“Waylay is the only agent in the game that has zero counterplay,” C9 penny on the current meta

During the 2025 off-season, Erik “penny” Penny joined Cloud9 (C9) as their new second duelist. One split later, there’s plenty to unpack: the team was eliminated from the VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff stage after finishing with three wins and three losses.

In an interview with esports.gg, penny discussed his short time with the team, reuniting with Zellsis as the new in-game leader, leaving the EMEA region, and much more.

Cloud9 had a strong run at the VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff. After defeating LOUD in the first round, they fell to NRG. In the mid bracket, they carried that winning momentum against Leviatán and ENVY, but couldn’t overcome G2 Esports. Back in the lower bracket, they secured a second victory over Leviatán, yet couldn’t get the best of 100 Thieves, ultimately being eliminated from the tournament.

After their match against 100 Thieves, C9 penny reflected on what went wrong: “We lost four or five thrifties and a 5v2 retake in our favor. We made too many mistakes, and they punished us for it,” he explained. The main duelist also highlighted the team’s slow reactions to information, which often left the enemy team already prepared.

While the team boasts a lot of individual talent, penny believes 100 Thieves outperformed them in the 1v1s, especially on the last map, because their composition better countered Cloud9’s strategies. "We tried to change things a little bit and catch them off guard, but they ended up countering us," he added.

Once again, Waylay proves to be one of the strongest agents in the current meta. C9 penny doesn’t expect a nerf before the international event, but as one of the most picked agents, she definitely believes it’s needed. “Waylay is probably the only agent in the game that has zero counterplay,” he explained.

On the bright side, penny notes that Cloud9 only lost to the top teams. While there were some positives, the weaknesses were clear and need to be addressed ahead of the next split, building more confidence being one of them.

After a disappointing 2025 season, Cloud9 refreshed its roster with new faces. Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro returned to the team after previously playing with them in 2022–2023. Meanwhile, penny joined from the EMEA region, coming from Apecks, a team that had been relegated. Both players knew each other pretty well after their time in Version1 in 2021.

“Zellsis has improved a lot since the beginning of the season,” penny commented. “We’re very confident in his calls because he knows when it’s time to stick to an idea. He’s the kind of ‘ride or die’ player when it comes to what he believes is the best play, and we fully trust him.”

In this roster, penny has often run a double-duelist composition alongside Francis “OXY” Hoang. While finding value as a duelist is difficult in the current meta, penny believes the team has been producing a lot of strong plays. “OXY is the star player, so we can’t have him doing the entries and dying. I’ll take that responsibility,” he added.

Throughout his career, penny has always competed in North America, gaining attention during his stints with G2 Esports and YFP. In 2025, he played at the Masters Toronto with Team Liquid as an emergency substitute. While the team didn’t advance far in the tournament, his performance earned him a spot on Apecks, a recently promoted team.

"The culture in the teams is different. In EMEA, people came from five different countries with diverse backgrounds. In NA, most players are from the USA and Canada, which is a much more similar culture,” he explained. "I think it is easier for people to get along and understand each other."

During the off-season, Cloud9 announced penny’s signing to their official roster. Already integrated with the team, he participated in several off-season events. In the upcoming months, Cloud9 will be working to come back stronger for Stage 1.