Cloud9 show 100 Thieves how to play early game in fastest win of LCS 2023 Spring
100 Thieves have been on the wrong end of competitive esports speed runs as of late. After losing 13-1 to Fnatic in the quarterfinals of VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, 100 Thieves fans weren't sure how much worse this week could get. 100 Thieves' League of Legends team answered back with a 23-minute loss to Cloud9 in the fastest LCS game of the split.
In an ultra-serious postgame interview featuring FlyQuest's jungle Mingyi "Spica" Lu, he asked Cloud9 jungler Robert "Blaber" Huang about the game where Blaber highlighted 100 Thieves' lack of an early game.
"From our draft, we knew 100 Thieves could only scale because they're not good enough to play the early game," Blaber told Spica in the postgame interview. "So we thought we could just roll them over in the early game and we did."
Blaber wasn't wrong by any means as Cloud9 had complete control over 100 Thieves all throughout the game. There was no opportunity for 100 Thieves' Zeri and Fiora picks to scale up. They just entered Summoner's Rift and then immediately left.
100 Thieves dipping into worrisome territory
Doublelift joined 100 Thieves prior to the LCS 2023 Spring Split.
Photo by Robert Paul/Riot Games
Jokes aside, 100 Thieves are really dipping into dangerous territory in the LCS 2023 Spring Split. In six weeks, 100 Thieves still struggle against any team that has a decent grasp of how to play the early game. That has resulted in a 5-7 regular season standing as they remain dangerously close to missing out on a spot in the LCS 2023 Spring Split playoffs.
Additionally, if 100 Thieves lose tomorrow's game against CLG, that would put them at eight losses on the split and at an 0-2 record in the CLG head-to-head. If that happens, the pressure would continue to only get more intense if things continue this way.
As for Cloud9, this win puts them at 9-3 in the LCS 2023 Spring Split and 2-1 ever since adding Jang "EMENES" Min-choo to their LCS lineup. Looking stronger than ever, Cloud9 will look to go 2-0 as they take on Dignitas tomorrow.
Where you can watch League of Legends LCS
Viewers can tune in for week 6 of the LCS 2023 Spring Split through the LCS Twitch and YouTube channels. The action will continue tomorrow, March 3, 2023.
