Cloud9 part ways with vanity as Valorant roster rebuild continues after yay exit

❘ Published: 2023-03-10T20:00:00

Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)

Cloud9 have confirmed another change to their Valorant roster after parting ways with Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker in the aftermath of VCT LOCK//IN.

The North American organization is moving on from Valorant in-game leader Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina as it continues to rebuild the team ahead of the VCT Americas league.

The possibility of Cloud9 replacing their in-game leader was first hinted at by Blix.gg Alejandro ‘anonimatum’ Gomis on February 25, before it was confirmed that star player yay would not be part of the team for the VCT 2023 season.

vanity had been with Cloud9 since August 2021, when he was signed from Version1. Before the end of the year, he led the team to the playoffs of Valorant Champions, in Berlin.

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

Cheers to all the great memories together, @vanityxz 💙 pic.twitter.com/4hTcT3mhdP
— Cloud9 VALORANT (@C9VAL) March 10, 2023

The changes to Cloud9’s Valorant roster come after a top-16 finish at VCT LOCK//IN, in São Paulo. The team beat Paper Rex in the first round before losing out to DRX in a three-map series.

According to Dot Esports, Cloud9 are unwilling to pay a transfer fee to replace yay or vanity and will delve into the free-agent market to find new players. Former Soniqs in-game leader Runi has reportedly already practiced with the team, which has also been linked with nerve, icy, snirot, and Blahst in the off-season.

Cloud9 have little more than two weeks to finalize their roster before the mid-season transfer window closes. The VCT Americas league is scheduled to start on April 1, with Cloud9 facing Evil Geniuses in their first match.