“It just didn’t work” - Cloud on Fnatic’s short-lived Stage 2 run

One of the biggest disappointments for EMEA fans in VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 2 so far is Fnatic once again bombing out of a regional event and missing the international stage. This time around, the Tier 2 team Joblife were the ones to put the final nail in Fnatic’s coffin.

A very disappointed Kirill "Cloud" Nehozhin from Fnatic spoke to THESPIKE after the game about him joining the team and their elimination from Stage 2.

“I have no feelings, to be honest.”

Sent home by Joblife

Fnatic faced Joblife for an elimination game in the Play-ins. Even though Joblife is a Challengers team, they have three former VCT players on the squad that showed off their experience against Fnatic. Together with the youngsters on the squad, they played without fear and put Fnatic in the ground.

Cloud couldn’t put into words what Fnatic was missing to even put up a fight.

“I mean, I guess they are just better shooters than us today. That's pretty much it. I mean we were prepared. They did change some stuff but felt hard to play against them.”

So far, four Tier 1 teams have been eliminated from Stage 2 at the hands of Tier 2 players. Coming in as underdogs only seems to help the Tier 2 teams as they bulldoze their way to the Playoffs. Cloud thinks that their reckless playstyle is one of the hardest to play against.

“It's like hunger and fearlessness are their best weapons. Like I was in so many games, in an underdog position on GIANTX back then. Trust each other as well. If you trust each other, you're fearless, you're really hungry to win the games. You are giving it all, every single scrim and every game. Yeah, that's what will make you strong as a team and individually as well.”

Do you think that will take them far? Do you think they can qualify for Champs or is it just in the short run?

“It really depends because it's about momentum. I feel like if a team has good momentum they can keep it and scale further even more and more and more. They can go far, but also they will be really tired from the playoffs and they have no room for mistakes as well.”

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 2

Joblife

2

X

0

Fnatic

Lower Bracket Round 3 of 6, Best of 3 - August 14, 2026 - 5:30PM

13

Lotus

11

13

Breeze

8

Joblife

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Pa1ze

1.53

329

49/35/13

+14

1.40

80.1%

215.0

32%

67%

16

8

kamyk

1.49

279

46/29/16

+17

1.59

73.8%

180.1

45%

50%

2

2

runneR

0.85

171

29/31/8

-2

0.94

58.3%

108.6

16%

30%

3

7

Doma

0.83

166

26/30/11

-4

0.87

82.4%

114.0

25%

67%

4

2

UNFAKE

0.72

138

22/29/12

-7

0.76

69.3%

99.5

30%

0%

0

1

Fnatic

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

crashies

1.19

231

37/33/13

+4

1.12

64.9%

141.2

34%

40%

2

3

Alfajer

1.07

223

36/37/6

-1

0.97

62.2%

146.4

27%

58%

7

5

kaajak

1.04

217

32/38/15

-6

0.84

68.8%

156.0

32%

40%

8

12

Cloud

0.92

182

27/31/18

-4

0.87

74.7%

125.8

26%

33%

2

4

Boaster

0.77

129

22/33/18

-11

0.67

72.9%

94.0

37%

50%

1

1

Two months on the squad

Since Sylvain "Veqaj" Pattyn had to step down from competitive play in April of 2026, the issues for Fnatic only snowballed. Clement "CyvOph" Millard was signed and then released, and a Head Coach switch was made in May.

Cloud was the last roster move made before Stage 2. He was previously the In-game leader for GIANTX and left the squad to join Fnatic back in June with a three-year contract. Even though he’s only been on the squad for about two months, the loss hit deep.

“I mean, it's just disappointing, I guess. Because we put a lot of work into it. We put a lot of effort, changes, and passion into it. Like a lot of talks. It just didn't work.”

Going from IGLing to a regular support player was a big move for Cloud, but one he was happy about. Coming into such an established team as Fnatic, he didn’t want to ruin the team dynamic, and just tried to fit in as best as possible.

“I think it changed my playstyle of the game, how I play individually because it's a different team, different playstyle, how they play the game and how they see the game. It's different from what I had before. I wasn't inflating the team in terms of fighting and stuff. I was just saying if I felt something was wrong or not.”

Different team culture

One big difference between GiantX and Fnatic, for Cloud, was the team culture. While both orgs are in Tier 1, Fnatic focuses much more on the mental health of esports competition according to Cloud. Something he thinks all teams should focus more on for the sake of their players.

“We have a lot of performance coaches doing a lot of things like trying to help us to be good health wise, you know. I think the connection between the people in the team is also really good. They're all nice people. (...) So I think the most important thing is how you feel health wise.”

Welcomed by the fans

The roster move was quite surprising for the Fnatic fans, with Cloud securing a long-term contract. While the reactions were mixed on social media, Cloud is thankful for all the support from the Fnatic fans.

“They've been really supportive, the Fnatic fans. I have a lot of love and respect for them even in our rough times. I mean, there are always haters and stuff like this, but yeah, rough years, they just make you stronger. You have a lot to learn, especially when you lose. But yeah, I really like the Fnatic family. I think they're really supportive fans. I just don't know if they like me anymore.”

Taking a break

Being eliminated from Stage 2 means that Fnatic's 2026 VCT season is over. The next time Fnatic will be on the server is in 2027. In the meantime, Cloud will take the time off to process what went wrong and try to come back better and stronger for the next season.

“I think I will mostly reflect on what happened in the past months that I've been on the team and what do I need to do to make it better in whatever next happens, you know? So I think it's the most important thing right now to take like one day or a week off from things. And then just reflect on what happened, maybe put it down somewhere in the notes, what I want to do to be better for next year and overall for the future.”

For more VCT interviews, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.

Featured image source: Michał Konkol/Riot Games.