Cloud9 forms Teamfight Tactics team with former HotS players

Cloud9 has announced its plans to enter the realm of Teamfight Tactics.

Former professional Heroes of the Storm players Khalif “Khroen” Hashim and Juan “JSchritte” Freitas have been signed to represent the organization in the League of Legends autobattler. The reveal was made by Cloud9 on Twitter, with the players discussing the news after.

“It’s good to be back! I have always loved this team and now they are like a second family to me,” JSchritte said on Twitter. “Expect nothing less than my best.”

Both players competed in HotS for much of its short life and enjoyed a fair bit of success.

Khroen is a 24-year-old American player who most recently played for HeroesHearth. His career peaked in 2018 when the team took second place in phase one of the 2018 HGC North America Pro League, and first place in phase two.

Like most Heroes of the Storm players, Khroen was hit hard by the sudden discontinuation of Blizzard’s support for the game. He briefly touched upon what happened after he heard the news and how much joining Cloud9 means to him.

“After the HGC died, I was scared I wouldn’t find another opportunity to compete, but less than a year later we’ve made it back into esports,” Khroen said on Twitter. “Thank you C9 for giving me a shot, giving this one my all.”

JSchritte was in a similar position. He enjoyed strong success competing in HGC Copa América in 2016 and 2017 for Burning Rage and RED Canids. He made the jump to the North America Pro League in 2018 with No Tomorrow, but found himself without a game to compete in after the season ended.

Though the future for Heroes of the Storm players was bleak, several have found footing in other esports titles. Harrison “Psalm” Chang, who used to play HotS under the Tempo Storm banner, just recently took second place at 2019 Fortnite World Cup Solo Finals. Cloud9 is no doubt hoping for JSchritte and Khroen to carve out a spot near the top of Teamfight Tactics.