Cloud9 had a disappointing MSI 2023 showing

At this year's 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen said why Cloud9 didn't play as well as he had anticipated, citing strategy and team cohesiveness as some of the problems. In an interview with Travis Gafford that was released on May 22, following C9's defeat against eventual runners-up Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G in the loser's bracket, he discussed the team's performance. They failed to live up to expectations as the top seed in North America, losing every game in under 30 minutes.

The Danish support said that Gen.G had an edge in the draught over their squad and that the Korean team's playstyle caught them off guard. He also remarked that their lack of team cohesiveness was costing them games. Zven also voiced regret and annoyance at not being able to showcase the preparations Cloud9 made before the competition.