Introduction / Team Overview
Heroic is a relatively new Danish team, having been originally founded in August 2016. Created by former members of Team X, the team is owned by the players themselves. The name is not a new one, however, with a Danish ‘super team’, featuring Nicolai “device” Reedtzhaving, having previously used the moniker in 2013. With total earnings already totalling $154,994.85, the Heroic CSGO team ethos of comradeship and team work seems to have begun to pay off. Recent tournament wins include the Power-Lan 2016, where they beat Team Dignitas in the final, and the International Gaming League 2016 Grand Final, where they triumphed over VG.CyberZen.
Highlights / Strengths
With a world ranking of 20 in the current standings, and an EU/West ranking of 11, Heroic is a team which is bubbling away nicely just outside the very top rank of world teams. A measure of their ambition came in February 2017, when Heroic secured the services of Danish AWP talent Jakob “JUGi” Hansen, by paying a transfer fee to the Tricked team. Snaring the player was not an easy process for Heroic, as they had to haggle over the precise terms of the deal. JUGi was actually benched for a period by Tricked as the deal hit the rocks, before it was finalised and he was allowed to ‘move house’ to his new team. Nikolaj Nyholm, the CEO at RFRSH, the company behind Heroic, stated at the time that the transfer showed that Heroic were serious in their ambition to become one of the world’s top ten teams.
Branding / Sponsorship / Logo
Heroic’s logo reflects the team’s name, in that it depicts a knight’s head, complete with helmet and flourishing green plume. The team also sells a leisure wear range, which follows the team colours of green, black and silver, and fans can buy a team replica jersey or hoody. The website wallpaper features the same colours.
The Heroic CSGO team is very much a Scandinavian effort, with a roster consisting of Danish players, complemented by Swedish star Andreas Fridh, known by his gaming moniker of Moddii, the subject of many esports discussions on Reddit.
Team Roles/Expertise
Moddii is very much the experienced older head of the team, having been active on the esports scene since 2008. His roles are to lead the team during games, and to play as a rifler. Valdemar Bjørn Vangså, who goes by the name of valde for gaming purposes, is one of the Danes on the team. He provides some serious experience, alongside another Dane, Marco ‘Snappi’ Pfeiffer, who also acts a rifler. Jakob ‘JUGi’ Hansen, the team’s new signing, is a rising star, who has helped his previous team Tricked to claim a clutch of minor tier titles.
Roster and Achievements
The team’s current roster is completed by Nikolaj ‘Niko’ Kristensen, a Danish player who, like JUGi, has previously starred for Tricked. This group of players has helped Heroic to their current place as a rising team with plenty of potential to be seriously successful in the near future. So far in 2017, they have claimed two third/fourth places in the Dreamhack Leipzig 2017 event, and the Intel Extreme Masters XI – World Championship. Fans who check them out on Twitch may well soon witness something very special.
