Reports: Cloud9 part ways with Valorant superstar yay

Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker’s tenure with Cloud9 has reportedly come to an end just a few days after the North American team was disqualified from the VCT LOCK/IN 2023 Sào Paulo.

According to reports, Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, one of the top VALORANT players in the world, and the North American team Cloud9 have mutually decided to part ways following their disappointing run at the first international event of 2023.

Yay, the star player of Cloud9’s superteam and the most valuable offseason acquisition, is leaving the team after only five months with the North American team and seven games spanning two preseason tournaments.

After his consecutive top-three finishes with OpTic Gaming at every VCT international event in 2022, Yay was hailed as one of the best Valorant players in the world and the best duelist in North America when he was signed by Cloud9. The team hasn’t played much together, though, as this was yay’s first international competition with Cloud9.

Despite a promising start with a victory over Paper Rex in the first round, C9’s journey in Sào Paulo came to a sad end after a 2-1 loss to the Korean powerhouses DRX in the subsequent match. Yay showcased an unconventional play with Sage in Cloud9’s 13-3 victory on the first map of the series Pearl.

Despite Yay’s best efforts, the South Korean team won the second map of Haven by a score of 13-7. Yay was the only C9 player to finish with the positive K/D on Haven as he showcased a brilliant utility play with Chamber. Cloud9’s real turning point came on Icebox, where they lost 13-2 despite yay once again topping the scoreboard.

C9 will reportedly add Marved as yay’s replacement

Cloud9 is currently exploring possible replacements for yay, as Max “purest” Katz first revealed in his report. The organization is likely to sign a new player during the mid-season transfer window that opens for VCT teams after the VCT LOCK/IN.

The report claims that Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen, a former Optic Gaming player who is anticipated to attend the trials with Cloud9, might take yay’s position in the North American team. Cloud9 must submit its entire roster prior to the start of the VCT Americas League, which is scheduled to kick off on March 26, so it’s a race against time for C9.

If the reports are accurate, C9’s active Valorant roster will be

• Anthony “vanity” Malaspina
• Nathan “leaf” Orf
• Erick “Xeppaa” Bach
• Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro
• Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen

Header: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games