Last three standing: Cloud9 Valorant to move forward without IGL Vanity

Last three standing: Cloud9 Valorant to move forward without IGL Vanity

Ganesh Jadhav

7 Feb, 2023, 13:35

|

Last updated: 12 May, 2025, 15:36

After officially letting go of superstar Jacob "yay" Whitaker on 2nd March. Cloud9 Valorant has decided to let go of IGL Anthony "Vanity" Malaspina ahead of the VCT Americas. Without Vanity and yay, The only standing members of the roster are Zellsis, Leaf and Xeppa.

The short run of "Heavy Hitters" Cloud9 Valorant:

The Cloud9 Valorant introduced themselves as the new Heavy hitters of VCT Americas after officially adding Yay and Zellsis to the roster, along with Guard Coach mCe and Qpert as the sixth man. The roster's first venture failed, as they lost to 100 thieves at the Red Bull Homeground.

The roster came into VCT LOCK//IN not as the top teams to win but amongst the top contenders. The team took on Paper Rex, a formidable opponent, in their very first match of VCT LOCK//IN. Facing Paper Rex, Cloud9 displayed amazing control over the game. They defeated the APAC kings in a dominant 2-0. They continued this momentum in the first map against DRX and won the first map 13-3. But DRX's resilience came through, and they answered with a 13-7 of their own. On the final map, Cloud9 fell flat and lost the map 13-2 to lose the series 2-1.

The loss was unfortunate, but a loss shouldn't be a bad result against a team of the calibre of DRX. Moreover, Cloud9 defeated Paper Rex, one of the toughest teams at the event. After the event, rumours of roster change started floating around. Finally, on 2nd March, Cloud9 Valorant Twitter officially confirmed the departure of yay from the roster.

Today, Max Katz (@purest), who previously leaked about the yay move, reported the departure of Vanity from the C9 active Valorant roster.

The roster moves after a loss isn't a sign of a seasoned organisation. Replacing players when they fail is not the correct way to maintain a strong roster. With VCT Americas just two weeks away, Cloud9 Valorant must fill in two spots before the transfer window ends.

With Yay and Vanity leaving, The Cloud9 Valorant roster is as follows:
  • Jordan "Zellsis" Montemurro
  • Erick "Xeppa" Bach
  • Nathan "Leaf" Orf
  • Mateja "qpert" Mijovic
  • Matthew "mCe" Elmore (Coach)

Image Credits: Colin Young-Wolff // VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo


Follow Strafe for News, Stories, Live Scores and More…

Latest news

Esports Nations Cup 2026 VALORANT Rosters: All Rumored and Confirmed National Teams

Esports Nations Cup 2026 VALORANT Rosters: All Rumored and Confirmed National Teams

The Esports Nations Cup 2026 could be the most competitive international VALORANT event of the year. Set for November 8–15 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the tournament will bring together 32 national teams vying for glory on the global stage. With the national rankings cut-off not arriving until June 21, 2026, rosters are still taking shape, but plenty of names have already started surfacing across regions. Here's everything we know about confirmed and rumored lineups heading into the tournament.
4h
Kaustavmani Choudhury

VALORANT Patch 13.00 Full Breakdown: Sentinel Buffs, New Map Summit, Retake Mode & More

VALORANT's V26 Act 4 kicks off with Patch 13.00—one of the most content-rich updates in recent memory. From sweeping Sentinel buffs and Initiator cooldown reductions to a brand-new map and limited-time mode, here's everything you need to know.
23h
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Leviatán Are Crowned Champions of VALORANT Masters London

In what may go down as one of the greatest grand finals in VALORANT esports history, Leviatán completed a storybook lower bracket run to claim the Masters London trophy, defeating Paper Rex 3-2 in a pulsating five-map thriller. The young Latin American squad have made history in more ways than one, and the esports world is taking notice.
21 Jun
Kaustavmani Choudhury

VALORANT Introduces New Battlepass and Blackspyre Skin Collection in V26 Act 4

Set to arrive on June 24, VALORANT Season 2026 // Act 4 will introduce a premium skin collection and a seasonal Battlepass. Here's more.
21 Jun
Adarsh J. Kumar

VALORANT New Map Summit Revealed Alongside New Retakes Game Mode

Riot Games has officially announced Summit, VALORANT's newest map, and it arrives with one of the most tactically disruptive mechanics the game has ever seen. Set in a breathtaking Radiant training academy perched in the mountains of China, Summit launches on June 24, 2026, and it's coming straight to Competitive queue on day one.
21 Jun
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Paper Rex vs Leviatán: VALORANT Masters London Grand Finals Preview, Prediction, Stream Details, and More

The Copper Box Arena is ready! Tomorrow, June 21, Americas representative Leviatán will face VALORANT’s final boss — Paper Rex — in the Bo5 Masters London 2026 Grand Finals!
20 Jun
Ganesh Jadhav

State of Unreal 2026: All the Key Takeaways from the Epic Keynote

Epic Games unveiled Unreal Engine 5.8 and revealed its Unreal Engine 6 roadmap during the State of Unreal 2026 keynote at Unreal Fest Chicago on June 17, 2026. UE5.8 is available now with production-ready MegaLights supporting 60 FPS on consoles, Lumen Lite optimized for handhelds and Nintendo Switch 2, and the new MCP plugin connecting AI models like Claude to Unreal Engine. UE6 merges UE5 and UEFN into one platform, with early access planned for late 2027 and official release targeting late 2028. Smart Assets will let Fortnite cosmetics transfer across games, marking Epic's shift toward an open cross-game ecosystem. Get the complete breakdown of features, release dates, and why these updates matter for esports development and competitive game performance.
20 Jun
André Guaraldo

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match