Cloud 9 will not be attending IEM Katowice

Looks like the Cloud 9 League of Legends team will no longer be competing at IEM Katowice, and here are the reasons.

Having achieved the highest placing of any North American team at the 2016 League of Legends World Championship, Cloud 9 received a direct invite to represent their region at IEM Katowice, which will be taking place February 25th-26th. Now, however, the team have pulled out of the competition. Cloud 9 have so far had a flawless start to the NA LCS Spring Split, currently boasting a 6-0 win record, and have chosen to remain in the US to focus on the domestic league.

Cloud 9 also cited potential visa problems as another reason not to attend. According to the IEM press release, 60% of the C9 LoL staff are not US citizens and are currently in the United States on visas, and with the recent changes to US immigration policy the team do not want to risk the potential uncertainty of re-entry following the tournament.

The League of Legends tournament offers the smallest prize pool of the three games to be hosted at IEM Katowice, $150,000 compared to the $250,000 each for Starcraft 2 and CS:GO.