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Clutch Gaming

From Alfawiki
Clutch Gaming
Company typePrivate
IndustryEsports
Founded2017
FounderHouston Rockets
Defunct2019
FateMerged with Dignitas; controlling interest acquired by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
SuccessorDignitas
Headquarters
Houston
,
United States
Area served
North America
ProductsProfessional League of Legends team
OwnerHouston Rockets (until 2019), Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (from 2019)

Clutch Gaming (abbreviated as CG) was an American esports entity established by the Houston Rockets in 2017. The organization managed a professional League of Legends squad competing within North America's League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). In 2019, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment obtained a controlling interest in Clutch Gaming and integrated it with Dignitas.

Throughout its two-year tenure, Clutch Gaming experienced varied outcomes. Although the team never advanced to the LCS finals, it secured a spot at the 2019 World Championship by triumphing in the regional qualifier. At Worlds, Clutch progressed from the play-in phase to the group stage of the main event but was eliminated without recording a victory in a highly competitive group.

Formation

On May 31, 2017, Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, revealed that starting with the 2018 season, the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) would transition to a franchise model, eliminating promotion and relegation.[1] By October 2017, ESPN confirmed that the Houston Rockets had secured an NA LCS franchise slot.[2]

On November 20, 2017, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta publicly announced the acquisition of the NA LCS franchise spot and introduced the team as Clutch Gaming.[3]

The inaugural roster for Clutch Gaming featured Solo, Lira, Febiven, Apollo, and Hakuho. Lira, Apollo, and Hakuho transitioned from Team Envy, which did not secure a franchise position. Solo was signed from Gold Coin United of the League of Legends Challenger Series, while Febiven arrived from Europe's EU LCS.[4]

2018 Season

During the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split regular season, Clutch Gaming ended in sixth place with an 11–9 record, losing tiebreakers to both Team SoloMid (TSM) and Cloud9. Despite showing a "strong enough start," they struggled to overcome elite teams but managed a crucial victory against second-place Echo Fox. This performance qualified them for their playoff debut, where they faced TSM in the quarterfinals. Although TSM was favored as three-time defending champions, Clutch Gaming upset them with a 3–1 series win, advancing to the semifinals and halting TSM’s streak of consecutive NA LCS finals appearances. They were narrowly defeated 2–3 by 100 Thieves in a semifinal series highlighted by an intense final game lasting 74 minutes. Ultimately, Clutch finished fourth after being swept 0–3 by Echo Fox in the third-place match.

In the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split, Clutch Gaming dropped to ninth place with a 6–12 record and failed to reach playoffs. Their prior fourth-place finish granted them entry into the 2018 NA LCS Regional Qualifier for the World Championship, but they were eliminated in the first round following a 0–3 loss to Echo Fox.

Ahead of the 2019 LCS Spring Split—after the league underwent rebranding—in late November 2018, Clutch Gaming and Echo Fox executed a roster exchange: Solo, Apollo, and Hakuho transferred to Echo Fox while Clutch acquired Huni and Damonte. The lineup was finalized by promoting Piglet and Vulcan from Clutch’s academy team during the summer season.

2019 season

Although Clutch Gaming secured victories against strong playoff teams such as the eventual spring finalists TSM, they concluded the 2019 LCS Spring Split regular season in ninth place, holding a 5–13 record. For the summer split, the organization replaced Piglet with Cody Sun as the starting bot laner; Cody Sun had previously participated on the academy squad and had brief appearances with the main roster during spring.

Clutch Gaming clinched a playoff berth in the 2019 LCS Summer Split by defeating Golden Guardians in their final match, finishing fifth with an even 9–9 record. In the playoffs, they overcame TSM 3–1 in the quarterfinals but narrowly fell 2–3 to Team Liquid in the semifinals. Following a loss to Counter Logic Gaming in the third-place decider, Clutch was required to compete in the regional gauntlet to qualify for the 2019 World Championship. They emerged victorious over FlyQuest and CLG, then executed a reverse sweep against TSM, securing their inaugural Worlds appearance and marking the international debut for players Lira, Damonte, and Vulcan.

During Worlds, Clutch Gaming started in Group A of the play-in stage alongside Unicorns of Love and Mammoth. After a three-way tie, they advanced as group leaders by having the shortest cumulative game time among victories. Subsequently, they swept Royal Youth 3–0 to advance to the main event.

Drawn into Group C—widely regarded as the "group of death" with SK Telecom T1, Royal Never Give Up, and Fnatic—Clutch Gaming was unable to claim a single win, finishing their Worlds campaign with an 0–6 record.

Toward the end of 2019, Clutch Gaming merged with Dignitas, a founding NA LCS team whose franchising bid had been denied in 2017. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owners of Dignitas, acquired a majority stake in Clutch Gaming for over US$30 million on June 6, 2019.

Season-by-season records

Year League of Legends Championship Series[lower-alpha 1] Mid-Season Invitational World Championship Ref.
P W L W–L Pos. Playoffs
2018 Spring 20 11 9 Template:Winpct 6th Semifinals Did not qualify Did not qualify [5][6]
Summer 18 6 12 Template:Winpct 9th Did not qualify [7]
2019 Spring 18 5 13 Template:Winpct 9th Did not qualify Did not qualify Group stage [8][9]
Summer 18 9 9 Template:Winpct 5th Semifinals [10][11][12]


Achievements and Honors

LCS Rookie Runner-Up

LCS All-Pro Third Team Selections

References

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  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zamora 2019
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named turnaround
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  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Li82519
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Esu Elim


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