Mere days away from the 2016 North America Summer Live Championships, dubbed "The Battle in Seattle," esport juggernaut Cloud9 is entering the Vainglory scene. They are set to acquire North American Vainglory squad Nemesis Hydra, who is the only North American team to make it to the semifinals or grand finals of every seasonal championship thus far.
"Nemesis Hydra is Cloud9's first team dedicated to a touchscreen esport, and the team's talent playing Vainglory throughout the last couple of seasons has been undeniable," stated Cloud9 general manager Danan Flander. Captain of the newly-backed C9 squad Rommel "Hardek" Soriano said, "It's such a privilege to be able to compete for the first time under the Cloud9 Esports banner this weekend at the Summer Championships. We've been so fortunate to be a part of the wonderful Vainglory family doing what we love this past year, and to be acquired by a franchise as successful as Cloud9 is nothing short of an honor. We're going to make our new team proud this weekend!"
Hardek, Joseph "iLoveJoseph" Samano and Christopher "LostBoyToph" Basco will don the C9 banner as they compete for a spot in the first Vainglory World Championship later this year. Kristian Segerstrale, COO and Executive Director at Vainglory developer Super Evil Megacorp., said, "We couldn't be more proud to see one of the longest-running Vainglory teams continue doing what they love under an established esports organization like Cloud9... We're happy to be a part of the evolution of esports and offer Vainglory to those on the billions of touch screens worldwide."
"The Battle in Seattle" takes place this weekend from Sept. 2 to 4.