Cloud9 unveils new Dota 2 lineup

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Cloud9 has returned to the Dota 2 scene after a hiatus of close to three years and the organization’s golden child has swiftly followed.

EternaLEnVy, along with Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu, left the Flying Penguins stack in February and will now join C9. While the two were expected to bolster C9’s forces after their abrupt exit from FP, a surprise addition has joined alongside them.

Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard, formerly of Team Secret and Ninjas in Pyjamas, will also be playing for C9. The carry has been inactive since he was released by NiP last September. This isn’t Ace’s first stint with C9, though. He previously played for the organization in 2017 before C9 elected to leave the Dota 2 scene.

The roster’s new additions mean that C9’s previous recruits will leave the squad. Francis “FLee” Lee has been released from the organization, while Cheng “vtFαded” Jia Hao and Rolen “Skemberlu” Ong will be moved to the bench.

Both EternaLEnVy and Ace are usually responsible for the carry role, but being on the same team necessitates a role switch from one of the two.

1. EternaLEnVy
2. Ace
3. SneyKing
4. Rasmus “MISERY” Filipsen
5. Johan “pieliedie” Åström

EternaLEnVy will join up with two old friends in MISERY and pieliedie, both of whom he used to play with on C9.

Canadian carry EternaLEnVy and Swede pieliedie have a long history together as allies. The duo’s highest The International placement was in 2014 with C9, achieving a respectable top-six finish. They’ve partnered up on teams like Secret, Team NP, and Fnatic and will reunite under the same banner again.

With EternaLEnvy, C9 was one of the most consistent teams in the North American region when they were active. While they never quite reached top dog status due to Evil Geniuses’ dominant reign, the organization will want to see a swift return to form considering their late entrance in the season.

C9 briefly played in the Southeast Asian region for the third round of the 2019-20 Dota Pro Circuit, but a return to a full North American roster marks their imminent homecoming. The roster will compete in the NA region for the rest of the season.

With just two rounds of the DPC left, C9 will have their work cut out of them if they want to secure a ticket to TI 2020. The organization is yet to make it to a DPC event and will likely see its first taste of action in the qualifiers for the EPICENTER Major in April.