The Valorant offseason is coming to an end, and many teams are gearing up for the start of the regular season. However, some of the leading clubs have already encountered difficulties. Cloud9 and 100 Thieves debuted with new rosters, but their results leave much to be desired.

The Cloud9 and 100 Thieves squads, planning to participate in VCT Americas, recently competed in the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational 2 tournament. However, both teams experienced unexpected losses to second-tier teams.

In the first match, Cloud9 lost to Moist x Shopify with a score of 2:1. At the same time, 100 Thieves were defeated by Oxygen Esports with a score of 2:0. In the lower bracket of the tournament, Cloud9 and 100 Thieves faced each other again. This time, the first team emerged victorious with a score of 2:1. In the upper bracket final, Moist x Shopify and Oxygen Esports clashed, and the victory went to Oxygen Esports.

READ MORE: Oxygen Esports became the unexpected winner of the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational 2

Cloud9 and 100 Thieves struggled against second-tier teams, raising questions. It's worth recalling that in the previous season, both teams failed to advance to the regular season tournament. Both teams have a chance to redeem themselves this year and qualify for VCT Americas 2024.