After their storybook victory at MLG Columbus, there were many questions about the future of the former “Kaipi/Rattlesnake” DOTA 2 roster, Speed Gaming. Large issues between players and management, particularly Speed’s Captain EternalEnvy (Jacky Mao) and the owner/manager of Speed Gaming “Mark,” seemed to jeopardize the team’s future. If not from some help from long-standing eSports organization Team Dignitas, it’s fairly safe to say that Speed Gaming would have most likely not enjoyed their success at MLG Columbus.
In the months following, relations between the two parties only grew worse, with management actively working against the team. Either by calling them an unofficial roster or trying to get them barred from tournament entry, it was clearly not a professional relationship that would last. The rumor mill started churning about the roster: Would they break up? Could they continue to compete without major sponsorships?
Enter Cloud9. An organzation run by Jack Etienne, VP of sales of Crunchyroll, which handles all sorts of Anime and Manga translation needs. Gathering up the roster formerly known as Quantic, Cloud9 exploded on to the League of Legends competitive scene in Season 3. Setting many records in the “regular season” of the North American League Championship Series, Cloud9 quickly became known as the strongest team in North America and was considered a serious contender at the World Championships.
While they failed to deliver a first place finish, they proved that NA eSports were on the rise.
After adding numerous other rosters, such as an Amateur League of Legends team on both sides of the pond (Cloud9 Tempest for NA amateur, Cloud9 Eclipse for EU amateur) and even rosters from different games such as Smite, Cloud9 gaining a DOTA 2 team only seems like a natural progression. Personally, I think having another large eSports organization that spans multiple games in the NA scene is a huge boon to all the communities involved.
You can read Cloud9’s official statement here, including their official roster list!
