North American grandee Cloud9 decided to go all-in by signing a contract with Maximilian ‘Demon1‘ Mazanov. The famous esports player will try on the role of a stand-up in the VALORANT roaster. To be honest, the situation in the team was difficult — Francis “OXY” Hoang was forced to go home due to the tragic death of his mother, and the organization, in fact, was left without a key player at the height of the season.
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The return of Demon1 to Cloud9 and the terms of the contract
The publisher announced the transition on January 22, 2026, and Max has almost no time to rock up.
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Debut: Demon1 will be released on the server in the second week of the VCT Americas Kickoff.
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First opponent: The formidable Leviatan.
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Date of the battle: On January 25, within the framework of the average grid.
Back in December 2025, Mazanov was seriously considering ending his career if he did not find a permanent home for the upcoming season. Cloud9, along the way, became his lifeline and the fifth organization on his track record. In fact, this is a great chance for the 2023 champion (back then he was still taking the trophy from Evil Geniuses) to prove that he was wrongly written off.
VCT 2026 format and Cloud9 Tournament Odds
By the way, the start of the year for Cloudy turned out to be powerful — a confident victory over LOUD with a score of 2:0 showed the teeth of the squad. However, the defeat by NRG pushed them back into the middle bracket. It is worth considering that in 2026 Riot Games introduced a new Triple Elimination system at Kickoff tournaments – this, in general, gives the right to make a second mistake even after the departure from the winners.
Why is this important? Cloud9’s goal is very clear — to get one of the three tickets to the prestigious Masters Santiago. Demon1, who has top-16 experience at VALORANT Champions 2025 as part of Dragon Ranger Gaming, looks like the perfect reinforcement. In fact, his skill can be a decisive factor in the fight for qualification. Unexpectedly, the replacement due to the personal tragedy of OXY (to whom the entire community, of course, expresses its sincere condolences) may turn into a new strategic depth for the team. In general, it will be incredibly interesting to follow the match on January 25.
