North American esports organisation Cloud9 has appointed Nick ‘Inero‘ Smith as the Head Coach of its League of Legends roster.
The appointment follows the departure of Bok ‘Reapered‘ Han-gyu, who was the team’s Head Coach since April 2024.
Inero first joined Cloud9 in November 2024 as the team’s coach and is stepping into his first Head Coach role since departing Immortals in September 2024.
During his time prior to becoming the Head Coach, Inero helped Cloud9 record a top-four finish at the LTA 2025 Cross-Conference tournament and second place at LTA North 2025 Split 2.
Despite beginning the season as one of LTA North’s top teams, Cloud9 struggled in the second half of the season. Defeat to 100 Thieves in Split 3 ended Cloud9’s chances of qualifying for the 2025 League of Legends World Championship, finishing the Elimination phase in fourth place.
After failing to qualify for Worlds, the 2025 League of Legends season is over for Cloud9. The off-season acts as an opportunity for Inero to implement new strategies and to rebuild its roster before the LCS returns in 2026.
The Reapered Era
Reapered’s departure from Cloud9 brings an end to his second stint as the team’s Head Coach. In April 2024, he returned to the organisation after coaching 100 Thieves and Sengoku Gaming between 2021 and 2023.
In 2014, Reapered retired as a player, transitioning to a coaching role with EDward Gaming in 2015 before joining Cloud9 for his first stint in 2016.
Between 2016 and 2020, Reapered steered the team towards the top of North American League of Legends esports. In 2018, Cloud9 scored a top-four finish at Worlds, becoming the highest-placing North American team at League of Legends’ biggest tournament of the year.
April 2020 saw Cloud9 return to the top of the LCS, winning the Spring Split after sweeping aside FlyQuest in the Grand Final. During the Split, the team recorded a single loss, narrowly missing out on a flawless Split.
