C9 Jack calls out LCS for bad Player of the Week awards

Cloud9’s organization leader Jack Etienne expressed significant dissatisfaction with how the LCS Player of the Week honors were being distributed during the 2020 Summer Split competition period.

Following the conclusion of the weekend’s professional League of Legends broadcasts, FlyQuest’s jungle specialist Lucas “Santorin” Larsen earned the weekly recognition. FlyQuest secured two match victories during this period, positioning them equally with Evil Geniuses, Counter Logic Gaming, and Team Liquid in the standings. The previous week’s accolade had been awarded to Evil Geniuses’ mid lane competitor Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro.

Congratulations to
@Santorin
of
@FlyQuest
on winning the
@MastercardNexus
Player of the Week for week two of the 2020
#LCS
Summer Split!
#FLYWIN
pic.twitter.com/eVTyAQw50g

— LCS (@LCSOfficial)
June 21, 2020

Jack Etienne from Cloud9 utilized social media platform Twitter to voice his perspective regarding the award selection process.

“I firmly believe the Player of the Week recognition functions more like an attendance prize rather than genuinely honoring the most skilled competitors in our league,” Jack
communicated via Twitter.

Maybe you only win if you’re out there shoving IMT and TSM into lockers?

— Jack Etienne (@JackEtienne)
June 21, 2020

Cloud9 remains the solitary undefeated squad currently competing in the North American League Championship Series, with all indicators suggesting they will maintain their premier position in the competitive landscape for the immediate future. Professional commentator Isaac “Azael” Cummings Bentley participated in the online discussion, attempting to clarify the foundational principles governing the Player of the Week selection methodology.

“The distinction for best competitor across the entire league corresponds to the first team all-pro selection, where Cloud9 achieved perfect representation across all five positions! The weekly player recognition specifically targets outstanding individual performance during that particular two-game period, and despite Cloud9 clearly being the top-ranked organization currently, their roster members don’t consistently deliver two exceptional performances consecutively!” Azael expressed.

System will never be perfect, but I do think that the best team doesn’t automatically equal the most impressive individual performance each week.

If Blaber had a better Trundle game today I think he was easy POTW vote, or Licorice better on Jayce yesterday would be too! — Isaac CB (@RiotAzael)
June 22, 2020

While Azael’s reasoning possesses merit, community members highlighted that Cloud9’s support player Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme concluded the weekend with an impeccable 2-0-26 statistical record, achieving perfect Kill/Death/Assist ratio metrics. Santorin’s performance statistics didn’t approach similar perfection in KDA measurements.

Common Evaluation Mistake: Many fans incorrectly assume team success directly correlates with individual award eligibility, overlooking how voting panels assess standout performances regardless of final match outcomes.

Is the Player of the Week Award System Biased Against Dominant Teams?

During the spring competitive period, Cloud9 captured every available seasonal honor including complete occupancy of all five slots on the premier All-Pro roster. The organization finished the standard season with an impressive 17-1 match record and surrendered only a single game across three playoff series encounters, resulting in an aggregate 35-2 competitive performance.

In the summer segment, Cloud9 appears positioned to replicate this extraordinary accomplishment since no opposing squad has demonstrated capacity to seriously challenge their supremacy. Based on statements from Cloud9’s AD carry specialist Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen, Team Liquid represents the only organization displaying formidable capabilities among those they’ve encountered in official matches or training scenarios within the LCS environment. Cloud9 maintains consistent excellence across every positional role, yet they haven’t received any individual weekly recognition thus far. Certain community voices allege improper decision-making and contend that the LCS administration attempts to create perceived equity by distributing awards among less accomplished competing organizations.

I guarantee that the conversation behind the scenes goes like this:

“Well, we can’t give it to C9 players every week…” — MonteCristo (@MonteCristo)
June 21, 2020

Strategic Insight: Dominant teams often face ‘award distribution bias’ where voting committees consciously avoid repetitive recognition, similar to how MVP voting in traditional sports sometimes favors narrative diversity over pure statistical dominance.

The upcoming competitive encounter between Cloud9 and Team Liquid is scheduled for Friday, June 26 at 9 PM Central Standard Time.

Practical Consideration: When evaluating Player of the Week candidates, analysts should consider both statistical performance and ‘clutch factor’ – how players perform during critical match moments regardless of overall team success.

For teams seeking to optimize their recognition potential, focusing on standout individual performances during key matchups against top-tier opponents typically generates more award consideration than dominating weaker competition.

Advanced Optimization: Players from dominant organizations should concentrate on creating highlight-reel moments and statistical anomalies that cannot be ignored by voting panels, similar to strategies discussed in our Class Guide for maximizing impact within team structures.

The controversy highlights broader questions about how esports award systems balance team achievement against individual excellence, a challenge also seen in traditional sports award voting processes.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » C9 Jack calls out LCS for bad Player of the Week awards Analyzing the controversy around LCS Player of the Week awards and Cloud9's dominance