Kranich (right) with his former team-mate RenieHour (center) and new one Greensheep (left). Photo: Blizzard

The British brand signs another Hearthstone powerhouse in the face of Hakjun "Kranich" Baek. The former Golden Coin member joins Dignitas as its second non-Brit after Keaton "Chakki" Gill was acquired not three weeks ago.

In the world of Asian Hearthstone, Kranich is definitely a player to watch. One of the stars on team Golden Coin and team-mate of prominent names like Surrender, Tranzit and until recently RenieHouR, Hakjun Baek was one of the surprises at the Hearthstone World Championship last year.

Not many fans were familiar with Kranich's persona coming into the crown event of Hearthstone, his only other televised being CN vs KR Masters 2, where a 2-3 loss to Lei "Island" Qiang marked his early exit. Yet, the Korean impressed on Blizzcon soil. Kranich topped Group C, beating China's Joahui "Qiruo" Wang and even eventual world champion James "Firebat" Kostesich to become one of the upset stories of the tournament. He added another chapter to it in the quarter finals, ousting fan favorite Aleksandr "Kolento" Malsh in five games, riding an unorthodox OTK Warrior build. It was only in the semi finals that Kranich's run was stopped by runner up Wang "TiddlerCelestial" Xieyu.

Since his career peak, Kranich has been out of the public eye, not having any televised appearances but that might change with his move to the western team. In Dignitas, Kranich will be teaming up with the founding trio of brits Lewis "Blackout" Spencer, Nick "Cookmysock" Li and James "Greensheep" Luo, as well as former Team Coast member Keaton "Chakki" Gill who was signed earlier this month.

Kranich also becomes the third Korean to sign with a western team in the last two months alone, after Jung-Hwan "RenierHouR" Lee moved to SK Gaming and Hyerim "MagicAmy" Lee donned the blue and white of Tempo Storm in December.

Team Dignitas HS:

Blackout
Greensheep
Cookmysock
Chakki
Kranich