Heroic weren't short of options to fill Valde's spot...
ESL One Cologne 2017 is just around the corner, kicking off on the 7th July and ending on the 9th. It will be the first large-scale tournament for Heroic since the signing of es3tag. Before that, though, let’s take a look at the move they hope will beef up their team, and four more that could help them reach the finals.
Patrick ‘es3tag’ Hansen
We can shut out speculation on this one – es3tag has just been signed by Heroic. It’s quite a coup to have poached another player from Tricked, and es3tag should be a good fit for Heroic, especially having prior experience with JUGi and niko.
He should also be able to help them improve on some of their weaker maps. For instance, es3tag has been great on Train in 2017, with an overall score on the map of 1.10, and a win rate of 62%. That’s compared to Heroic’s 2017 rate of 42%.
Heroic have also been weak on Cobblestone this year, despite doing well on it in 2016. On Cobblestone, es3tag has shone with a great rating of 1.32. He’s also a solid, flexible rifle, with around 67% of kills on either the AK or M4.
This is certainly one of the best pickups Heroic could have made.
Allan ‘AnJ’ Jensen
Our next option is a testament to the top level talent that’s coming out of Denmark at the moment. With an HLTV rating of 1.25 for the last three months, AnJ would have been a good pick for Heroic.
In fact, the consensus among many was that AnJ would join Heroic as their fifth, before it was announced es3tag would be replacing valde.
When asked about the next up and coming players, valde himself spoke in an interview with Thorine about his admiration for AnJ, and that he believes he’s the next player to watch.
He can boast a decent headshot % of 50.6, a K/D ratio of 1.36 and has demonstrated an impressive level of consistency in performances.
Over the last three months, his kill percentage with the AK47 has been 54.64%, which stands out when compared to both valde and es3tag, who hold 47.39% and 48.6% respectively.
Daniel ‘mertz’ Mertz
Another great addition to Heroic would be mertz. This is a player who has been steadily improving; just compare his rating in 2016 (1.09) to his rating in 2017 (1.19). That improves again, to 1.21, if you just look at the last three months.
With 56.51% of his slaying handled with the AWP, he could also potentially lend the Heroic a decent second AWP.
In terms of maps, mertz could definitely help Heroic improve their game on Train. This year, mertz has a Train win rate of 77%, and an average rating of 1.21.
And, despite a lower-than-half win rate, mertz has put in good performances on Cobblestone, especially across April and early May. This presents Heroic with a good opportunity to bolster their weak points.
Jacob ‘Pimp’ Winneche
As well as being a solid rifle, Pimp would bring two very valuable properties to the team: consistency and experience.
He’s played with 15 pro teams over four years. Since 2012, his average rating has always remained firmly above 1.00, even if it has very slightly declined in recent years. His rating for 2017 is 1.02, compared to a career average of 1.07.
When you also factor in that Pimp’s former teammate, es3tag, has just joined Heroic – along with other tricked alumni – it’s easy to see how he could fit the team.
Philip ‘aizy’ Aistrup
Currently with North, aizy is a player with immense individual talent. He’s one of the best rifles from his region, comfortable with both the AK47 and M4.
It’s worth noting here that North could only justify giving up aizy if there was a player such as valde ready to join as his replacement.
North were to let aizy go, it would have to be for a player such as valde.
One thing aizy has a reputation for is keeping a cool head. This has no doubt helped him in clutch situations, as his overall clutch win rate is 61%, and frequently wins in 1v2 and 1v3 situations.
While fans often accuse aizy of being overrated, there’s no denying he’s a talented player with an incredible aim. The trouble is, he’s inconsistent.
He can really impact a match, but with an average kill/round score of 0.65 so far this year, can his skill be relied upon? It’s hard to say, but provided he can gel with the team’s current roster and playstyle, Heroic could really allow aizy to shine.
