Cloud9 is reportedly shaking things up with its 2024 VALORANT roster.
The organization has secured deals with the returning Anthony “vanity” Malaspina as well as former G2 breakout star Francis “OXY” Hoang, according to a report from Alejandro “anonimotum” Gomis.
Cloud9 is also reportedly keeping both Erick “Xeppaa” Bach and standout controller player Jake “jakee” Anderson on the roster. But the report does not make any mention of Cloud9’s current primary Jett star Nathan “leaf” Orf or his status. According to the Global Contract Database, leaf is listed as on the C9 books through 2025, although the Americas section of the GCD has not been updated since Sept. 1.
The reported acquisitions of vanity and OXY follow a flurry of major shakeups in the C9 camp, with the organization parting ways with Zellsis, former IGL runi, and coach mCe in the past couple of weeks. This followed a disappointing end to what turned out to be a surprisingly great season for C9, with the team falling just short of reaching Champions via both the Americas playoffs and the LCQ.
C9’s 2023 season infamously started with a stunning set of roster moves when vanity and Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker both departed the team before the start of the VCT Americas after LOCK//IN. Yay only played seven official matches with C9 before his departure, with only two of those taking place in an official VCT competition.
Aside from vanity’s return, C9 fans should be excited about the arrival of OXY, who had a tremendous year with G2 in NA Challengers, despite the team’s struggles in the second half of the season. Notably, though, his agent pool primarily consists of Raze and Jett, which heavily suggests that leaf could be departing C9 before the 2024 season starts.
