COGnitive HotS team releases founding member

After the team’s disappointing performance at MGA Masters, COGnitive Gaming is making some changes to its Heroes of the Storm roster.

Austin “Shot” Lonsert, one of the team’s flex players, announced today that he is leaving the roster.

It’s to my dismay that @CognitiveGG and I are going separate ways. I love the org and my teammates that I had. I wish the best for them.

— Shotty2Hotty (@Shot_HOTS) September 1, 2015

Lonsert had been streaming a few hours earlier but cut it short, saying “a lot just happened.”

A founding member of the COGnitive Heroes roster, and its predecessor Shots and Bullets: Reloaded, Lonsert is best known for his Tyrande and Zagara play focusing on secondary support or specialist characters.

COGnitive have established themselves as comfortably the third best team in North America, but have struggled to close the gap to leaders Cloud9 and Tempo Storm. The team qualified for the Heroes Americas Championship in Las Vegas, which starts later this month, but will be hard pressed to stop their rivals taking the two spots in November’s Heroes World Championship.

The team has yet to comment on the release, or announce any replacement.