHack Open Leipzig and IEM Katowice. That set of players were clearly unable to take their game to the next level. Some fans criticized JT’s abilities as a fragger, and Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek was too inconsistent in his performances. For this reason, Cloud9 opted to let its 2020 roster go and bring in new signings for the latter half of the year.
Alex “ALEX” McMeekin Could be a Great Addition
Fans will be getting excited at the prospect of seeing Cloud9’s rebuild in action in a major tournament. But when is the next CSGO major? The answer to that question is November 9, and it’s the ESL One Rio Major. Cloud9 will be hoping its new and improved squad will be ready to challenge the industry heavyweights in that competition.
One of the most exciting new additions to the Cloud9 CS:GO team is Alex “ALEX” McMeekin. ALEX is one of the best in the business, and guided his old team, Vitality, to eleven playoffs during his time there. The player who will take on the role of captain has signed a three-year deal worth over $1.6 million. Cloud9 manager Henry “HenryG” Greer has stated that he’ll be going into the majors with a six-man roster. The sixth man won’t be actively playing, but he will be practicing with the other players and acting as backup.
Despite undergoing various changes in a short space of time, many would agree that Cloud9 were in desperate need of a revitalized roster. ALEX will be a solid addition, and he could be the ideal player to lead some fresh faces to glory in the upcoming tournaments.
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