An Unholy Alliance Forms: Former Optic Gaming star “yay” and V1 star “Zellsis” joins Cloud 9 alongside The Guard coach “mCe”

Jacob “yay” Whiteaker, or more affectionately known to his peers as ‘El Diablo’, is widely considered to be the best Valorant player in the world for most of 2022. Previously known for his impossible entries and aim, Jaccob gained notoriety within the upper echelons of the Valorant community for being a ranked demon, most notably on the wind terror agent known as Jett. He would frequently be compared to the likes of the best aimers in the world, notably Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and Tyson “TenZ” Ngo even during his relatively quiet stint on Andbox.

However, in late 2021, with the inclusion of Chamber, and a new spot on the rising Optic Gaming squad, Jaccob quickly differentiated himself from the pack, showcasing the new agent’s abilities with frightening aptitude. It very soon became apparent that the meta had shifted away from the faster paced duelists such as Jett, and Jaccob led the way with awe-inspiring after awe-inspiring plays on Chamber, leading to the agent becoming his signature.

Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, is one of the rising stars of North America, stealing hearts during his time on V1 and Sentinels, where he proved incontestably, that he is one of the premier talents that NA had to offer. During his tenure on both rosters, he largely played the roles of entry duelists and flex, playing agents such as Raze, Neon, Kayo, and Sage. His performance never seemed to be affected by the role he played, as he shined consistently and brightly with flashy mechanical outplays and immense fragging power.

A New Cloud in the Sky

With the onset of the VCT 2023 season coming up, Cloud9 (C9), who has made the partnership scheme, is looking to shore up their team with some new talent, forming a super team to rival NRG’s new Valorant squad, who are themselves reportedly picking up the former core of Optic: Pujan “FNS” Mehta, Victor “Victor” Wong, and Austin “crashies” Roberts.

According to well-known insider George Geddes, C9 has also signed Matthew “mCe” Elmore, who previously coached The Guard, an NA team largely consisting of previous unknowns who achieved a meteoric rise early in 2022. Their rise culminated in a triumph over the presiding dominators in Optic Gaming at the time, in a bo5 grand finals in the Stage 1 Challengers that would see them lead NA into Master Reykjavik as the first seed.

Cloud9, perhaps one of the most storied organizations that North America has ever housed, has had a bumpy 2021 and 2022, with their Valorant roster in 2021 showing ability early on to contend with a Sentinels’ roster that at the time had everyone’s number. However, by the end of 2021, and through 2022, the roster would be mired by roster changes and disappointing results.

Now led by tenured In-Game Leader (IGL) Anthony “vanity” Malaspina as well as the young superstars Nathan “leaf” Orf and Erick “Xeppaa” Bach, the roster will go through one more overhaul with the addition of “yay”, “Zellsis” and “mCe” to hopefully shoot for the stars. The fans eagerly await as the future looks incredibly bright for this new Colossus.

As of now, the Cloud 9 roster looks as follows:

• Nathan “leaf” Orf
• Erick “Xeppaa” Bach
• Anthony “vanity” Malaspina
• Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker
• Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro
• Matthew “mCe” Elmore

Image credit: Riot Games Valorant