Cloud9 will not play in Berlin Major after flop in qualifiers

One of North America’s premier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squads faces the reality of watching the StarLadder Berlin Major from home rather than competing on the global stage.

Despite being heavily favored to secure a spot through the minor circuit pathway, Cloud9 suffered one of the earliest exits in the North American qualifier for the Americas Minor. This unexpected outcome means the iconic organization will likely be spectators during the upcoming major championship.

Cloud9’s qualification campaign started disastrously when they lost their opening match to New Identity. After suffering a humiliating 16-2 defeat in the initial game, the team previously called MASSIVEimpact recovered through standout performances from Jonathan “Jonji” Carey. The decisive match witnessed Collin “wrath” McSweegan delivering a similar clutch performance to secure the series 2-1 with a 16-9 victory.

This initial defeat pushed Cloud9 into the elimination bracket where they encountered The Quest. The squad composed mainly of former Team Dignitas members immediately established dominance over Cloud9, controlling the favored team on Nuke despite operating primarily from the traditionally weaker Terrorist side. Cloud9 stabilized during the second map and maintained control for most of the contest, but faltered during critical late-game situations, resulting in a 2-0 elimination from the qualifiers.

This elimination represents a catastrophic development for Cloud9 and potentially signals the conclusion of their era as an elite competitive organization.

Despite maintaining status as one of esports’ most recognized and popular brands, Cloud9 has experienced significant competitive deterioration in CS:GO throughout the past year and a half. Following their historic ELEAGUE Major: Boston championship victory, the organization encountered persistent roster complications during 2018 stemming from departures of key players Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip and Tarik “tarik” Celik.

Cloud9 continued acquiring top-tier talent in subsequent months and assembled a star-powered roster for the IEM Katowice Major featuring Robin “flusha” Rönnquist and Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey. The team demonstrated moments of exceptional play during the tournament and narrowly missed advancing to the top eight by just one map. Despite this respectable performance, Cloud9 dismantled most of their roster shortly afterward, which demoted the organization to minor circuit qualification for the Berlin Major.

The organization reconstructed their lineup with additions including René “cajunb” Borg and the comeback of Maikil “Golden” Selim, yet the team has consistently failed to achieve meaningful results. This disappointing trend encompasses premature exits from several BLAST Pro Series competitions and, most recently, a bottom-place result at DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019.

A potential backdoor opportunity might still exist for Cloud9 to gain entry to the championship. The organization would technically maintain Challenger status if they re-signed any player who competed with them during the IEM Katowice Major. This approach wouldn’t automatically ensure participation since it would fundamentally contradict competitive integrity principles, but it would provide grounds for the organization to petition for a position that Valve could potentially grant.

Nevertheless, it’s evident that Cloud9’s internal challenges run profoundly deep currently, and these fundamental problems wouldn’t be resolved through questionable major tournament qualification.

The collapse in qualification highlights several critical failure points that aspiring competitive teams should analyze carefully. Roster consistency proves essential for developing team chemistry and strategic coordination – frequent player changes disrupt established playstyles and communication patterns that require months to develop effectively.

Common strategic errors include over-reliance on individual star performances rather than systematic team play. Teams experiencing similar declines should prioritize stable roster construction over short-term talent acquisitions, focusing on player synergy rather than individual skill metrics alone.

For organizations facing comparable challenges, recovery typically requires 6-9 months of consistent roster development and strategic refinement. Advanced organizations should implement structured development programs that balance experienced veterans with emerging talent, creating sustainable competitive pipelines rather than reactionary roster moves.

Understanding these dynamics becomes crucial when approaching team composition strategies in modern competitive gaming environments. The principles of roster management and organizational stability translate across titles, making these lessons valuable for teams preparing for upcoming major competitive landscapes.

No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » Cloud9 will not play in Berlin Major after flop in qualifiers Analyzing Cloud9's shocking elimination from the Berlin Major qualifiers and what it means for the legendary esports organization