In October 2022, Cloud9 VALORANT seemed set for success, having secured one of the 10 VCT Americas slots and introducing a “heavy hitters” 2023 program featuring Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, and new head coach Matthew “mCe” Elmore. However, despite the team’s strong lineup, mCe sensed issues that prompted roster changes.
In a recent interview mCe emphasized the importance of player comfort and well-established systems. He explained that if a player is comfortable with their agent pool, the team will instantly perform better.
After four months and two preseason LAN events, Cloud9 experienced a shakeup, parting ways with yay and in-game leader Anthony “vanity” Malaspina. The team cited role conflicts as the reason for yay’s departure, while mCe noted the team’s roster wasn’t prepared for the ever-changing meta.
Looking to the future, Cloud9 recently signed Jake “jakee” Anderson and Dylan “runi” Cade, two lesser-known players. Mce remains optimistic about the team’s potential as long as the core players perform and the new additions blend well with the team.
Cloud9 is scheduled to face Evil Geniuses on April 2 at 5pm CT in the first week of the VCT Americas split.
