Cloud 9 Tempest vs Complexity.Black Preview

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The winners of this match guarantee themselves a spot in the 2014 Summer Promotion tournament, and at least $10,000. The loser will have one last chance, in a 3rd-place match, to keep their LCS dreams alive.

Cloud 9 Tempest

Formerly known as The Walking Zed, Cloud 9 Tempest just missed out on taking down Team Coast last promotion tournament by one game. Since then, they have been a dominant force in the Challenger scene. C9T tied for first with Team 8 in the North American Challenger League Season 2 regular season. Eventually, they placed 3rd/4th in playoffs overall. One thing that is very clear about Tempest is that they continue to improve. Some Challenger teams will reach a peak, then remain stagnant while everyone else rushes past them. Not Cloud 9 Tempest. They have moved on since their loss versus Coast and have really made a name for themselves as one of the most consistently strong Challenger teams in North America.

In the mid lane, Bischu is a former top Korean solo queue player who is the poster boy for C9T. His impeccable Nidalee play will draw a ban almost every game, and has done so for some time now. But Bischu is anything but a one-trick pony - he can pick up anything that’s popular in the current meta and go toe-to-toe with any other Challenger midlaner. In the bot lane, Gleebglarbu is a master on support. Known for his Thresh and Annie play, Gleeb brings a presence in the bot lane unrivaled by another other support player in the Challenger scene. Accompanying him is TSM sub Altec. Even in a meta where marksmen don’t have the same impact they did previously, Altec can still mow down the enemy in a team fight using his superior positioning and game sense.

Overall, you can expect Tempest to put up a good showing versus Complexity Black. They have shown massive improvements since the first Challenger series and now hold second place overall.

Complexity.Black

Complexity Black has the longest history of any Challenger team in North America. Formerly known as To Be Determined, then Determined Gaming, and now CoL.Black, these guys have been competing together for quite some time. They have now made a mark on the Challenger scene as a top team. But Complexity can struggle with consistency. On one day, they make taking down Challenger gods LMQ look like a walk in the park. On others, they seem to have a breakdown in communication and team play. In this series, remaining focused and not going on tilt - like Brokenshard claimed they did in their promotion match versus Evil Geniuses - will be an extremely important factor in moving on to the finals.

Like Cloud 9 Tempest, Complexity also has a star in the midlane in Pr0lly. His aggressive play style strikes fear into his opponents and can often end up winning him the lane. On a champion like Ziggs, he can take a lead and run away with the game. Up in top lane, Westrice is known for picking an unconventional champion, grabbing a kill early and running away with the game. But picking things like Akali may not bode well for Complexity when they play versus more experienced teams. In this meta, especially in the top lane, playing for the team is vital so he may end up picking one of the more common top-laners.

Complexity has the ability to beat any Challenger team, they just have to show up with their mentality in check and refrain from tilting.

Next to the finals, this match is the one I’m most looking forward to. It’s almost impossible to call this one as both teams are evenly matched in skill and showcase unique dynamics in the Challenger scene.

Check out this match on April 12th at 3:00 PM EST on lolesports.com

Image Credit: Riot Games