As we look back on the first week of Worlds, the biggest surprise has been Cloud 9’s amazing start, going 3-0. For a team that barely survived the LCS and then had to fight for the 3rd seed, winning 3 games seems like a miracle, but as we can see on goldper10.com, Fedacking has a breakdown of the drafts of C9. Right from picks and bans, Cloud9 had the upper hand the whole time, just see what I mean:
One of the recognizable elements in all of C9’s drafts so far is the Tristana pick for Sneaky, which is the core of the composition C9 has been running so far. There are 3 things that make Tristana in particular a great pick. First, it’s the only Marksman with passive AoE damage while farming minions. Secondly, it’s one of two champions that can directly target an enemy turret with an ability, Explosive Charge (Tristana’s E). And lastly, that ability allows Tristana to attack the turret and simultaneously provide a zone of control around the turret. All this makes Tristana great at destroying turrets and fast pushing, and C9 has been using this to build a composition around this.
To complement the Tristana pick, C9 has picked in the same rotation the mid lane carry each of the 3 games. One time it has been Veigar and the other two games Azir has been picked. Both of this mages provide wave clear and most importantly the project very big and powerful zones of control when in a siege situation. Against Veigar or Azir you cannot approach the turret to wave without risking getting damaged, as the damage form Azir’s soldiers and Veigar’s stun forces the enemy team to abandon turrets or fight. Also Azir is the only other champion in the game that can target enemy turrets with an ability. Of course this laids out the foundation for a turret busting or siege composition. Also, the fact that there are hyper carries in bot lane and mid lane makes them even more vulnerable to engage.
Some things you just cannot give Cloud9, and going into week 2, the other teams in their group may notice. There is more than just these few picks though, and over on the full article here, you can see how Cloud9 really brings all their picks together to grab victory.
