Cloud9 Zellsis on 2027 circuit: “The little guy can become the next big thing”

Cloud9 are on a three-game winning streak in official matches for the first time in three years, potentially signaling the start of a strong run for the organization.

After their victory over Fluxo W7M at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2, THESPIKE spoke with Jordan "Zellsis" Montemurro about Cloud9’s recent form, finding his footing in the team’s new iteration, and proving that the roster has plenty of talent beyond Francis "OXY" Hoang.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2

Cloud9

2

X

1

Fluxo W7M

Upper Bracket Round of 16, Best of 3 - August 15, 2026 - 12:15AM

7

Lotus

13

13

Breeze

4

13

Split

4

Cloud9

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

OXY

1.56

323

60/38/12

+22

1.58

83.8%

195.3

25%

78%

18

5

Jackk

1.23

191

39/27/31

+12

1.44

80.8%

129.0

41%

100%

3

0

FireBallOps

1.06

204

42/35/13

+7

1.20

77.6%

140.0

36%

43%

3

4

Zellsis

0.84

158

31/37/14

-6

0.84

73.2%

96.8

19%

33%

3

6

v1c

0.83

150

28/35/23

-7

0.80

76.6%

91.7

21%

42%

5

7

Fluxo W7M

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Palla

1.18

246

48/44/12

+4

1.09

72.4%

160.4

36%

41%

9

13

Zanatsu

1.00

217

38/44/17

-6

0.86

68.4%

145.0

27%

41%

7

10

tuyz

0.90

181

34/36/15

-2

0.94

71.8%

130.9

34%

50%

2

2

jzz

0.69

143

28/37/9

-9

0.76

67.6%

96.9

14%

50%

2

2

mazin

0.60

130

24/39/10

-15

0.62

70.1%

84.7

25%

29%

2

5

A new chapter for Cloud9

Since their victory over KRÜ Esports in the Group Stage, Cloud9 has been finding its footing and delivering increasingly confident performances in recent weeks, helping build momentum heading into Play-Ins. As for their preparation, the team focused on strengthening its map pool while using the first-map loss as an opportunity to adapt and come back stronger.

THESPIKE: This Cloud9 came way more confident and cohesive than we saw in the Group Stage. How was the preparation for this match?

Zellsis: "The preparation was mostly focused on us. We were trying to strengthen our map pool a little more. On Lotus, we got eco’d and then didn’t really stick to our game plan, which is something we’ve been working on for that map. Hopefully, the next time we play Lotus, we can stick to it and look much better.

The next two maps were a sweep, and I think everything became easier after the first map, where we got punched in the face and didn’t really know how to react. On the next two maps, we were much more comfortable. We just played our game, didn’t try to overthink what they were doing, and focused on ourselves. It worked out well for us."

A rough start for Tier 2 in VCT Americas

In VCT Americas 2026: Stage 2, no Tier 2 team was able to win a series against a Tier 1 opponent, including Fluxo W7M, who fell to Cloud9. However, Zellsis believes these teams have plenty of talent and that the scene was hurt by the decision to combine multiple regions, bringing different audiences and communities together under the same umbrella.

I really like the format. I was a big fan of franchising when it first came out, but I think mixing all the regions together was a bit of a blunder. Brazil has such a big fan base and so many organizations and teams supporting VALORANT, while the Americas and LATAM also had huge player and fan bases. Bringing all these regions together ended up hurting each scene to some extent.

At the same time, Cloud9’s in-game leader is a strong advocate for giving Tier 2 teams the opportunity to shine on the big stage and is excited to see what the upcoming year brings, with Riot Games set to introduce major changes to the circuit.

It’s really good to have Tier 2 teams come in, compete, and showcase themselves and their organizations. Fluxo didn’t even have an organization before they qualified, so I think this is great for the scene. It gives players a chance to showcase themselves, brings more organizations into VALORANT, and gives them the opportunity to see that investing in the scene can pay off. Next year will be fun, with franchising gone and everything changing. I’m a big fan of the underdogs. I like an underdog story, so I think it’s great.

Zellsis has no doubts that we will see more upsets next year, with the circuit opening up and new talent getting the chance to compete against established organizations.

We saw this happening before franchising, when underdogs or lesser-known teams would pull off upsets or make it through open and closed qualifiers to reach international events. I think an open circuit creates more opportunities for stories. You have more teams, and an underdog team could potentially make it all the way through. It’s just fun and exciting. It sucks if you’re a Tier 1 team that’s expected to win and you lose. You should be winning those games. But if you don’t, it gives the little guy an opportunity to step up and become the next big thing.

Finding his voice as an in-game leader

Over the last few months, Zellsis has been finding his voice as an in-game leader while adapting to different rosters throughout the year.

THESPIKE: You've talked pretty openly about wanting more control and discipline from the team. Do you feel like Cloud9 have actually found that identity heading into Play-Ins?

Zellsis: "I think I was putting too much pressure on myself this year. We had several team talks and difficult conversations, but the guys actually saw the game the same way I did. I think the staff and I were just trying to make everything too perfect, and that ended up putting more stress on the players.

We had a few tough talks and went from trying to be way too perfect to basically playing ranked. Then we had another difficult conversation, and now we’re somewhere in the middle."

I think we’ve found each player’s identity and how everyone wants to play. I’m really happy that we’re clicking because this is a great group of guys, and I’m glad we’re starting to get some wins.

THESPIKE: Was that pressure mainly coming from you internally, or did you also feel external pressure to succeed?

Zellsis: "I think I’ve gotten to a point in my career where I don’t really care about outside pressure. I’ve always been considered a good mid-rounder, but never really a good IGL.

We had a very good start to the year. At Kickoff, we were playing certain compositions and styles that worked really well for us. Then people started doubting us, and I started doubting myself. After that, the roster changes happened, and it was just a really difficult middle part of the year. It hurt my confidence.

I felt like we were in good positions to win a lot of games and rounds, but with these guys, I’ve regained that confidence. They’ve given me a lot of respect and motivation. I’m always trying to give them confidence, but they give it back to me by telling me that my calling is good, the compositions are good, and what we’re doing is working.

That’s the stuff the public doesn’t see. This is all about what I can bring to my team and how I can help them win. At the end of the day, I just want to win."

Cloud9 keeps the momentum going

THESPIKE: What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about this Cloud9?

Zellsis: "I think the biggest misconception is that OXY is in prison and just hard carrying. He is hard carrying, don’t get me wrong. He’s a really good player, but I think that discredits everyone else on the team. Victor "v1c" Truong, Cameron "FireBallOps" Tomaselli, and Jack "Jackk" Foote are all very talented players, and they each do their part in their own way. Everyone can pop off. Obviously, OXY is at the top, and he does get fed."

I think people are discrediting everyone else by saying OXY is in prison and all that. First of all, he’s not. And second, this is a very talented roster. The guys deserve the credit where it’s due.

VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2 Play-Ins

The VCT Americas 2026 Stage 2 Play-Ins stage goes from August 13 to August 23. Only four teams will advance to the Playoffs, where they will battle for a place at VALORANT Champions 2026, which is set to take place in Shanghai, China.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

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