The Cloud 9 banner will once again be raised at The International as the North American organization picks up the Entity roster.
In April 2020, Cloud 9 announced their departure from Dota 2. This marked another chapter in the organization’s turbulent history on the scene, characterized by numerous ups and downs. Their exit was a sign of the declining NA Dota 2 ecosystem. It’s not uncommon for organizations to come and go, but after four years, few expected their return.
The iconic blue and white colors of Cloud 9 will be back at The International. The players representing them will be those who recently competed under the Entity banner at Riyadh Masters, where they finished in 9-12th place.
Eight months ago, Entity entered the new competitive season with Volodymyr "No[o]ne-" Minenko and Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin filling the gaps left by Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau and Kim "Gabbi" Santos, who departed from the mid and off-lane positions, respectively. This lineup brought improved success, securing a spot at the Riyadh Masters and defeating Tundra Esports in the Western European qualifiers for The International 2024, claiming the first of two tickets to Denmark.
Cloud 9's last appearance at The International was in 2017, where they finished 13-16th with players Jacky "EternaLEnVy" Mao, Adrian "Fata" Trinks, and Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling.
Cloud 9 Roster:
- Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov;
- Volodymyr “No[o]ne” Minenko;
- Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin;
- Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov;
- Dzmitry “Fishman” Palishchuk;
Cloud 9's return to The International is eagerly anticipated by fans and marks a significant moment in their Dota 2 journey.