North American organization Cloud9 has been actively searching for a replacement to yay on the VALORANT roster and has stepped up its approach in recent days.
One of the unanswered questions following yay’s release would be which player could possibly replace him on the team. Yay was known as the best player in the world last year but was released from Cloud9 after just five months.
Over the past few days, Cloud9 has trialed with multiple players, often running a secondary team to maximize the number of participants, utilizing substitutes in the form of qpert and BlackHeart. One player that has stood out is Michael “nerve” Yerrow, the former Soniqs player, sources told Dot Esports.
Other players that have practiced with Cloud9 or are set to trial include former Soniqs player Dylan “runi” Cade, former Moon Racoons player Jacob “icy” Lange, former Gen.G player Edmon “snirot” Ghanem, and former VIRTUOSO player Nathan “Blahst” Brand, according to sources.
Marved was named as one of the options for Cloud9, as reported by Dot Esports, but the organization will likely refuse to meet his salary expectations.
Cloud9 is likely unwilling to pay buyouts for players, according to sources.
During his time on Cloud9, yay was one of the highest-paid players in the world, which he negotiated following his stint on OpTic Gaming. He will look to compete on a team, but a new home remains unlikely in the short term since most rosters remain set.
Cloud9 is set to compete in the Americas league, which begins on March 26.
