Cloud9 confirm return of iconic Valorant star on 2024 roster
Cloud9Cloud9 have revealed its Valorant roster for the 2024 VCT season, confirming reports that a former star player has returned to the organization.
Cloud9 announced its 2024 VCT lineup and it includes a familiar face for fans of the organization. The esports team confirmed in its reveal that IGL Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina has made his way back to Cloud9 after being dropped early in the 2023 season.
The players joining the squad around him include former G2 Esports players Maxim ‘wippie’ Shepelev, Francis ‘OXY’ Hoang, and their former head coach Ian ‘Immi’ Harding.
Vanity is returning to an organization that saw some success without him during the 2023 season. The IGL was surprisingly dropped from the Cloud9 roster after VCT LOCK//IN, along with Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker, and replaced with former Soniqs player Dylan ‘runi’ Cade.
Without vanity and yay in the lineup, Cloud9 tied for the best record in VCT Americas, 8-1. However, the team failed to qualify for VCT Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions 2023 in the playoffs and LCQ tournament.
Cloud9 2024 Valorant roster includes former IGL vanity
In his time away from Cloud9, vanity joined Shopify Rebellion for a brief period. He signed with the squad for the second split of the North American Challengers League and helped them to a 3-2 record in the group stage. However, Shopify quickly exited the playoff stage in the first round, losing to M80 and then G2.
Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff ✈ pic.twitter.com/tyXG0owpSj
— Cloud9 VALORANT (@C9VAL) September 29, 2023
Before being dropped by Cloud9, vanity was signed to the organization for almost two years and helped lead the team to a Valorant Champions appearance in 2021.
The new look Cloud9 squad also has some history together. Vanity previously competed with wippie on Version1. The two qualified for the first VCT Masters event back in 2021 and were coached by Immi at the time.
Cloud9’d Valorant roster is now the following:
- vanity
- wippie
- OXY
- Jake ‘jakee’ Anderson
- Erick ‘Xeppaa’ Bach
- Immi (head coach)