VCT Masters Madrid Preview: Team Heretics

Team Heretics will compete at the VCT Masters Madrid after taking EMEA's second-seed following a 1-3 defeat against Karmine Corp in the league's grand finals.

Here's everything you need to know about Team Heretics as the roster will play in front of their crowd later this month in Madrid!

Results

These are the results that took Team Heretics to the roster's first VCT Masters qualification:

• Group Stage: Team Heretics 2-0 FUT Esports (13-11 Lotus, 13-10 Bind)
• Group Stage: Team Heretics 2-0 Karmine Corp (13-4 Lotus, 13-4 Split)
• Playoffs Semifinals: Team Heretics 2-0 Natus Vincere (16-14 Sunset, 13-4 Breeze)
• Playoffs Grand Finals: Team Heretics 1-3 Karmine Corp (13-9 Sunset, 7-13 Lotus, 7-13 Icebox, 5-13 Split)

The Spanish organization had no problems surviving to the initial group stage as they got themselves two easy victories against FUT Esports and Karmine Corp.

Eventually, Team Heretics clinched a VCT Masters Madrid spot following a narrow overtime victory on Sunset and a comfortable win on Breeze against Natus Vincere. Unfortunately, the team's win on Sunset against Karmine Corp was followed by three back-to-back map defeats against the French organization.

Map Picks and Map Vetos

Here's a brief look at Team Heretics' map picks and map vetos across the team's first five matches of the season:

Map Picks

Team Heretics picked Lotus in three of their four matches at the VCT 2024 EMEA Kickoff. The only time the roster didn't pick the Indian map was when Natus Vincere banned it when both squads met in the playoffs. Instead, the Spanish organization picked Sunset. Last, but not least, Team Heretics picked Split in the grand final match against Karmine Corp.

Map Vetos

Team Heretics' most popular veto has been Ascent as the team banned it from each one of the four matches they played.

Meanwhile, the Europeans looked more versatile when coming to a second veto. Bind was their second most banned map (2) while also banning Split once.

Storylines

Some exciting storylines surround the Team Heretics squad. Here's everything you need to know about the players!

Masters debut for Boo brothers

Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius and Dominykas "MiniBoo" Lukaševičius are a unique duo. With the arrival of the 18-year-old, the Lithuanian brothers were united in the top flight for the first time in their professional careers.

Curiously enough, the brothers' VCT Masters debut will take place in Team Heretics' country, Spain. The fans will be watching closely the roster's performance following Heretics' rock-solid performance in EMEA's Kickoff.

From Fortnite to Valorant

In 2024, it's not weird to see players switching esports. However, you don't see players trying out their luck on another video game when they have already built themselves a career in one.

Benjy "benjyfishy" Fish is the exception. The British player stepped out of the Fortnite professional scene after gathering USD$595,555 in prize pool wins. Later on, he joined the Valorant.

Slowly but steadily, the British player was finally given the chance to play in EMEA's top flight after Heretics' signed him in Jul. 2023. Later this month, benjyfishy will finally make his VCT Masters debut.

VCT Masters Madrid's first match for Heretics

Team Heretics' first match at the VCT Masters Madrid will come against Sentinels. The North American organization won the VCT 2024 Americas Kickoff after an exciting 3-2 win against LOUD Gaming.

Unfortunately, we still don't know what the future holds Heretics. If the team defeats Sentinels, they will play against one of the winners of the other three matches. If they lose, the roster will play against one of the defeated sides.

Team Heretics' debut match against Sentinels will be played on Mar. 15 at 7 PM CET.