CLG opens Hearthstone division

One of the biggest North American esports organizations is looking to make an impact in Hearthstone in 2017. Consisting of the majority of the former Natus Vincere stable, Counter Logic Gaming announced today that it has signed Frederik “Hoej” Nielsen, Sebastian “Xixo” Bentert, and Kim “Surrender” Jung-soo. The three players are widely considered to be some of the best in the world, with Xixo in particular having a powerful showing in 2016—winning both SL i-L StarSeries Season 2 and also defeating Jon “Orange” Westberg in the recent European WESG qualifiers. This is Counter Logic Gaming’s first-ever foray into competitive Hearthstone, two years after the game was first released. While a majority of firmly established esports franchises still retain Hearthstone rosters, 2016 saw several big teams release their divisions in the title. This included Na`Vi, which released its entire roster in September last year, including 2015 Hearthstone World Champion Sebastian “Ostkaka” Engwall. With a new organization firmly behind them, it will be interesting to see whether or not the former Na`Vi trio can achieve as much success as they did in previous years.