cadiaN explains why he feels “mistreated” after FPX Flashpoint drama

FunPlus Phoenix’s Casper ‘cadiaN’ Møller has opened up on the team’s elimination from Flashpoint Season 1 Phase 1, saying he’s never felt so “mistreated” in his career after having to forfeit from the franchised league.

FPX’s entry into CSGO has come to a grinding halt, with the organization being eliminated from their first major event just a week after signing their first roster.

After Astralis picked up Patrick ‘es3tag’ Hansen as a sixth man, coming into effect on July 1 after his contract expires, the former Heroic squad was taken off the card for Flashpoint.

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The decision, rumored to have been made by FPX themselves, left the squad blindsided. As they were preparing for their game against Orgless on March 22, cadiaN and the rest of the former Heroic line-up were notified they would be eliminated from Phase 1.

“Me and my teammates are so gutted,” the Danish AWPer said in a video. “We’ve been fighting through a lot of hard times for the last few months, and finally we see light at the end of the tunnel [only for it to be taken away from us].”

Heroic had a spot in the ESL Pro League ⁠— a rival tournament to Flashpoint ⁠— before making the jump to the smaller franchised league after FPX expressed interest in their lineup.

• Read more: MIBR set to join ESL Pro League Season 11

With the promise of backing from the Chinese organization, home to the current League of Legends world champions, things were looking up.

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However, as games were moved online, and then after one of his teammates was shipped off to Astralis, the tides quickly turned for the worse.

“Through a global pandemic, we fly across the globe, through a health risk, and everything to play a game for a living while everyone else is on standby,” he said.

“We’re out of our homes, out of our comfort zones. I don’t mind, because I’m willing to sacrifice everything it takes to do my best and become the best version that me and my team can be.

• Read more: Astralis set to acquire es3tag in shock move

“Under whatever circumstances we were given, we kept on fighting to the end. We did our part to make this work, and I don’t know ⁠— I’m so gutted, honestly.

“The sacrifices being made, to family and friends to try and be the best you can in a video game, and then at the end of the day you aren’t allowed to play this video game ⁠— I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever been this mistreated in my entire life.”

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While Astralis were public in outlining details with the trade, in a statement to HLTV, Heroic CEO Erik Askered claimed the Danish team were acting “in bad faith.”

“We are making legal preparation,” Askered said. “This is due to the fact that we know and can prove that Astralis has acted in bad faith, and have considerably affected the sale of Heroic to FPX.”

• Read more: ESL Pro League cancels offline CSGO events

Heroic reportedly asked for $800k for es3tag to break his contract, which Astralis declined. Instead, they waited until he became a free agent in July. Astralis completed the player signing on March 19, before announcing the move on March 22.

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cadiaN mentioned that he has “no grudge” against es3tag for making the jump to Astralis, but he is just “disappointed” with the situation as a whole.

“We, as players, just want to play. Warming up in the studio to play, and then being told you can’t play [is disappointing].”

Flashpoint will continue play on March 23 as Phase 1 starts to come to a close. FPX’s participation in Phase 2, which kicks off on March 27, is not yet confirmed.