HEROIC adjusts CS2 roster: gr1ks leaves, Alkaren joins on loan

Norwegian esports club HEROIC announced adjustments to its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster. gr1kz, who has only played for one month and nine days, will leave the starting lineup and be replaced on loan by Alkaren from Team Spirit's youth team.

In an official statement on August 7th, HEROIC explained that the change stemmed from gr1kz's playstyle not fully aligning with the team's overall direction. Although he participated in FISSURE Playground 1 and IEM Cologne 2025 during his brief stint with the team, the team was eliminated early in the first tournament, only advancing to Stage 2 in Cologne with victories over MIBR and Virtus.pro.

"Management has made several adjustments to put the team on the right track, but we must acknowledge that not all pieces of the puzzle fit together as expected, and we take full responsibility for this," HEROIC wrote in a statement. "Although this was a short period, we sincerely thank gr1kz for his dedication both on and off the court."

Alkaren's arrival will bring new firepower to HEROIC, and he will serve as the team's AWPer for the remainder of the season. This new lineup will debut at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from August 20th to 24th.

HEROIC is currently competing in BLAST Bounty Season 2 and will face Complexity in the Round of 32 on August 8th. The team is ranked 18th in the Valve Rankings (VRS) and is striving for a top 32 spot.

HEROIC stated that if Alkaren performs well during the loan period, they would not rule out signing him permanently. Although this adjustment seems sudden, the club hopes to use this opportunity to consolidate its competitive position among the top European teams.