Astralis spearheaded the Danish counter-strike for years. So, when the team hit a snag, fans looked at Heroic, but Astralis’ shadow loomed. It seems Heroic has finally broken the hegemony, with CadiaN shepherding the young through Blast Premier Fall Finals.
Heroic isn’t a dark horse by any stretch. It hasn’t been for the past few years. The Danish team’s success story has been in the making for a while, but the recent Blast Fall Final win solidifies Heroic as the crowned head in Denmark and CSGO world rankings.
Heroic emerged as the breakout team in 2020 when the world was locked down. With the young talent on its payroll, besides Casper “cadiaN” Møller, the team trailblazed through 2021 with tons of potential. However, in CadiaN’s words, there was always “that NAVI, that Faze,” and more. Still, Heroic lurked in the background with solid showings.
“It’s been a long ride for us as a team with a positive trend, always getting better and better, but there’s always been that FaZe, there’s always been that NAVI, always been that team that had that extra gear that we didn’t,” .
CadiaN told HLTV.
The red and black have finally smashed that particular ceiling after Blast Fall Final, which kept them from being the new Danish Powerhouse.
CadiaN is Denmark CSGO’s new hero
Heroic’s squad is young, but the team still squares up to old-timers. The tenured skipper, CadiaN, has been the steady pillar that has kept Heroic in the run after the online era. An internet-breaking controversy and failed deal later, Heroic still lifted the silver trophy on home soil, and fans have CadiaN to thank.
Since 2013, CadiaN hasn’t seen one, but many stumbling blocks. Once the FPX deal fell through, the IGL didn’t crack. With CadiaN at the helm, the Danish team settled the score at ESL One Cologne, appearing on the CSGO map in a more prominent form. Just when the team had found its footing, the Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen controversy awaited CadiaN and its men.
Hunden was one of the driving forces behind Heroic’s win streak during the online era. Naturally, the team was kicked out of balance on the server, but things were worst offline. At this point, Heroic’s newly budding fan base was convinced that their chapter had ended before it could enter the home stretch. Bearing an “Onliner label,” Heroic had packed its bag for good, but CadiaN stuck around.
It took a few roster swaps. Enter Rasmus “sjuush” Beck and Ismail “refrezh” Ali, another young class for CadiaN. But, the skipper was quick to gel up the new-look Heroic, preparing them for the next big trophy. ESL Pro League season 13 would be their first victory as a new roster. But, the quintet failed to replicate the performance in the rest of 2021.
At this point, Astralis was dealing with its own predicaments, and the Danish throne was up for taking. Unfortunately, for Heroic, Finn “karrigan” Andersen had become a new hope for Danish fans as Faze fought and won top honors. Coming back from this was a tall order, but CadiaN had rolled up his sleeves to take 2022 LANs head-on.
CadiaN had dangerous firepower in the squad, but keeping team spirits up was the real task. Surprisingly, 2022 was the team’s best year. The adversities only added more meat to their heroic tale. Fans got a peak of what’s to come in the Pinnacle Winter series, and then the streak broke open. CadiaN’s AWP, leadership, and unwavering dedication saw Heroic cop titles at PGL Major Antwerp 2022: European RMR A, Pinnacle Cup Championship, and finally, BLAST Premier: Fall European Showdown 2022. CadiaN wasn’t just your shot-caller in the backlines. He was also the sharpshooter, further cementing himself as one of the best.
IEM Rio was 2022’s wildest CSGO tournament, crammed with upsets left and right. Where heavy lifters like NAVI, Faze, and more bent a knee in front of new rosters, CadiaN entered, all guns blazing. The Danish roster came in second, creating a stable foundation for the end-of-year tournaments. After IEM Rio 2022, Heroic was a clear threat to dominant forces but was still not entirely out of the shadow of its rivals. The crowd was theirs, and the stakes were high.
BLAST Fall Finals wasn’t the first time Heroic performed on home turf. But, this time, CadiaN and co were clear contenders, with no Astralis in sight. However, Karrigan led Faze could easily break Heroic’s dream of becoming Denmark’s new hope. But, a keenly-contested final with CadiaN’s shot calling helped Heroic acquire the ultimate Holy Grail.
Now, the roster sits pretty at HLTV’s number 1 rank for the first time since LAN restarted. In the past one and a half years, Heroic shed the title of onliners, earning stripes as Denmark’s best.
