𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗞𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗼, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀
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 3–2 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 “Wo0t” Alkan was the spearhead of the comeback, dropping a team-high 208 ACS and hitting the 70-kill mark across five maps.
Ričardas ”Boo” Lukaševičius anchored the core with steady leadership and clutch defensive stops, including a critical 1v2 pistol round that ignited their Game 5 run.
“It felt like a different team,” Boo said after completing the sweep. “I’m so proud that we actually started playing the game.”
Fnatic looked unstoppable early on, with Kajetan “kaajak” Haremski posting 84 kills and a +23 K/D as they claimed the first two maps with a dominating 13–4 and 13–1 score lines.
Wo0t answered back on Icebox, lighting up the map on Kay/O with a 26/16/12 performance that stopped Fnatic’s sweep attempt cold.
With Heretics down 3–9 on the fourth map, the crowd braced for a Fnatic closeout until the dark horses flipped the momentum, triggering the infamous “3–9 curse” to force a decider.
In the final game, Heretics surged forward, riding Boo’s 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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