The American team Cloud9, like all others, is actively preparing for the upcoming competitive season, but the changes within their Valorant roster are quite unusual. Yesterday, it was revealed that the team's captain, Daniel "Rossy" Abedrabbo, who joined the team just a month ago, is unexpectedly leaving the roster.

Reshuffle beginnings

Cloud9 had a fairly average performance during 2024. The team only managed to secure second place at the offseason Red Bull Home Ground #5. However, tier-1 tournaments mostly ended in losses, often placing the team at the bottom, which resulted in them missing out on all international events. The team's performance ultimately impacted the fate of its players, and as a result, the organization parted ways with two of the main roster players, as we reported in our previous article. Rossy and v1c were brought in to replace them, which you can read more about in the link.

Unexpected farewell to Rossy

Despite the quick additions, the players couldn't come to a mutual understanding, and changes within the team began almost immediately. Yesterday, it was revealed that Daniel "Rossy" Abedrabbo, who joined the club as the IGL just a month ago, is unexpectedly leaving. This was confirmed by the organization through their official social media channels.

The reason for this decision was a joint appeal from the players and coaches of the club. They stated that Rossy's style did not fit their gameplay, and therefore, it would be best to replace him.

After several months of training, including our bootcamp in Korea, the players and coaches informed Cloud9's management that, in their opinion, the team synergy was not working, and his leadership style in-game did not align with the way the team wanted to play. This decision was made collectively by our players and coaches. Rossy is an incredible player, as he showed at the Red Bull Home Ground, but in the end, he didn't quite fit with our team.

Rossy was with the team for just over a month, and during that time, he helped Cloud9 secure second place at Red Bull Home Ground #5.

Who replaced Rossy

Following these changes, the team didn't stay without a captain for long. Just hours later, the club announced the return of a well-known star. As it turns out, American player Mitch "mitch" Semago, who previously played under the Cloud9 banner, is returning to the team as the captain.

Mitch is an experienced 28-year-old player who was part of Cloud9 from 2020 to 2022. During that time, he led the team to second place at VCT 2021: North America Stage 2 Challengers 2, and under his leadership, the team finished 5-8th at VALORANT Champions 2021.

READ MORE: Rumors: Team Liquid increases investment in Valorant by launching an academy roster

Now, the Cloud9 roster is fully formed and consists of five players. The team just needs to find one last replacement to be ready for the upcoming season. Stay tuned to our portal for more news about other changes on the professional Valorant scene.