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North American esports organization Cloud9 has opted to release three of its players on their League of Legends (LoL) roster. They include Park “Summit” Woo-tae, Kim “Winsome” Dong-keon, and Jonah “Isles” Rosario.
Cloud9 made the announcement via their Twitter page, thanking all three players for their contributions in the latest split.
“Today, we part ways with Summit, Winsome, and Isles. With this, the three become free agents.
It’s been a wild split full of ups and downs, and you were all with us every step of the way. Thank you for our time together, and best of luck!”
Today we part ways with Summit, Winsome, and Isles. With this, the three become free agents.
It's been a wild split full of ups and downs, and you were all with us every step of the way. Thank you for our time together and best of luck! pic.twitter.com/NiVibQ2oaw
— Cloud9 League of Legends (@C9LoL) May 3, 2022
With the release, all three players are now free agents and are available for any team to approach.
All three players were acquired earlier this year, with each of them playing only a single split with the organization. Now, all three players have to find new homes before the start of the summer splits.
Although Cloud9 did not have a disappointing season, they failed to qualify for the 2022 LoL Mid-Season International. They finished fourth in the LCS Spring Split behind Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves, and Team Liquid.
Their run in the event was somewhat anticlimactic, seeing as they started the Group Stage impressively. They were the second-best team in the group stage, finishing with a 13-5 record, one less win behind Team Liquid.
Unfortunately, things went sideways in the playoffs as they failed to win a single map against 100 Thieves in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Although they swept the Golden Guardians in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals, they once again failed to win a single map in the LB Semifinals against Evil Geniuses.
It was surprising, especially as C9 won both meetings in the group stage. EG went on to win every game to secure a spot in the 2022 MSI.
While C9 has its reasons for letting the players go, Summit’s release is perhaps the biggest surprise. The 23-year-old was named the MVP of the split for his impressive display.
There is a chance the Top Laner will return to the LCK, where he played for several teams from 2017 to 2021. However, there is a chance NA- based Dignitas reaches out to him, especially since they released their Top Laner Aaron “FakeGod” Lee sometime last week.
Rumors have been circulating that Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami, who currently plays as a Mid Laner, is looking to make the switch to Top Lane. Given the release of Summit, it seems more likely that is a possibility.
Regardless of the internal movement, C9 has three spots to fill before the start of the summer split. That gives them roughly six weeks to make the necessary adjustments to be competitive in the summer.
Although there is no word on the 2022 World Championship, if we go by last year’s format, the top three teams will be seeded for the World Championship. In 2021, the prize pool for the Worlds stood at $2,225,000. While every participant got a share of the prize fund, Chinese-based EDward Gaming were the biggest winners ($489,500) after defeating DAMWON Gaming 3-2 in the finals.
