Cloud9 made a substantial change to its League of Legends roster on April 16 following its disappointing third-place finish in the 2024 LCS Spring Split. Fudge was replaced by Thanatos, but now, Fudge claims he’ll be fighting to earn the spot back.
On April 18, C9’s CEO, Jack Etienne talked about the change in an interview with Dexerto. He discussed why Fudge was benched on the League team, and talked about Australian top laner’s next plans. He revealed Fudge intends to try his best to reclaim the spot in the starting roster.
“Even before Thanatos was a thing, Fudge recommitted, like, ‘Yo, I didn’t bring to the team what I think was needed for us to win. I’m doubling down. These are the things I’m gonna do. I’m gonna prove to you that I should have this spot, I’m gonna crush it in solo queue. If you have to replace me, pay me nothing and I’m gonna prove I should get the spot,’” Etienne said.
For Thanatos, joining C9 is the first opportunity in his career to play in the starting roster of a main team. Previously, he competed in DK Challengers for almost four years. Fudge, on the other hand, is a true veteran of competitive League. He’s been a fundament of C9’s roster since October 2020. In that time, he competed at Worlds three times, reaching the quarterfinals in 2021. He also assisted the squad to secure two LCS trophies.
But a flop in the 2024 LCS Spring Split, where C9 finished third and failed to qualify for Mid-Season Invitational 2024, was enough of a reason to make changes. The team decided to replace Fudge, despite the top laner being one of the better players in his position in the LCS. In the latest regular season, the Australian boasted a 3.7 KDA, the best of all top laners, according to Oracle’s Elixir.
