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Cloud9 Valorant confirms Jordan Xeppaa Montemurro departure after five years and 127 days, one of NA longest tenures in VALORANT history. Cameron FireBallOps Tomaselli joins as Sentinel to complete C9 roster for VCT Americas Stage 2 2026.
Cloud9 Valorant closes a five-year chapter: Jordan "Xeppaa" Montemurro is out, and Cameron "FireBallOps" Tomaselli joins as the team's final piece for VCT Americas Stage 2 2026. 🔄
After exactly 5 years and 127 days, Xeppaa officially parted ways with Cloud9 on May 29, 2026. The veteran Initiator had crossed over from Cloud9's CS:GO roster in April 2021, and the impact was immediate: C9 reached VALORANT Champions 2021 as the only North American team to make playoffs that year.
But 2026 wore him down. Stage 1 saw back-to-back departures: penny, then v1c, and the toll was real. "After the split ended with penny and v1c leaving, I realized that I really needed a break and told the team," Xeppaa explained in his statement. The timing finally felt right.
Xeppaa is not retiring 📣 He plans to shift to streaming while things settle. "C9's been really great to me over the years and it still doesn't feel real," he said, signing off after one of the longest runs any player has had with a single VALORANT org.
Cameron "FireBallOps" Tomaselli arrives from Nightblood Gaming as the fifth and final member. A Sentinel specialist with secondary Controller capacity, he has been competing in NA's tier-2 grind since 2021, with stints at Built By Gamers Academy, 1337, and Blue Otter along the way 💪
The coaching connection is a bonus: assistant coach Veer (Wyatt Blevins) previously worked alongside FireBallOps, meaning there is already chemistry between player and staff before a single Stage 2 match is played.
Cloud9 / Sheep Esports
Here is Cloud9's full lineup heading into VCT Americas Stage 2 2026:
Head Coach: Immi · Assistant Coach: Veer
The roster shuffle is done, now C9 has to prove it. G2 Esports took Stage 1 and will be a benchmark at Masters London 2026, both must-watch events that will shape the seedings Cloud9 faces in Stage 2.
The meta going into Stage 2 is also shifting fast. The VALORANT Patch 12.10 changes landed right before Masters London, so FireBallOps will be stepping into a Sentinel meta that is still settling. That makes his first performances all the more worth tracking.
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