Cloud9 vs FlyQuest is the marquee matchup in the final week of the LTA North Split 2 regular season. Everything is to play for in this matchup as the two powerhouses of North America do battle for the first seed heading into the playoffs. A win here and the road to the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational gets that much easier, a loss would amplify the pressure heading into the second playoffs of the year.
LTA North Split 2 Preview: Cloud9 vs FlyQuest
As mentioned above, this is a must-win game for both North American squads. The winner of this best-of-three will secure not only the first seed going into the playoffs, but also the choice of opponent in the opening round. With one of the ‘big four’ in 100 Thieves dropping down to the lower bracket, this gave way for Shopify Rebellion, one of the squads with a losing record, securing their spot in the upper bracket.
With all due respect to Shopify, even if they were to dismantle Team Liquid in their third-place seeding match, the LoL odds of Cloud9 or FlyQuest picking TL as their opponent are slim at the very best. That means a win for C9 or FLY in this week’s matchup grants a much easier start to the playoffs, a warmup game, some would say, given the level of play both these teams have shown compared to Shopify.
It’s hard to really tell who is the clear favorite going into this; both teams have the same record in split 2, but Cloud9 did pick up the win over FLY in their best-of-one meeting during the positioning phase in the regular season. On top of that, FlyQuest has yet to defeat their cloudy rival this year, losing in the opening split 2-1, and as mentioned, the best-of-one earlier in this split.
A top lane match for the ages
Image Credit: Riot Games
While there are so many players to look at in this series, many will point towards the top lane, with Thanatos and Bwipo poised to slug it out. The winner here probably determines who will get first first-team All-Pro. Thanatos has had an excellent year, especially in the Spring Split, easily escaping the doubters who had him mingling amongst the other top laners in the league. Now, it feels like only Bwipo can get close to the Korean carry.
And that is what he is, a carry, he is the only player really dominating on champions like Gwen, and Gnar, and is also showcasing he has more to his wheelhouse than imagined for example when he locked in Galio into Team Liquid. It wasn’t even that Cloud9 had practised the pick, according to their players, but Thanatos was confident in his ability to play the role his team needed, and it worked to perfection.
Expanding the playbook
Image Credit: Riot Games
With these teams likely to go toe-to-toe in the playoffs, it’ll be interesting to see how these teams choose to draft in this best-of-three. It’ll be unlikely to be crazy on the side of Cloud9, but for FlyQuest, this is a great opportunity for them to gain the mental advantage leading into the playoffs. FlyQuest has showcased their willingness to create a deep champion pool, with each player opting for unconventional picks that leave the enemy team struggling to handle them in the pick and ban phase. Bwipo, for example, is a player who really likes to stretch his pool as far as it can go, recently going AD Nidalee top.
That doesn’t mean that we will see these picks in the playoffs, but it’ll give C9 something to think about, with so many options open in a best-of-five. That doesn’t mean that C9 hasn’t got tricks up their own sleeves, however, but we have yet to see them really stretch the boat out too far. In the past, I have seen Cloud9 criticised for their cockiness in draft and gameplay when it comes to the regular season, having vast pools that aren’t really on display come playoffs, a common C9 problem over the years.
This year, however, C9 has looked far more locked in, with drafts that make sense, are in the current meta, and have layers to them that work within their team’s parameters. So I am not going to criticise C9 for decreasing their pools when in the past that has been one of their biggest criticisms.
To wrap it up, I think Cloud9 will end up taking the regular season best-of-three as they have done all year thus far. Their preparation has been the best so far of any team, and it’ll be a good learning experience for FlyQuest to really download them. Cloud9 vs FlyQuest is the opening game of the LTA North Split 2 on Saturday.