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Why es3tag Joined Cloud9 from Astralis

Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Patrick “es3tag” Hansen was making the move from major winning... Pablo | 21. November 2020

Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Patrick “es3tag” Hansen was making the move from major winning Astralis to Cloud9. However, the Dane has recently given an insight into just why the opportunity to join the North American organisation was just too good to overlook.

24-year-old es3tag only joined Astralis back in July, with the Dane’s having added the rifler to their roster, becoming one of the first teams to have six active players in the process. Cloud9 made their move for es3tag, with General Manager Henry “HenryG” Greer being in charge of a complete rebuilt at the organisation. As a result, the former Heroic player was left with a massive decision.

Speaking on the move, es3tag stated that: “I won my first big tournament with [Astralis], and had a great period overall with them. A huge combination of them being amazing players and team-mates, and now really great friends to me. Which is also why I confronted them when Cloud9 approached me. I asked zonic and dev1ce, ‘What I should do?’ and there were many aspects to be considered.

How Cloud9 Were Able to Acquire es3tag

Being the sixth player at Astralis was clearly a major factor in Hansen’s decision, which ultimately made it easier to accept the contract offer from Cloud9. Es3tag signed a contract at Cloud9 worth some $2.1 million, despite many other organisations having showed interest in his services, as well as offering more money.

While many would settle for a substitute spot for a team such as Astralis, this clearly wasn’t enough for Hansen. Adding to his thoughts on his move to Cloud9, es3tag made it clear as to just how excited he is to be joining the team: “It feels like it’s a tremendous achievement for me, to join a legendary organisation such as Cloud9 alongside some truly amazing players. I have lots of experience in various roles as well as a very tactical aspect to the game, that for sure will benefit us in Cloud9. In terms of what I bring to make us win a Major, I just came from Astralis, so you know, I have all the secrets!”

How Cloud9 Started Their New Era

Cloud9 were defeated 2-0 by Virtus.Pro in Flashpoint Season 2 this week, however results will almost certainly improve as es3tag gets to grips with his new surroundings and teammates. The Cloud9 roster is packed full of talent, with es3tag having also spoken on his confidence over their future: “I think they’re all individually really strong, and ALEX has been doing a great job working on our map pool. I’m feeling more and more confident as time goes by. We initially had a bootcamp where I got to talk with them and get to know them, which has helped the entire process. Now we just need to get to a point where our map pool is super solid, and then it’s time to win it all!”