Sneaky, The Quiet Performer of Cloud9

Zachary Scuderi, better known as Sneaky, has been a mainstay in the North American League of Legends competitive scene for quite some time now. Despite sticking to the roster for many years, Sneaky seems to fly under the radar when it comes to comparisons about the top AD Carries in North America, and the world.

Sneaky’s early career is a fairly similar tale to that of many pro players, with several failed indie teams and smaller orgs in his wake. It wasn’t until joining Quantic Gaming in 2013 that Sneaky found his first real success, as the team qualified for the 2013 NA LCS Summer Split. Remaining with the team when they joined Cloud9, Sneaky was a part of the dominant roster that ran over the other teams in the NA LCS, setting a blistering winning streak and ultimately claiming the NA LCS Championship that same split. Since then, Cloud9 has been a strong competitor in the NA LCS, challenging for the top spot and claiming several more titles in the process.

The true strength of Cloud9 comes from their international success however, with the roster often proving to be the last hope of the NA LCS when it comes to tournaments such as the World Championships. In 2013, Cloud9 was the only North American team to play in the Quarterfinals, after their fellow competitors failed to exit the group stage. Similarly, in 2014, both Cloud9 and Team Solo Mid managed to reach the Quarterfinals, though neither team were able to advance beyond that. 2015 saw no North American teams reach the playoffs, however Cloud9 were able to at least boast an even 3-3 record in the group stage. 2016 again saw Cloud9 take the role as the last hope of NA, as they battled through the group stage to once again reach the Quarterfinals. 2017 saw Cloud9 fight through the Play-In stage, where they dominated the competition to earn a spot in the main event. Following that, Cloud9 were again able to fight through the group stage and make it to the Quarterfinals, though there they again fell short of their intended goals.

Finally, we have the 2018 World Championships. Cloud9 is once again the last hope of North America, as they prepare to take on the Afreeca Freecs in their Quarterfinal clash. At this stage, regardless of whether they succeed in advancing, or drop out here, Cloud9, and Sneaky, have shown that they are consistently the only team in North America that is capable of taking on the top teams domestically, and internationally. With the last hope of Korea standing in their way, it again falls to Cloud9 to carry the dreams of their region as they search for victory.