Striking True: Zven announces departure from Cloud9 and roleswap

Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen has now announced that he has departed from Cloud9. The 26-year-old Danish Support has announced his new status as a free agent. Moreover, he revealed that while he relished his time on Cloud9  as a Support, he was seeking to return to his original role, that being the AD Carry.

Forced Hand

A video was released by reputed League of Legends journalist Travis Gafford at the start of the LCS 2022 Summer Split. The video was entitled ‘Zven on the REAL reason he role-swapped Support.’ In the video, “Zven” spoke on the difficulties of competing in the LCS, stating that there were extremely limited opportunities for a player to make it to international events.

Having struggled to perform under Cloud9’s main roster, “Zven” found himself ping-ponging between the main team and the academy team. With unsatisfactory performances and a limited shelf-life, it was an unsustainable situation.

Moreover, “Zven” wanted to compete with the best, on the international stages. But, there were limited spots for ADCs in NA, and they all already had their players locked-in. So, he revealed that he made the drastic decision to role-swap to Support.

‘The main reason is that I can play in a good team that can make Worlds only as Support. Whereas it would be harder to do as ADC. Because the top 4 teams in my book: EG, TL, 100 Thieves, and Cloud9 already have ADC’s that they are set on. And there was no opportunity for me on those teams. […] I felt my highest chance of making Worlds and winning the LCS was on this team, playing this role.’

Tearful Departure

Having spent four years with the Cloud9 organization, “Zven” is now looking for a change. While he had consciously chosen to roleswap in 2022, he has made it clear that his heart has always remained an AD Carry.

‘Although I had fun and enjoyed the Support role, I want to make it clear that I’m looking for opportunities as an ADC, not Support.’

He also took the time to thank Jack Etienne, owner of Cloud9. The departure of “Zven” will be sorely felt in the North American organization. His trophy cabinet during his time with C9 include 2 Playoffs championships, an LCS championship, and a Mid-Season Showdown. Cloud9 was eliminated from Worlds 2023 in 12th-14th place after losing to Fnatic.

‘I wanna give a special thanks to [Jack Etienne]. He took a big risk and gave me a chance when I was at the lowest point of my career when no one else would and I always be grateful for that.’

Credit: Taken from Zven’s Twitter // LoL Esports

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