HEROIC are about to finalize their new roster for the upcoming CS2 season, completing a full transformation, as no players from their 2024 lineup will remain. The overhaul follows a series of high-profile player exits, leaving head coach Eetu "sAw" Saha to rebuild the team from scratch.
The departure of HEROIC's previous iteration began with René "TeSeS" Madsen, Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski, and Abdul "degster" Gasanov, who were signed by Falcons earlier this off-season. Shortly after, Guy "NertZ" Iluz was sold to Liquid, and in early January, Rasmus "sjuush" Beck parted ways with the team. The Danish anchor is on his way to join NIP.
HEROIC sign the former Sangal core
With the roster emptied, HEROIC relied on sAw’s expertise to assemble a competitive squad. Known for his ability to maximize the potential of underdog lineups, sAw will reunite with former ENCE sniper Álvaro "SunPayus" García. The Spanish AWPer joins HEROIC after spending the last four months on Falcons' bench, following their temporary signing of Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev for the season's final stretch.
Contrary to earlier speculation about HEROIC pursuing two other former ENCE players in Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer and Lotan "Spinx" Giladi, the team opted for a different route. HEROIC acquired the core of Sangal – Linus "LNZ" Holtäng, Yasin "xfl0ud" Koç, and Simon "yxngstxr" Boije. Signing this trio brings both youthful energy and just enough VRS points to secure HEROIC's participation in key tournaments such as the BLAST Bounty and ESL Pro League Season 21.
Rounding out the roster is supposed to be Linus "nilo" Bergmann, which would make up for a Swedish core in HEROIC, for the first time in its history.
nilo's signing is not 100% confirmed yet, though.
Update: nilo is joining, however he will be on the bench for now. Andrey "tN1R" Tatarinovich will play in his stead.
While this lineup appears to be a downgrade on paper compared to HEROIC’s previous rosters, sAw’s track record of building success from unconventional lineups gives fans a reason to remain hopeful. His tactical expertise will be key in developing this squad into a cohesive and competitive unit.
This rebuild comes after a record-breaking period of player sales for HEROIC.
Heroic earned almost 10millions$ on transfers in 2024!
— OverDrive (@ABOverDrive) December 29, 2024
According to OverDrive, over the past year, the organization has earned more than $10 million through high-profile transfers, including Casper "cadiaN" Møller’s move to Liquid and Martin "stavn" Lund and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard’s blockbuster switch to Astralis at the end of 2023.
HEROIC is set to compete with:
- Linus "LNZ" Holtäng (IGL)
- Yasin "xfl0ud" Koç
- Simon "yxngstxr" Boije
- Álvaro "SunPayus" García
- Andrey "tN1R" Tatarinovich
- Eetu "sAw" Saha (Coach)
- Linus "nilo" Bergmann (substitute)
- Pavle "Maden" Bošković (substitute)
This refreshed lineup marks the dawn of a new era, as the team prepares to face the challenges of the 2025 CS2 competitive landscape. While expectations may be tempered, the potential for surprises remains high as sAw and his squad set out to write the next chapter in HEROIC’s history.