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    Cloud9, the North American representative at the 2021 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational's rumble stage, has been officially removed from the tournament after failing to win enough games to remain in the top four.

    Despite some outstanding results in the tournament, Cloud9 will exit early. To begin, the team defeated Korea's DWG KIA, then went on to win three consecutive games to finish the group stage. It was a welcome sign for NA fans who were concerned about the team's recent results.

    The LCS winners, on the other hand, stumbled repeatedly in the rumble round. From a heart-breaking backdoor loss to being outplayed from the first minute, the team couldn't seem to gain much traction from the victories they did secure. Cloud9's dominant victory over RNG on May 17th, 2021 was followed by a loss to PGG on the same day, which was one of the most frustrating moments of the tournament for NA fans.

    Cloud9's loss to PGG also cost them a chance at a tiebreaker match against MAD Lions for the fourth and final spot in the knockout round, which was snatched away when the European champions defeated RNG in yesterday’s third match.

    Cloud9, on the other hand, struggled with a number of major pitfalls in their games. According to Oracle's Elixir, they had a -722 average gold difference at 15 minutes, which means they were consistently behind in the early game. In terms of first blood rate, Rift Herald control rate, first tower rate, and Baron control rate, they were in the bottom five.

    Cloud9's lack of cohesion ultimately lost them the chance to compete for an MSI title. The team will now have to start over in order to prepare for the Summer Split of the 2021 LCS, where they will attempt to qualify for the World Championship in October 2021.