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Riot Games is set to conclude their year-long Valorant Champions Tour with the grand final event - the Valorant Champions 2021 tournament, scheduled to be held this year in Berlin from December 1 to December 12.
Entering the grand final stage of the Valorant Champions Tour 2021, Cloud9 Blue has secured a place among the top 16 teams in the world, competing for the coveted trophy.
In a recent press conference ahead of the Valorant Champions Group Stage, the latest member of Cloud9 and their In-Game Leader, vanity, commented on the team's mentality heading into the tournament.
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Featuring 16 teams from all over the world, the tournament will determine the inaugural world champion of Valorant. Teams had to compete in the various regional and international tournaments throughout the year to qualify for the Valorant Champions.
vanity comments on Cloud 9 Blue's situation heading into Valorant Champions Berlin 2021
During the press conference before the group stage of Valorant Champions 2021, Sportskeeda asked vanity, the IGL of Cloud9 Blue - "When most of the teams in Champions have past LAN experience, this is the first international LAN for Cloud9. Do you feel this could be a disadvantage for the team?" vanity answers,
"Given the whole situation me, leaf and Xeppaa went through last year, I don't think a LAN without crowd would have too much impact on our mentals."
Among the three North American teams that made their way to Berlin is Cloud9 Blue, a promising contender brimming with exciting talent. The squad is made up of Anthony "vanity" Malaspina, Erick "Xeppaa" Bach, Nathan "leaf" Orf, Mitch "mitch" Semago and Son "xeta" Seon-ho, and they are determined to take the team to great heights in Valorant Champions 2021.
vanity, leaf and Xeppaa were part of Chaos Esports Club's CS: GO roster until January 1, 2021, before the organization disbanded. This was a disastrous period for the entire squad, forcing them to rethink their career choices.
While leaf and vanity chose to retire from CS: GO, Xeppaa was acquired by Cloud9, later transferring to their Valorant roster. leaf and vanity decided to switch to Riot's recently launched tactical FPS, a game that was widely similar to the one they had gotten accustomed to over the years.
However, as late entrants to the Valorant scene, the trio had to catch up to the rest of the world. leaf debuted in Valorant representing Cloud9 Blue, whereas vanity entered Version 1's roster prior to joining Cloud9 Blue.
Cloud9 Blue find themselves in Group D of the Valorant Champions 2021 group stages, alongside Vision Strikers (KR), Full Sense (SEA) and Fnatic (EMEA). Tied in a double-elimination bracket, the top two teams from the group proceed to the playoffs.
Fnatic were finalists of VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavic. In contrast, Vision Strikers and Full Sense are strong contenders who play with a different style pertaining to the gaming culture of their respective regions. Cloud9 Blue will face Fnatic in the initial match of the Group Stage.
Despite their circuit standings and past performance, Cloud9 Blue are determined to be strong contenders for Valorant Champions 2021 after winning the North American Last Chance Qualifiers.
