Zonic on Es3tag Leaving Astralis - “I wanted to keep him onboard”

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Zonic on Es3tag Leaving Astralis - “I wanted to keep him onboard”

Aditya Singh Rawat
Published On: 
  • Zonic reveals that he wanted to keep es3tag onboard.
  • He says that some decisions are out of his hands as there are other aspects to a game besides competing.
  • Following the conclusion of DreamHack Open Fall 2020 es3tag will leave Astralis and join Cloud9.

The news about Patrick “es3tag” Hansen leaving Astralis after DreamHack Open Fall 2020 to join Cloud9 as their fifth and final player did take a lot of us by surprise especially after that solid performance the Danes put up to win ESL Pro League Season 12. It seems that Astralis’ coach Danny “zonic” Sorensen was himself against the decision of es3tag being transferred to Cloud9 as he goes on to say that “I wanted to keep Patrick onboard.”

RELATED:  Astralis Rifler Es3tag to Join Cloud9 After DH Open Fall 2020


Zonic Speaks About Es3tag’s Transfer To Cloud9

Zonic took to Twitter following the announcement of es3tag leaving Astralis to clear up a few things about this move which was both surprising for the fans and a tough decision for the organization. The 34-year-old went on to reveal that he knew about this decision since a few days ago and wanted to retain es3tag, but some decisions are out of his hands as there are other aspects to a game besides competing.

The Dane went on to acknowledge what a great addition to the Astralis roster es3tag has been adapting so quickly to the team’s playstyle after being out of competitive CS:GO for several months, describing him as being “one of the most dedicated and hard working players we have.”

He further extended his support to es3tag saying that “I understand his decision completely so I encourage all Astralis fans to support him for this final run!” As he concluded his statement by expressing a desire to play with him once again in the future.


All of es3tag’s teammates on Astralis wished him the very best going forward while labelling their upcoming run at DreamHack Open Fall 2020 their ‘last dance’ with him. Astralis are scheduled to play their first match against their local rivals Heroic who are also the second best team in the world as per HLTV rankings.

The reception to the news about es3tag being transferred over to Cloud9 has been met by mixed reactions as some believe that Astralis were in a fix as to how to handle a seven-man roster with Andreas “Xyp9x” Hojsleth announcing his return a few weeks back, while others believe it to be a really good offer to refuse as the CEO of Astralis himself stated that “It is one of the biggest transfers on record.”

RELATED:  Xyp9x Return Announced, Will Join Astralis For BLAST Premier Fall 2020

Whatever the reason might be Astralis following the conclusion of DreamHack Open Fall 2020 will be reduced to a six-man roster which they seem to be comfortable with in the short-term as pointed out by Kasper Hvidt, Director of Sports at Astralis. Though the long-term aim still remains to be a ten-man CS:GO roster similar to how they work in League of Legends.




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Aditya is the in-house CS:GO writer at AFK Gaming. While his understanding of the esports space is not restricted by geographical borders, his current focus lies in the Asian region. Understands and follows almost all major esport titles.

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