HEROIC has benched Gleb ‘gr1kz’ Gazin from its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) line-up after only one month and nine days.
The Norwegian esports organisation explained that gr1kz’s style of play “didn’t fully align with how the team is shaping up.”
The organisation confirmed the change on August 7th, 2025, after two events. Despite elimination from the early stages of FISSURE Playground 1, the team managed to advance to the second stage of IEM Cologne 2025 with victories over MIBR and Virtus.pro.
As a result of the changes, HEROIC has signed Alimzhan ‘Alkaren’ Bitimbai from Team Spirit‘s academy on loan.
“Our management made a number of moves to get the team into the right spot. Now we have to accept that not all the pieces we put together have fit as well as we hoped, and we take full responsibility for that,” said HEROIC in a statement.
“Even though it was short, we want to give a heartfelt thank you to gr1ks for everything he brought to HEROIC, both in-game and behind the scenes.”
In June, HEROIC completed its line-up with the return of Linus ‘nilo’ Bergman after spending the last six months on the bench.
What’s Next For HEROIC?
Alkaran is set to become the team’s AWPer for the remainder of the season. The new-look HEROIC will make its debut at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taking place from August 20th to 24th.
HEROIC is currently competing at BLAST Bounty Season 2, where it plays Complexity in its round-of-32 match on August 8th. Currently ranked 18th in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the team will be hoping the change makes an impact as the race to secure a place in the top 32 continues to heat up.
If Alkaran’s loan spell is a success, the organisation has the option to make the signing permanent. While the change may seem sudden, it’s an opportunity for HEROIC to cement its place among Europe’s top teams.
