Cloud9 has officially announced its entry into the competitive Deadlock space after signing the Melee Creeps roster.
For the unaware, Deadlock is Valve’s hero shooter MOBA hybrid that has been making waves in the gaming realm over the past few months due to its unique gameplay mechanics and eye-catching updates. Even though the game is unreleased and still in an invite-only closed beta phase, it has already managed to cultivate a thriving competitive scene, with several teams and organizations beginning to make their mark in the emerging esports ecosystem.
Cloud9’s announcement comes from its official X handle, and it sees the org picking up the currently undefeated Melee Creeps Deadlock roster. The team has won six consecutive Night Shift events and has yet to concede a match in competitive play since its current lineup came together.
Cloud9 first entered the esports scene in 2012 with a League of Legends roster and has since grown into one of North America’s most prominent esports organizations. Over the years, the org has fielded teams across several titles, including Dota 2, Hearthstone, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, among many others. Cloud9 also made history in CSGO as the first and only organization to win a Major with a North American lineup.
Cloud9’s entry into Deadlock marks the org’s return to a Valve title after a lengthy absence. Having disbanded its CS2 roster in January 2025, the organization had gone 22 months without fielding a team in a Valve game before bringing Melee Creeps on board.
With this signing, the Cloud9 Deadlock roster now includes the following players:
- Isaiah “Saiah” Mendoz
- Jonathon “JonJon” Gross
- Sobhan “AVG” Pirasteh
- Trentin “League” Rowand
- Trivon “Lomein” Pham
- Alex “Zeno” Isakayev
Whether Cloud9’s entry encourages other prominent esports organizations to explore the title as its competitive landscape continues to develop remains to be seen. With Melee Creeps currently maintaining an undefeated run, all eyes will be on how the roster performs under its new banner and whether it can carry its momentum into this next chapter.
