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The Leviatán vs Cloud9 matchup in Lower Bracket Round 3 of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 Americas Kickoff is a high-stakes, do-or-die series. Both teams face elimination if they lose, meaning every round counts and mistakes could be fatal. With pressure at its peak, Leviatán and Cloud9 are set to deliver an intense and fiercely competitive battle as they fight to stay alive in the tournament.
Let’s dive in.
How the bookies view it: Leviatán Esports favored
Bookmakers give Leviatán Esports the edge in this match, with odds of 1.76 versus 1.99 for Cloud9. It means Leviatán is slightly favored to win, but the game could still go either way.
Leviatán Esports form. What result can be expected from Leviatán Esports
Leviatán Esports is a Latin American VALORANT esports team based in Argentina, regularly competing in VCT Americas and recognized as one of the region’s notable organizations. After a challenging 2025 season, during which the team posted mixed results on regional VCT stages and failed to qualify for major international events such as Masters or Champions, Leviatán still managed several strong performances, including a victory at the Tixinha & Sacy Invitational and a first-place finish at the China Esports Festival Super Champions Cup 2025. These results highlighted the team’s potential despite inconsistent performances at higher-tier tournaments.
- Leviatán roster: kiNgg, Sato, blowz, Neon, spikeziN.
Throughout 2025, Leviatán had varied results across multiple competitions. The team secured top finishes in B- and A-tier tournaments but often placed mid-table in S-tier events, such as 5–6th at VCT Americas Kickoff, 9–10th at VCT Americas Stage 1, 5–6th at Stage 2, and 7–8th at the Esports World Cup 2025: Americas Qualifier. While these outcomes demonstrate competitive ability, consistency against top-tier teams remained a challenge.
The roster changes ahead of 2026 were aimed at strengthening the team’s core, balancing veteran leadership from kiNgg and Sato with the fresh potential of blowz, Neon, and spikeziN. This combination is intended to improve strategic depth, map versatility, and overall stability, allowing Leviatán to compete more effectively against the best teams in North and South America.
Overall, Leviatán enters the 2026 season with renewed focus, seeking to build on their regional successes, maintain consistency across VCT events, and qualify for international tournaments, leveraging the synergy of experience and young talent to achieve deeper runs in Masters and Champions.
Leviatán Esports Map Pool
Leviatán demonstrate solid strengths on several maps while showing inconsistencies on others. The team excels on Haven (78% win rate), Split (100% in three matches), and Bind (75%), indicating strong tactical coordination and effective execution in both attack and defense. Lotus (63%) and Sunset (50%) are also reasonably comfortable for them, though with more mixed round statistics. Conversely, maps such as Icebox (25%) and Pearl (25%) represent clear weaknesses, where Leviatán struggles to maintain control and close out rounds effectively. Ascent (50%) and Corrode (50%) are balanced but inconsistent, showing that performance can vary depending on opponent and matchup. Maps like Breeze, Fracture, and Abyss remain largely untested by the team, leaving room for uncertainty in map selection. Overall, Leviatán’s map pool suggests a team that is strong on their core maps like Haven, Split, and Bind, while they need to improve on Icebox and Pearl to compete consistently against top-tier North and South American opponents.
Cloud9 form. What result can be expected from Cloud9
Cloud9 is a North American VALORANT esports team representing the Cloud9 organization and regularly competing in both regional and international VALORANT tournaments across online and LAN formats. After a challenging 2025 season, in which the team failed to qualify for international events, Cloud9 entered 2026 with a refreshed roster aimed at restoring stability and competitiveness at the top North American level. The current lineup is built around Xeppaa, v1c, and OXY, with Zellsis providing IGL leadership and penny adding sentinel/flex depth. This combination of experienced players and new talent is intended to improve strategic flexibility and consistency in high-pressure matches.
- Cloud9 roster: Xeppaa, v1c, OXY, Zellsis, penny.
Throughout 2025, Cloud9 had mixed results across multiple tiers of competition. The team achieved notable victories over 100 Thieves and LEVIATÁN in VCT Americas Stage 2 but also suffered defeats to elite teams such as G2 Esports and Sentinels. At the VCT Americas Kickoff and Stage 1, Cloud9 struggled to advance past early rounds, highlighting areas for growth and the need for stronger coordination under pressure. On smaller tournaments, the team placed 7–8th at Red Bull Home Ground 2025 and 4th at SEN City Classic 2025, showing flashes of individual skill and potential but lacking consistent dominance.
The roster changes ahead of 2026 — most prominently the return of Zellsis as IGL and the addition of penny — were designed to address these weaknesses by strengthening leadership and tactical decision-making. Xeppaa and OXY provide consistent fragging power, while v1c anchors the team’s strategic control with the controller role. This synergy aims to make Cloud9 more competitive against top-tier North American teams and better prepared for international events.
While Cloud9 has historically been a strong presence in regional competitions, maintaining consistency against elite opponents has been a challenge. Matches against Sentinels, G2, and other top teams exposed moments of instability and strategic gaps, but the roster restructuring gives the organization a renewed chance to solidify its position among North America’s best.
Overall, the 2025 season reflected a period of rebuilding and recalibration for Cloud9 in VALORANT. With the revamped lineup, the team’s main objective for 2026 is to regain a consistent presence in international tournaments while converting regional competitiveness into deeper runs at Masters and Champions events.
At the ongoing VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff, Cloud9 has already played one match, defeating LOUD 2:0 without much trouble.
Сloud9 Map Pool
Cloud9 shows mixed results across maps in recent matches. The team performs confidently on Sunset, winning 100% of their three games and maintaining a high round win rate on both attack (71%) and defense (53%). Bind also remains one of their stronger maps, with a 75% win rate (3 wins out of 4) and solid performance on both sides. On Icebox, Cloud9 has a positive record, winning 67% of matches (2 out of 3) with round win rates of 54% on attack and 49% on defense. Lotus is more balanced, with a 56% win rate (5 wins out of 9), showing moderate consistency. At the same time, Cloud9 struggles on Split (29%, 2–5) and Pearl (0%, 0–2), particularly on attack rounds. Haven is unpredictable, with a 50% win rate (5–5), while Ascent (0%, 0–1), Abyss (0%, 0–1), and Corrode (33%, 1–2) show weak results. The team has not played Breeze or Fracture recently, making these maps relatively unknown. Overall, Cloud9’s map pool combines maps where they are strong, like Sunset and Bind, with more risky maps where they may struggle, which is important to consider when preparing for matches against top opponents.
Cloud9 vs Leviatán head-to-head
Cloud9 and Leviatán have played each other a few times in official VALORANT tournaments. In about 7 matches, Cloud9 has won 5, while Leviatán has taken 2.
Cloud9 won their most recent matches in 2024 and 2025, and Leviatán’s wins were in earlier series.
Overall, Cloud9 has the edge, but past games have been close, so either team could win this matchup.
Predicted result of the match between Leviatán Esports and Cloud9 at VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff
Leviatán and Cloud9 are both capable of taking rounds off each other, and their past encounters show that matches between them can be close. Given the high stakes of this Lower Bracket Round 3 clash, it’s likely that neither team will roll over easily. Considering their map strengths and weaknesses, a straight 2:0 result seems less probable, making over 2.5 maps a realistic expectation for this series. Fans should be ready for a full-length, competitive matchup that could go the distance.
Predicition: Total Over 2.5 Maps.