Cloud9 officially sign leaf

After playing with Cloud9 for several events now, Nathan "leaf" Orf has been revealed as a full, permanent member of the team.

leaf is quite a recent swap from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to VALORANT. He played 2020 with Chaos Esports Club, who made a name for themselves as a serious up-and-coming contender in the North American scene. leaf, just 17 years old, was at the forefront. However, Chaos dropped the team late in the year, and despite a push from the Counter-Strike community, the roster could not find an organization to represent.

leaf was actually mentioned way back when VALORANT first came out as a potential member of Cloud9, and he now steps into the team. The recent loss of Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, widely considered one of the best VALORANT players in North America and even the world, severely hurts them, but they showed potential at the recent NSG 2021 Winter Championship, when they placed in the quarterfinals. leaf and Son "xeta" Seon-ho were on trial with the team for the event, and leaf in particular was a standout, top fragging multiple matches for the team. He’s been bouncing around different roles since entering VALORANT, and at the Winter Championship primarily played Omen, but also stepped into sentinel and duelist roles at points.

With leaf locked down, Cloud9 will continue their search for a final member before Challengers begins in less than a week’s time. xeta showed promise, but having to play from Korea seriously hurts his performance. In the meantime, leaf has serious potential at just 17 years old and already a large brand from Counter-Strike. TenZ is a tough act to follow, but leaf is a great choice to attempt it.

Cloud9 Blue are now:

Mitch “mitch” Semago Skyler “Relyks” Weaver Daniel “vice” Kim Nathan “leaf” Orf

James “JamezIRL” Macaulay