Vanity could be next to leave Cloud9

Rumors continue to swirl regarding Cloud9’s lineup at VALORANT after the team lost in the VCT LOCK//IN round of 16 to DRX. However, this time all the spotlight is on Anthony “Vanity” Malaspina, current team captain, as according to rumors, he would be the next to leave the team.

C9’s loss to DRX not only took out the “best player in the world,” Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, but this time it has Vanity in its sights, something that has surprised all the team’s fans.

Vanity would be the next to leave Cloud9

According to George Geddes and Max Katz, the North American organization would have in its plans to stop counting on its captain and IGL, Anthony “Vanity” Malaspina.

These strong rumors come just a few days after the confirmation of the departure of Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, considered the best player in the world.

The IGL’s departure from C9 does not seem to be sinking into the team’s lineup in the best possible way. According to Geddes, the rest of the players wished to continue playing alongside their IGL and teammate, Vanity. However, the decision has likely already been made, as the organization has been trying out different players for his position.

One of the players on C9’s radar would be Dylan “Runi” Cade, who would be coming from the disbanded team Soniqs.

Cloud9 has everything going against them in this race to put together their ideal lineup for the upcoming VCT Americas that kicks off on April 1. While other organizations are sticking with their core players and practicing daily to prepare for the tournament, Cloud9 has yet to define its starting lineup.

Geddes also pointed out that C9 is in a complicated situation regarding signing players, as they may not be willing to pay the clauses of those players who have contracts with other organizations. Also, those organizations in the Challengers division would not be enthusiastic about selling some of their mainstays on their way to VCT 2024.

Vanity has been the face of Cloud9 in recent years

While yay’s departure surprised many due to his small internship with the team (only five months and a scant two official games, Vanity’s would be quite the opposite. The C9 IGL has been part of the team’s starting lineup since August 2021, when he arrived from Version1. At that time, Vanity played the Reykjavik Master with Version1, the first face-to-face and international event in the history of Riot’s shooter.

Since he arrived at Cloud9, Vanity has led the team to two consecutive world championships. Despite this, the North American organization has not won any trophies at the highest competitive level, as it has been in the shadow of OpTic Gaming.

Now we can only wait for official information from Cloud9 to confirm or deny these rumors.

Header: Riot Games