Heroic bench cadiaN due to "differing visions for the future"

The Danish captain was a part of HEROIC for nearly four years.

Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller has been moved to the bench and is no longer a part of HEROIC's active roster, the organization announced on Wednesday.

"The mutual decision was made due to differing visions for the future of the team," HEROIC explained in their statement.

cadiaN shared some of his own thoughts in an interview with Dexerto, adding that he "wanted some changes and some people wanted a different way."

"I think they [the roster changes] would have made us more competitive in the big tournaments and the big stages and they [Heroic] saw it done in a different way," cadiaN explained. "It would not have created the right fundamentals for the future if we met somewhere in the middle."

The 28-year-old AWPer and in-game leader has been with the organization since 2019, barring a brief hitch with FunPlus Phoenix, and led the previous iteration of the roster to the top of the world rankings during the online era in 2020 with a victory in ESL Pro League Season 13.

The team couldn't break their title duck once LAN play returned, however, despite making deep runs in most Big Events including a semi-final finish at PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and a quarter-final finish at PGL Major Antwerp 2022.

They began to find their footing once Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard joined the roster in June of the same year, winning BLAST Premier Fall Final 2022 and Spring Final 2023 and achieving runner-up finishes at the IEM Rio Major, IEM Katowice, and IEM Rio 2023 to return to the top of the world rankings.

However, cracks have started to show recently as the team, previously regarded as one that was indomitable in group stages and would rarely fall to lesser-ranked teams, started losing out in matches they should have been heavily favored in.

Early eliminations in the playoffs of the BLAST.tv Paris Major, IEM Dallas, IEM Cologne, and recently, a disastrous group stage exit from ESL Pro League Season 18 — cadiaN's worst result at an event since FACEIT London Major 2018 — have been worrying, with cadiaN going so far as to say that the team hasn't been "playing to our philosophies and principles."

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cadiaN: "We're not all playing to our philosophies and principles"

Now, after being unable to make the changes he wanted in the team, the Danish captain and the organization are headed down different paths. Where exactly that path leads for cadiaN, even he doesn't know.

"I believe that a lot of the things we have done correctly in Heroic I can transfer to the next place I’m going to," cadiaN told Dexerto. "I know I can bring the five percent that other teams need to win.

"I have my ideas of which teams I could instantly make better and which teams could, or should, potentially consider involving me. But at the end of the day, it’s not up to me to decide which teams are interested in me."

"I’m not going to make a move just to make a move," he added. "I’m only considering joining a team that I can win with."

Does that mean he will continue to AWP and in-game lead, too? Not necessarily, cadiaN says.

"I have found a rhythm for making both of those roles work together," the Dane continued. "But for the perfect fit, I would be willing to separate [from] the roles."

The move leaves questions as to where HEROIC will head with their current roster, as cadiaN's departure leaves a gaping hole, not just in the two crucial roles he occupied, but also in leadership, experience, and a "father" figure to the young players on the team.

HEROIC's roster is now:

Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund
René "⁠TeSeS⁠" Madsen
Rasmus "⁠sjuush⁠" Beck
Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard

Richard "⁠Xizt⁠" Landström (coach)

Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller (benched)