๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ผ, ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐
From the brink of damnation, they clawed back threefold, rising in defiance to claim a crown never meant for them.
Team Heretics, the global underdogs of VALORANT that were once doubted, are now champions as they capped off the Cinderella story, 3-2, toggling the reverse sweep against Fnatic in an all-out Grand Finals classic at the Esports World Cup 2025 last July 13.
Haunted by their crushing 3โ2 reverse sweep loss to Fnatic at Masters: Shanghai 2024, Heretics returned to the stage in Riyadh not just to compete but to rewrite the ending, and now they became the ones that delivered the curse.
Finals MVP Mert โWo0tโ Alkan was the spearhead of the comeback, dropping a team-high 208 ACS and hitting the 70-kill mark across five maps.
Riฤardas โBooโ Lukaลกeviฤius anchored the core with steady leadership and clutch defensive stops, including a critical 1v2 pistol round that ignited their Game 5 run.
โIt felt like a different team,โ Boo said after completing the sweep. โIโm so proud that we actually started playing the game.โ
Fnatic looked unstoppable early on, with Kajetan โkaajakโ Haremski posting 84 kills and a +23 K/D as they claimed the first two maps with a dominating 13โ4 and 13โ1 score lines.
Wo0t answered back on Icebox, lighting up the map on Kay/O with a 26/16/12 performance that stopped Fnaticโs sweep attempt cold.
With Heretics down 3โ9 on the fourth map, the crowd braced for a Fnatic closeout until the dark horses flipped the momentum, triggering the infamous โ3โ9 curseโ to force a decider.
In the final game, Heretics surged forward, riding Booโs pistol round clutch and perfect coordination to a flawless victory that sealed the reverse sweep.
From heartbreak to triumph, Heretics rose as the team once forsaken now the ones who exorcised the demons of Europe and touched heaven.
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