Cloud9 Confirms Signing of Leaf to VALORANT Roster

Following weeks of speculation, Cloud9 has finally announced the arrival of Nathan “leaf” Orf. The American will join the organization’s VALORANT roster, having recently been competing under the banner of Cloud9 Blue. The former CS:GO professional is likely to make his official debit at the VALORANT Champions Tour, which gets underway later this month.

Leaf had acted as a stand-in at three different events of late, with the 17-year-old having already talked up his chances of becoming a major force within the North American VALORANT scene. Speaking on his move to Cloud9, the teenager stated that: “I’d probably like to be one of the top players in the game. I definitely think I have the capabilities to be so.”

What Can We Expect from leaf at Cloud9?

It remains to be seen as to the exact role leaf will carry out for Cloud9, especially given the fact that he selected Omen, Cypher, Killjoy and Reyna at the NSG Winter Championship just last week. However, his versatility could well have been one of the things that persuaded Cloud9 to sign him, with his flexibility potentially being a major asset in the future.

While leaf’s arrival has been confirmed, the future of Son “xeta” Seon-ho remains up in the air. The South Korean has also recently been on trial with Cloud9, however no official update has been given surrounding the former CS:GO player. Many have suggested that he could well join leaf in being added to the C9 lineup in the near future.

What Other Changes Can We Expect from Cloud9?

With the VALORANT Champions Tour Open Qualifiers getting underway in a matter of days, Cloud9 still has to confirm its fifth roster spot. At present, poiz, also known as DOINKMACHINE97 is listed as one of the organization’s players. Poiz has been the name on everyone’s lips after he took over the no.1 ranking from Cloud9 favorite Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, who himself recently retired in order to pursue his career in content creation and streaming.

With Cloud9 having also released in0game leader Josh “shinobi” Abastado at the end of last year, largely based on his performances at the First Strike event, there are a few questions left unanswered surrounding their VALORANT lineup.