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.
Read Also
Esports Betting
League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know
Wasif Ahmed
Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...
League of Legends
Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...
Esports Betting
T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...
League of Legends
KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+
Hannan Mundia
The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...
Esports Betting
Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...
Esports Betting
T1 vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 will kick off with T1 facing off against Team Liquid, but will the match really be as one-sided as the betting odds make it out to be? While some didn’t think that the reigning world champions, T1 would make it to this year’s MSI, the team proved many wrong once again. It barely made it to the play-in stage, where Team Liquid ...
Esports Betting
Karmine Corp vs Deep Cross Gaming: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Karmine Corp goes up against Deep Cross Gaming on the first day of MSI 2026. Obviously, KC is the favorite by a long shot. Does DCG actually stand a chance, though? Can they repeat the achievements of CTBC Flying Oyster who took down KC at First Stand 2025? Tournament: Mid-Season Invitational 2026 Stage: Play-in Game: League of Legends Format: Best-of-five Betting tips: As the second seed from a lower region, ...
