T1 and Cloud9 conducted a Valorant trade on May 15, leaving many players shocked and confused.
Dexerto confirms that T1 obtained Son âxetaâ Seon-ho and Yoon âAutumnâ Eu-teum while Cloud9 received Rahul âcurryâ Nemani, a previous player for Counter-Strike. This trade occurred during the Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 Challengers event. This is reported to have happened because Cloud9 was unable to trade during the roster lock.
Many speculations and inquiries surfaced on the future of competitive Valorant. Xeta played for Cloud9 just moments before the trade went live, which brings about the question of when this was negotiated. Players and fans both commented on the fact that T1 "won" the trade, but were wondering what this meant for T1 as well.
T1, which began in South Korea, was rumored to move back after relocating to North America. Even though they have many different teams in various games, there was an interest in when they would move back. Following this trade, there were even more predictions about their move back to South Korea. Despite this, Joe Marsh, T1's CEO, posted on Twitter that they were staying in North America for the time being.
The Esports Writer, user FionnOnFire on Twitter, wrote, "We don't see trades like this often in esports," which confirms that this trade was groundbreaking not only for the teams, but Valorant itself. Even though it seems rare, it can still happen, which T1 and Cloud9 proved through this.
Some fans had differing opinions about the trade. User EmperorGGs on Twitter posted, "T1 wins the trade. Xeta is so much better than Curry. Horrible move from C9 in a year of historically horrible moves from C9 as a whole." In response, user Skrittle_ replied, "Curry is 100% the most consistent player on T1. Seems bad on the surface but I wouldn't be surprised if C9's coaches get a lot out of him. Can't make assumptions."
This decision divided the Valorant community due to its abrupt timing and misunderstood motives. Players are interested to see the future of T1, Cloud9, and other Valorant teams if more trades will be made.