HEROIC bench xfl0ud after CS2 Austin Major disappointment

Despite some solid form in big tournaments, the Turkish player’s stint with HEROIC has come to an end.

June 16, 2025 0

HEROIC have announced the benching of Yasin “xfl0ud” Koç, marking the end of the Turkish Counter-Strike 2 player’s six-month tenure with the organization.

This move represents HEROIC’s first roster change since January, when the team underwent a full rebuild with the arrivals of xfl0ud, Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia, Linus “LNZ” Holtäng, Simon “yxngstxr” Boije, and Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich.

However, xfl0ud’s benching may only be the beginning, as reports suggest that both AWPer SunPayus and head coach Eetu “sAw” Saha are also nearing an exit.

As we look to finalize our roster for the upcoming season, we’ve decided to bench @xfl0udCS from the starting lineup. We would like to thank our resident hype-man for keeping the energy high, the trash-talk spicy and for being an integral part of our team’s rifling core. 2… pic.twitter.com/22rxrI7HCI
— HEROIC (@heroicgg) June 16, 2025

The roster shake-up comes as something of a surprise, given HEROIC’s recent successes.

After a slow start to the year, the international squad qualified for the BLAST.tv Austin Major as the top seed from the European RMR.

They followed that up with a win at the CCT Season 2 Global Finals in April and another title at MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025 in May.

HEROIC also made a strong impression at IEM Dallas 2025, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth.

Their momentum carried into the opening stage of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, where they went 3-0 in Stage 1 before crashing out in Stage 2 with losses to FaZe Clan, B8, and Nemiga Gaming.

Despite the team’s inconsistency, xfl0ud has stood out with strong individual performances.

The 22-year-old recorded a 1.28 rating in Stage 1 of the Austin Major and maintained a solid 1.03 rating in Stage 2.

Over his six-month run with HEROIC, he averaged a 1.12 performance rating — second only to tN1R’s 1.19.

“Personally, with a decision that I never expected, I have been benched in HEROIC as of today. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to play in such a big organization. I wish this adventure had lasted longer,” xfl0ud shared in a post on X.

HEROIC have yet to announce a replacement for xfl0ud or outline their roster plans moving forward.

More updates are expected in the coming weeks, ahead of their next event: IEM Cologne 2025, set to begin on July 23.