North American organization Cloud9 are leaning towards keeping stand-in Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey on as a member of the permanent lineup, according to multiple sources. It is likely that kioShiMa will play as a member of the active lineup until at least the culmination of the Katowice Major in early 2019.

KioShiMa played with Cloud9 at BLAST Pro Series: Copenhagen 2018 as a stand-in for recently departed player Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham, who stepped down from competitive Counter-Strike last month. They finished in 5th place of the six team tournament with in-game leader Maikil “Golden” Kunda Selim missing the first day of matches due to illness. Playing in Golden’s place for that day was their coach, Soham “valens” Chowdhury. Despite being known for his adaptable and selfless play style, kioShiMa hasn’t played for a professional salaried team since Team Envy released their European roster this past June.

It is unclear at this time if kioShiMa or a different player will play out the four remaining online matches for Cloud9 in ESL Pro League next week. They currently sit with 20 points, 9 points behind the 6th place team in North America, making their chances for Finals qualification slim. It is equally as important that they finish above 10th place to avoid playing relegation matches following the end of the season. In ECS Season 6, Cloud9 holds the 4th and final playoff spot for North America but only the first place team in NRG Esports have a playoff spot secured.

Cloud9 could not be reached for comment.