Why HEROIC left Dota 2: the team’s coach spoke about roster problems and burnout

According to former HEROIC coach Igor kaffs Furtado, the organization’s decision to part ways with the roster came as a surprise to the players, although he understands the reasons behind it:

These were disappointing news that caught us off guard, but I cannot say that I do not understand the reasons behind this decision.

We never fully reached our potential because all of our planning under such a tight schedule was focused on preserving energy for the long run and peaking at the biggest events.

The coach noted that the organization expected strong results from the roster, but achieving them under such conditions was extremely difficult. Despite winning PGL Wallachia Season 2 and securing several top-6 finishes at major tournaments, it was not enough to continue the partnership.

The organization’s departure was purely an economic decision. The club expected media presence and consistent top-4 finishes at major tournaments in order to justify sponsor contracts.

We started the season already heavily exhausted. The constant travel back and forth between Europe and South America for qualifiers makes our situation even more difficult.

The coach also admitted his own mistakes in managing the team. According to him, during HEROIC’s first season the roster barely had any rest, which led to severe burnout before Esports World Cup 2025, where the team finished at the bottom of the standings:

We arrived at EWC completely burned out. In the middle of the tournament our form dropped because the team simply ran out of energy.

If a player is tired, he will not perform well. If he is unhappy, he will not play well either. But because of this experience, I can become a better coach and avoid making the same mistakes again.

The coach also spoke about Yuma Yuma Langlet role within the team. According to him, the carry player was the main leader of the roster and was responsible for in-game communication despite inconsistent performances at certain tournaments.

People think of Wisper and TaiLung as incredible core players in terms of skill and talent, and that is true. But they do not communicate much during the game, their communication is limited, and they would not be able to take on that role.

In conclusion, the coach also commented on the removal of Elvis Scofield Peña and David Parker Nicho Flores from the roster. He described the decision as difficult and emphasized that the reasons were not only related to in-game results, but also to the overall burnout within the team environment.

Parker himself refused to continue playing for the roster after conflicts during the ESL One Bangkok 2024 qualifiers.

As for Scofield, it was a collective decision caused by emotional burnout after a long period of working together. The organization asked me not to respond to Parker’s public attacks, which led to a wave of hate from fans.

Despite the organization’s departure, the former HEROIC roster decided to continue playing together. The team’s main goals remain a strong performance at Esports World Cup 2026 and qualification for The International 2026.

The team’s next tournament will be DreamLeague Season 29, which will take place online from 13.05.2026 to 24.05.2026. Sixteen teams will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool. You can follow the tournament in our report.

Earlier, Cyberscore shared the bookmakers’ odds for the tournament, where ex-HEROIC were ranked only 11th.