v1c after Cloud9’s elimination: “Maybe collectively we just don’t work great together”

The first Tier 1 team has been eliminated from VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2 Play-Ins. Cloud9's journey to VALORANT Champions Shanghai came to an abrupt end after they were defeated by the Tier 2 team BESTIA.

C9 has had a tough year, with numerous roster changes and no qualifications for international events. One of their key players, Victor "v1c" Truong, decided to take a break from the VCT after the group stage in VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 1 before returning a month ago.

After being eliminated from Stage 2, v1c spoke to THESPIKE about his decision to step away from and return to Tier 1, as well as why C9 continues to struggle to qualify for international events.

Eliminated by a Tier 2 team

Tier 2 teams are stirring up trouble for Tier 1 squads across the regions. C9 was the first Tier 1 team in the Americas to be eliminated from Stage 2, and losing to a Tier 2 team will sting even more.

In the matchup between C9 and BESTIA, it was clear that BESTIA were in the driver's seat, having answers to many of C9's plays.

THESPIKE: How are you feeling right now?

v1c: "Not feeling anything, actually. I think after these losses, in a sense, kind of feeling after in the moment, all you can really do is reflect. I think they played good. I think some of our stuff got anti’d, and that's our fault. I tried to find solutions and stuff, but it's just one of those games where it really didn't feel like it was our way, and a lot of things we were doing weren't correct. So I'm just not really feeling anything."

THESPIKE: It was quite a dominant match by them. How was the preparation, and did you notice things that went wrong in the game? What do you think was missing from you guys?

v1c: "I think, starting at the top, we lost to Evil Geniuses. We had two days since that game. The first day, we kind of let the coaches do their thing and prep for the games. Then Tuesday, the day before our game, we kind of got ready for the game. But it was very minimal time compared to other teams that we've had prep on. [...]

I think they anti'd how we kind of played and pushed and pulled really well on attack. I don't want to say they got lucky, but I think they had a lot of kills throughout the series. It was just one of those things where I feel like they were really sharp. They were shooting really hard, and we were not really matching that pace."

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2

Cloud9

0

X

2

BESTIA

Lower Bracket Round 2 of 6, Best of 3 - August 19, 2026 - 9:00PM

8

Lotus

13

10

Breeze

13

Cloud9

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Jackk

1.00

184

29/33/13

-4

0.88

77.4%

118.7

32%

57%

4

3

v1c

0.96

178

25/34/22

-9

0.74

75.1%

118.6

22%

75%

3

1

Zellsis

0.91

185

26/36/16

-10

0.72

68.1%

129.9

33%

71%

5

2

OXY

0.89

210

31/35/6

-4

0.89

65.7%

132.3

24%

50%

8

8

FireBallOps

0.71

157

23/34/10

-11

0.68

68.1%

112.3

38%

17%

2

10

BESTIA

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Loss

1.15

221

36/23/11

+13

1.57

77.2%

148.0

28%

50%

5

5

Tacolilla

1.12

213

36/29/9

+7

1.24

79.8%

138.0

26%

50%

9

9

Melser

1.10

212

34/27/13

+7

1.26

86.5%

143.7

33%

50%

3

3

chbzn

1.06

186

32/28/14

+4

1.14

79.6%

123.0

38%

50%

3

3

David

1.02

209

34/27/5

+7

1.26

77.2%

141.9

33%

50%

2

2

Never qualified to an international

Since C9 became a partnered team, they have never qualified for an international event. The only exception is VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN, where all partnered teams were invited automatically. But when it comes to fighting for a spot on the global stage, C9 has never been able to make it.

THESPIKE: C9 has never been able to cross that threshold and qualify for international events. Why do you think that is?

v1c: "I think there are a lot of factors, to be honest. It does not help that we've had a lot of roster changes within the year. It showed a lot of regression.

But I think as people, we all have that goal to make internationals, etc, etc. It's hard to play as a team and share the same ideals when everyone comes from different backgrounds and different teams, especially with such limited time.[...]

I think C9 as a whole is just... I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's unfortunate. Maybe it's unlucky. We come in every day trying our best, and sometimes the results aren't there. Maybe collectively we just don't work great together, or maybe it's just everything in a sense."

Left and came back

In May 2026, v1c decided to take a step back from competitive play because he was not feeling great mentally and was unhappy with his performance in-game. While taking some time off, he played for Azure Dragon Gaming in the VCL 2026 - North America: Stage 3 alongside some friends.

When C9 was struggling in Stage 2, v1c felt guilty about leaving the team in a difficult position and decided to return, looking for redemption.

"I did feel really bad. So when they asked me and they were in a tough spot, I was like, "It's the right thing to do." I put them in a bad spot, and they're asking me to rejoin. I feel like I should do it because I care about the guys and I do want to see them succeed.”

THESPIKE: Do you still feel guilty about that? I'm guessing it wasn't an easy choice, taking a step back and leaving the team.

v1c: "I definitely regret it a little bit because of how everything ended. I kind of ended up in the same spot. But I think you learn in life. You make mistakes sometimes.[...]

It's not great when you take a step back, and even if you see other teams win or lose, whatever, you're part of something bigger than yourself and you should treat it that way. You have people surrounding you and supporting tasks, in a sense. I did feel a certain way and I didn't appreciate certain things. I should have spoken up more or asked for a break within the team.

But the way I saw esports during that time was just like it's a grind. You want to win, you don't get results, and there's no time to waste."

Aiming high for 2027

After his short stint in the VCL, v1c has become a more vocal player, taking on more of a leadership role to help the new players on the C9 squad. This year has taught him a lot, and he is not ready to leave the VCT yet.

THESPIKE: What does the future look like for you? You've been back now for a few weeks. Are you aiming for a full season in 2027?

v1c: "Yeah, I still want to compete. I still really haven't achieved the goals I wanted to, especially coming into franchising.

I've seen a lot of my peers succeed. The old Moist x Shopify core with Adam "mada" Pampuch and Brock "brawk" Somerhalder, they made internationals. They won Champs together, you know? For me, I played side by side with them. I've experienced how they played, and I also think I'm at that level in a sense. But I think a lot of bumps have happened in my career compared to theirs.

I still want to achieve what I want, and I'm going to try to chase it in 2027."

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

Featured image source: Riot Games & THESPIKE