Embracing The Rookie Trend — Team Heretics in LEC Winter 2025

After trying the veteran’s way since they joined the league – with players like Luka “Perkz” Perković, Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski, or Martin “Wunder” Hansen – Team Heretics took the opposite tack to their previous years this time. They’re now the first team ever to promote a player from ERL2 straight into the big league for LEC Winter 2025. They are also the only team with three rookies, even though plenty have joined the league this year. 

Started from the bottom now he’s here

The ERL2 player in question is Kamil “Kamiloo” Haudegond. The midlaner spent two years with Izi Dream, in Div2 – LFL’s second division – and was logically expected to join the LFL this time. He already had tryouts at the end of 2023, but to no avail. Along with Šimon “OMON” Říháček, they were too far above the rest of the league’s midlaners to not get promoted.

While OMON will now play for BK ROG, Kamiloo will debut with Heretics… But not in the Superliga. I have to admit that in my opinion, he was not even better than OMON in Div2, so this move came as an insane surprise to me.

He's gonna be king of midlaners! pic.twitter.com/UvFAxLOEY9

— Heretics League of Legends (@HereticsLeague) December 19, 2024

Still, he is very talented, and maybe his young age was an important factor since he is only 19. I can tell he has the ability to evolve and learn very quickly because, from his first to his second year in Div2 he improved in every aspect of the game. Another factor may have been that his jungle and support are French, which are the roles he most needs to synergize with in the game. Team Heretics seem confident enough to make him the face of the team, with their community managers posting a ton of content about the young man and his everlasting smile. The real Joyboy? 

Sheo and Flakked to guide this new generation

Théo “Sheo” Borile is coming off two amazing splits with Team BDS. Not only he went to Worlds for his rookie year, but he also finished on the podium at all three splits of 2024. He will be the most experienced player on the team next to Víctor “Flakked” Lirola. And for a jungler, that’s a blessing to be the leader in game since he will be the one dictating what he wants from his team at every timing.

I also feel like his time with BDS has made him grown a lot, he eventually became much more thoughtful thanks to the way they played as a team. From a very aggressive jungler that is invading perma, he is now playing much more around tempo and objective control. He even was the jungler with the least deaths/game on average in the LEC this year (2.21).

To guide the rookies, he will also have by his side the true captain of the team since he has been with TH for a year now, the only Spanish player in a Spanish powerhouse: Flakked. Tetoncito has been deeply underrated in my opinion, as he has always been a reliable force individually during his time in the league. With G2 first, even though they failed at the end of the year the team had good results while they were rebuilding from a disastrous year, and Flakked played a big role. When things didn’t go that well for Heretics, I also feel like he was always standing out with his personnal performances. But outside of the game, he is also a tireless worker known for grinding soloqueue and being a very good teammate that provide fun and connections inside a group.

Rookies less eagerly awaited

I also feel like Flakked is standing out when he gets the freedom of playing unusual botlane, when his creativity is put to the front. His new support Paul “Stend” Lardin is the perfect guy for the job, and that’s why I found this pairing very smart from TH. Like Flakked, he is able to play in a consistent – but not outstanding – way the meta champs. But when he gets to play creative duolanes with his AD carry, that is when he shines the most. With Jopa in Vitality.Bee, that was what made their botlane such a threat in the LFL. Fun fact: just like Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé his Senna can’t be overlooked. And just as Targamas with Flakked in 2022, his Senna has had only one loss out of six competitive games this year.

Team Heretics had to promote a player from their academy after their wonderful year – both SL titles and two top3 at EMEA Masters. The 19yo toplane prodigy was the chosen one ahead of all the big names from the scene he was surrounded with. Carl “Carlsen” Carlsen will take full advantage of his botlane’s ability to play weakside, as he loves to play aggressive champions in the toplane. But not for perma trying to solokill his opponent, just to slowly and methodically taking a lethal advantage over him. The statistics he got last year bear this out, 1st of his league’s toplaner in Gold/Min (408.50), 1st in KDA (4.04), and 2nd in CS/Min (8.38). But on the other hand, he was among the worst toplaner of the league in average Kills/Game (2.32), Kill Participation (0.51%) or even average Damages/Gold ratio (1.26).

My Final thoughts

To synthetize, this young roster will have to be well managed to find good results in my opinion. Talent is not lacking, experience obviously is and I have them close to SK Gaming in relative strength for the Winter Split. The outcome might go both ways at the end of 2025, but their first split together will likely be placed under the label of learning. Expecting great things from the get-go with such an inexperienced roster would be heresy. That is why I guess they’ll all have the opportunity to play more than one split together, whatever happens.

Team Heretics seem to have abandoned looking for immediate results, to now focus on the new cycle that the LEC is entering. And for the sake of the league, I warmly welcome this bet.