<
>

Cloud9 sails to Ro8 at Overwatch NGE Winter Premiere

Atlanta, GA: Team EnVyUs greet Cloud9 on stage during Overwatch Open day. Provided by Edward M. Pio Roda/Turner via USA TODAY

The second day of the Overwatch Winter Premiere in Burbank, California is highlighted by bright but cloudy skies as Cloud9 took on the day's match with incredible might, showing their dominance as a North American team. The first match of the night involved them taking on Complexity, who lost yesterday. Today's sets of games would not give them the reprieve they were seeking, as Cloud9 swept them in a 2-0 set in both Ilios and King's Row. Lucas "Mendokusaii" Håkansson sealed victory for Cloud9 against Complexity as he consistently landed four to five Graviton Surges at key spots on the map that allowed efficient cleanups from the rest of the Cloud9 squad.

Facing off against Cloud9 for the direct path to the round of eight would be Fnatic, who had to best Team Liquid in a roughly fought best of three. Having just arrived in Burbank a few days ago, Fnatic may have been suffering from jet lag as they struggled to live up to their fabled reputation as a powerhouse. They were able to eventually outsmart Team Liquid on the third map, King's Row. Despite Keven "AZK" Lariviere's heroic attempts to carry Team Liquid into the finals with his stellar Roadhog and Soldier 76 play, Fnatic displayed a mix of power and fatigue as they would start every map with a strong push out the gates. But the longer the map went on, the more likely they would just fall apart at the seams. Five minute timers to push the payload to the last point ended up with them being held in their tracks for that entire duration, and having 99 percent on the control point in a King of the Hill Map turned into a victory for the other team.

Cloud9's Lane "Surefour" Roberts and heroes like Tracer and Roadhog, along with Kyky's D.Va and Mendokusaii's Zarya, shot through Fnatic's defense and turned them into swiss cheese with a decisive 3-1 victory and a spot in the round of eight. As Cloud9 join Kingdom eSports in the next round, Complexity and Fnatic will live to fight another day in the next, and last two days of the North American Overwatch Winter Premiere.