The start of the VCT Americas Stage 1 has brought plenty of attention to Cloud9, with much of the spotlight falling on one of the team’s standout players. Following the team’s loss against Leviatán, Francis "OXY" Hoang spoke with Sheep Esports to reflect on their performance, his own form, and the progress C9 have made so far in the competition. Beyond the result, OXY discussed the team’s preparation coming into Stage 1, the dynamics within the roster, and more topics.
How are you feeling after this game against Leviatán? On the second map, it felt like you were a bit lost at the start, then you found some solutions, but it still wasn’t enough.
Francis "OXY" Hoang: “I’d say the biggest turning point was the bonus rounds. If you lose a pistol, okay, it happens. But then, if you also lose the bonus, it’s just not sustainable. If you start 0-4, that’s basically half the half already gone. If you lose the bonus, you get eco’d again, and it becomes a cycle. Then they build the ultimate economy, they’re playing Phoenix, and everything just snowballs from there. That was the big turning point for us.
How did the prep for Stage 1 go, and what were the main areas you focused on heading into this split?
Oxy: Going into this split, we were focusing mainly on communication. That was one of the biggest things for us, trying to communicate better and play more together. It was going well for a while, but recently we hit a bit of a roadblock. The last week of practice has been tough. Coming into the match, we were confident, but once the game started, things just didn’t click. Nothing was really working, and it hit us hard.
We saw you and Erik "penny" Penny switch roles around the end of Kickoff. You were playing Chamber. How did you find the right balance so both of you could fully express yourselves and bring the most value to the team?
Oxy: In general, I’m a very aggressive player. You can tell that from the way I play. I love playing Neon. The reason I was good on Chamber, and why a lot of people were asking questions about it, is that Chamber is a very aggressive Sentinel. Honestly, it doesn’t even feel like a Sentinel; it feels like a Duelist. I’m taking first fights on defense, and on attack, I’m taking aggressive lurks, doing the same kinds of things I’d do as a Duelist.
penny is more of a passive, slower player. He likes to work the round more. So in a way, I was always playing the same role in terms of my approach, even when I was on Sentinel. penny is the same way; even when he plays Duelist, he plays it in a slower style. That’s not a bad thing at all; it’s just a different playstyle. For us, we really liked the way I was entering, speeding things up, and bringing that pace, so that’s the direction we wanted to go.
Now that you’ve had a few months with this roster, what do you think is Cloud9’s biggest strength? The one thing that can really make a difference against top teams?
Oxy: I think when we’re on, and when we’re all playing together, we’re very, very good. There are weeks of practice where everything is clicking, everything is working, and we’re all playing off each other really well. In those moments, we look like a top team. But recently, the last week or two has been really bad. I’d say one of our biggest strengths is our experience and our understanding of the game.
Everyone knows how the game should be played, and when we’re all on the same page, it works really well. The problem is that sometimes we get out of sync, and that usually comes down to communication. We like to play the map slowly and work things out, but sometimes someone makes a mistake, someone gets picked off, and then the round falls apart. That’s one of our biggest flaws right now, and it’s something I’m trying to work on.
Last time, we already discussed your development. In which area do you feel you’ve grown the most since the start?
Oxy: In terms of firepower, I feel like I’ve stayed at the same level, or maybe even gotten a little better. I think I’ve improved with weapons like the Operator, the Judge, and the Bucky. I even used the Bucky a little bit today. But honestly, the biggest area for me has been communication. That’s the thing I’ve worked on the most. Before, it wasn’t that I wasn’t communicating, but I wasn’t really making plans for my team. I was mostly just saying what I wanted to do. Nowadays, I’m improving in that area. I’m getting better at using my teammates and involving them more instead of trying to do everything myself like I used to.
The 2026 Cloud9 roster ahead of the VCT Americas Stage 1. Credit: Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games
Staying in communication, as a Duelist, you also have to react instantly to calls. How do you balance trusting your instincts and taking initiative, while still staying disciplined within the team’s game plan?
Oxy: For me, if it’s a 5v5, I’m mostly playing off my instincts while following the plans made by my IGL. I’ll do what’s been called, and then within those micro-decisions, I’ll trust what I instinctively think is right. Where it really changes is when we get into situations like a 5v4 or 5v3. If I get the first blood, that’s when I need to slow things down and be more disciplined. I don’t need to keep going for more when we already have the advantage. I’m usually very good at getting first bloods I think I have one of the highest first-blood stats, but sometimes I die right after, or I get first-blooded myself. Those are the moments where I need to dial it back and play more with the team. That’s what I’ve been working on.
Does that process ever become difficult mentally? Do you sometimes feel like your instincts push you toward the wrong decision?
Oxy: In the past, yes, definitely. There were times when I kept going for more when I didn’t need to. But most of the time, it’s honestly best to follow your instincts. That’s how your individuality comes out, and it’s part of the reason I get multikills. It’s not always because I’m playing strictly by the book. I do dumb things all the time, and sometimes they work out; that’s just how
VALORANT is. I’m a player who loves to follow his instincts, and over the years, I’ve learned that instincts are good. But once you get that 5v3 advantage, that’s when you need to dial it back and play with your teammates. That’s the balance I’m trying to improve.
About the current Duelist meta, Yoru got nerfed, and you’ve always looked very comfortable on Neon and other highly explosive agents. For you, has this meta shift been more of an upgrade that highlights your strengths, or more of a nerf that forces you to play differently?
Oxy: Honestly, to me, it feels like an upgrade. I come from ranked, I played a lot of ranked, and that’s how I got here. A lot of my instincts are based on how ranked players play. I also feel like a lot of my understanding of the game comes from playing so much ranked. Nowadays, the meta is more double-Duelist focused. We saw that today from Leviatán, they were still playing double-Duelist. They weren’t doing anything crazy or hidden. It was very obvious what they wanted to do. I think that kind of meta should be good for our team, and for me, because instinctively, I understand how to play against those styles. But today, it just didn’t work for us.
Last question, if you had to create the perfect Duelist in VALORANT, what abilities would they have, and what kind of playstyle would they bring?
Oxy: Okay, perfect Duelist… I’d definitely keep Neon’s sprint on E. That’s broken already. For Q, I’d take Phoenix flash. Then, for my third ability, I’d probably take something like Omen smokes on C, so I could throw my own smokes, flash out, and just run in. And for the ultimate… There are so many broken ults. I really like Neon’s ult, and I also love Jett knives, but I’d go with Neon ult “Overdrive”. So yeah: Neon sprint, Phoenix flash, Omen smokes, and Neon ult. That’s my perfect Duelist.”
