Photo: Team Herectics
Even if the LEC is losing momentum based on audiences, everyone still wants to join the European elite. Two candidates, very hype, are making headlines and have been driving mechanics for many months to be accepted… The Spaniards of KOI and the Karmine Corp.. But, to everyone’s amazement, another structure managed to give priority to the two favorites: Team Heretics. Also Spanish, the team hid their game for a long time before landing with great fanfare on the front of the stage.
If some have totally discovered Team Heretics with the rumors and this masterstroke, the structure does not come out of nowhere either. For the curious, we did some research to find out about it.
Team Heretics, a structure also based on influence
The Karmine Corp. to Kameto and Prime, KOI to Ibai and Pique. On paper and for many, difficult to compete, impossible to do better. However, Team Heretics also has several strings to its bow. Among the founding members, there are influencers who also weigh in the game.
- Jorge Orejudo has a YouTube channel with more than 2 million subscribers. The latter is no longer very active and we imagine that he is busy with the development of Team Heretics. Several of his videos have surpassed one million views and he has taken full advantage of the Fortnite era. On Twitter, he also weighs nearly 730,000 followers.
- David Canovas Martinez (TheGrefg): Another YouTuber who is also very influential on Twitch. He is surely the most popular of the trio with more than 17 million subscribers on his channel and 6.7 million Twitter followers. FIFA, Fall Guys, Clash of Clans, vlog… he touches a bit of everything. Even if in France he is less known than Kamel or Ibai, he can stare both of them in the eye without having to bend down.
- Antonio Catena Poderoso has almost “normal” statistics with 3200 Twitter followers and barely more followers on Instagram. His Linkedin is for him his most meaningful network and he has chained the creation of companies and projects. We would tend to label him as the shadow worker who gets things done behind the scenes. Less exposed, but just as valuable!
The influence of Team Heretics does not stop there and has a slew of content creators. To cite only them, we can speak of Werlybthe former League of Legends pro player (SK Gaming, Giants, Fnatic…) or streamer Spain (165k followers on Twitter). Since 2019, the structure has also counted on the support of a shareholder like no other, the professional footballer Sergio Reguilon. The latter does not have the aura or the track record of a Pique, but he surely represents more the present and the future than the latter. He is 25 years old, plays for Tottenham and account 14 selections with the Iberian selection. In his trophy cabinet you can find a europa league (FC Sevilla) and a Club World Cup (Real Madrid). In short, you got it. Team Heretics is nothing short of small! One can therefore easily understand how she gathered enough funds to buy the slot from Misfits Gaming. The club has prestigious sponsors such as Adidas and Samsung and its trio of founders have been named in the ranking Forbes “30 under 30” in the sports and gaming category, as well as Neo (Vitality), Ibai (KOI) or Mbappe.
Team Heretics, what past on League of Legends?
Team Heretics has had a League of Legends team since 2017. The game is part of its identity and a rise in the LEC may surprise newcomers, but it’s a development that in the end turns out to be rather logical. But it should still be noted that the history of the club on the Riot Games MOBA has not followed a long calm river. The project started with a certain Razork, today at Fnatic, and he did quite well on his debut in the Spanish 2nd division (Segunda División) by winning the competition. But the 3December 1, 2017, the team is dissolved… After a blank year, it is not until January 15, 2019 that the team resumes service in a slightly different form. The club signs an ephemeral partnership with G2 Esports to train G2 Heretics and serve as the academy team for the Samurai, while integrating into the Spanish Premier League. Several players known from the scene will pass within the formation (Trymbi, xico, SMILEY…). The team qualifies for the playoffs in the Spring as in the Summer but does not manage to climb on the podium, nor to invite itself to the European Masters. After a year of collaboration, the partnership does not continue (December 13, 2019) and Team Heretics takes a step back again on League of Legends…
It is in 2021 that the team makes its big comeback. In october the structure is initially invited to join the 2nd division of the LVP. But in the end, it does even better and acquires the place of the Cream Real Betis in the first division December 20. The place in the 2nd division is given back to a small fish that does not play in the same pond (Zeta Gaming). For his return to the front of the Spanish scene, the spring 2022 is complicated with a modest 8th place. The structure has however recruited interesting players like Satorius (former LCS EU player), bluerzor (former French champion) or jackspektra (tracked by the K Corp). But things are much better this summer, with a little adjustment and the recruitment of the top laner iBo (former Team BDS), the team is qualified for the playoffs and has even already secured its place on the small European stage (EUM), before integrating the large (LEC).
Team Heretics, what does it look like on other esports games?
Team Heretics has also had the opportunity since its creation to be active on other esports games than League of Legends. She thus participated in the FIFAe World Cup 2022 with matias. If we trust the overall ranking of the tournament, he is also the best player in Western Europe. He also finished in 2nd place in theeChampions League 2022. Another player is also under contract, the Spaniard Alejandro “H1dalgo“Hidalgo, champion of the#eCopaRFEF 2021.
On Valorant, the structure has a team that plays in the Spanish regional league (VRL) and there is a Frenchman in the current roster, Keloqz, the former nugget of G2 Esports. The results were not great this year with a 10th and an 8th place in both segments. But if the team also manages to integrate the franchise system next season of the VCT, we can talk about a masterclass.
Finally on CS: GO as on Fortnite, the club is no longer active. But in the past, it has still seen more or less well-known players, including Frenchmen like Lucas “Lucky“Chastang, Fabien”kioShiMa“Fiey or Alexander”xms” Strong.
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