In League of Legends, the main round of the 2023 World Championship is currently taking place, and as in recent years, the teams from South Korea and China dominate the LoL Worlds. Meanwhile, the third US team, Cloud9, has been eliminated. This prompts streamer and crypto millionaire Tyler “Trainwreck” Nignam to intervene, as he cannot tolerate this situation in LoL.
Which team has been eliminated?
- Cloud9 was affected: The roster featured a bot lane consisting of experienced Dane Zven and talented South Korean Berserker, but they achieved little at the Worlds 2023.
- Cloud9 secured only a single victory against the dismal Europeans from MAD Lions; otherwise, they lost 3 matches, most recently against Fnatic with a score of 1-2.
- Thus, Cloud9 is the 3rd US team to be eliminated. Previously, the Golden Guardians and Team Liquid were already eliminated, both of which particularly embarrassed themselves. Team NRG is the last hope for the USA, but the chances there are rather bleak as well.
Crypto Millionaire Rants Against Mommy’s Boys and Participation Certificates
What Trainwreck says: He is ranting on Twitter about Cloud9. They have a “mommy’s boy” mentality. This is all false optimism, a “participation certificate” attitude:
Until our players live, eat, and breathe League, we will not get anywhere.
According to Trainwreck, they are complacent, and the defeats do not concern anyone. They do not want to win: They need “hungry demons” to win and nothing else.
Is he right? No, that is quite the pub talk, as if one could compensate for everything through attitude and hard work. You cannot force victory in LoL through sheer will.
Whether you win or lose largely depends on the individual skill of the players, tactical decisions, and the correct “read” on the meta.
The defeat against Fnatic in a relatively close match surely hurts, as they are somewhat on par with Cloud9, but against the teams from Asia, Cloud9 had hardly any realistic chances of winning anyway.
Actually, Cloud9 performed exactly as one could expect before the tournament: No one had expected them to suddenly take out Faker and T1. But apparently, Trainwreck sees this as a lack of will to win.
This is what people are discussing: On Twitter, people joke about whether Trainwreck, known for his sports betting habits, might have placed a bet on the game.
Some take Trainwreck seriously and hope that the crypto millionaire will find the heart to buy a US team and invest a lot of money.
What’s behind it: From a German perspective, Trainwreck’s statement recalls the recent debate in Germany about abolishing winner certificates in federal youth competitions. The discussion was then seen as a symbol that Germany lacks “bite” and that more competition and fight are needed.
More generally, the statement also recalls discussions among soccer fans when their team performs poorly. But in LoL, you can’t just “kick someone off the field” to improve your chances of winning.
More about US teams at the Worlds:
LoL: US team is embarrassingly eliminated at the Worlds – fans blame the expensive star acquisition
