Roster Change in HEROIC: Gr1ks Departs, Alkarenn from Spirit Academy Joins

The international team HEROIC (CS2) has made an unexpected roster change just a month after inviting Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin. On August 7, the Belarusian sniper was moved to the reserve and effectively left the active roster. Gr1ks joined HEROIC in late June 2025 but only played 17 maps with the team. During this short period, the results were less than stellar: the team finished in 13th-16th place in both the FISSURE Playground 1 and IEM Cologne 2025 tournaments. The organization thanked Gr1ks for his work, praising his talent and energy, but acknowledged that "his style did not fit with the team." According to HEROIC, after the spring-summer restructuring, "not all the elements they put together worked as well as they hoped... so [it was decided] to make changes at the start of the season."

Gleb Gazin himself also commented on his departure. He confirmed that the disagreement stemmed from differing views on the sniper role in the team: "The team needed a different sniper style, and it was very hard for me to fully adapt and change my habits," he admitted in a Telegram post. Gr1ks thanked all his teammates and expressed hope to realize his talent elsewhere, where his individual style would be more suitable. It is still unclear where the 19-year-old Belarusian will continue his career – at the time of his departure from HEROIC, his average rating was around ~1.01 over a month of play, and interest from other teams is not ruled out.

pic.twitter.com/dSHl6dbWgO

— gr1ks (@gr1ks24) August 7, 2025

Now, the primary sniper role in HEROIC will be taken over by Alimzhan "Alkarenn" Bitimbay, an 18-year-old talent from the Team Spirit Academy. Alkarenn has been playing for Spirit Academy since the spring of 2024, where he earned a reputation with standout performances at the tier-2 level. His average rating in 2025 is around 1.08 against top-50 teams, indicating consistent impact. With Team Spirit Academy, the Kazakh sniper won several tournaments, including CCT series and two LAN events, LanDaLan. Over the past year, Alkarenn has caught the attention of experts with his precise shooting and composure in critical moments. Now, he is set to take the next step – moving from a youth team to a renowned international squad.

Officially, Alkarenn joins HEROIC on loan with an option to buy out his contract. In other words, if the player performs well, the Danish organization can keep him in the roster permanently. Bitimbay plays as a sniper (AWP), the exact profile HEROIC was looking for in place of Gr1ks. Many fans note that Alkarenn's style is more calm and positional, which might blend better with HEROIC's team play.

The sudden roster change in HEROIC just 39 days after the previous transfer has sparked a heated discussion within the esports community. Many were surprised by the swift sniper switch: the decision to bench the newcomer after just a month was seen as one of the most abrupt roster moves of the season, hinting at internal instability within the team. Other fans, however, praised the management for having the courage to acknowledge their mistakes and promptly adjust the team for long-term success. Disappointing performances at recent tournaments revealed that the experiment with the previous lineup had not worked, and HEROIC fans are placing high hopes on Alkarenn's arrival. Many recall the team's past successes and believe that the fresh talent from Spirit Academy will provide the missing puzzle piece for the 2025 lineup.

The new sniper won't be able to join the team immediately: HEROIC will have to play the upcoming BLAST Bounty Fall 2025 tournament without Alkarenn due to roster rules (the rosters have already been confirmed). For this championship, the sniper role will temporarily be filled by HEROIC Academy reserve player – Danish Rasmus "Scr0b" Poulsen. However, Alkarenn's full debut in the new team will take place at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This arena will be a true test: HEROIC will have the chance to evaluate their revamped lineup against the world's best teams in the coming weeks.

The current HEROIC roster now looks like this:

• Linus "LNZ" Høltæng (rifler)

• Andrey "tN1R" Tatarinovich (captain)

• Linus "nilo" Bergman (rifler)

• Simon "yxngstxr" Boye (rifler)

• Alimzhan "alkarenn" Bitimbay (AWP, on loan)

• Tobias "TOBIZ" Teo (coach)

• Yasin "xfl0ud" Koch (substitute)

• Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin (substitute)

Heroic's fall is set to be busy: after a training bootcamp, the team will aim to perform well at EWC 2025, then make up for lost time at the upcoming tournaments of the season. If the experiment with Alkarenn proves successful, HEROIC will likely exit the long-term rebuilding phase and regain their position in the rankings. The esports community is eagerly awaiting the results: was the change timely? The first few matches with the updated roster will reveal all. In the world of CS2 transfers, this story has already become one of the most talked-about – and fans around the world will closely follow every step of the new sniper in HEROIC's lineup.