Heretics acquires Misfits LEC spot

After 24 hours filled with speculation, Misfits Gaming Group finally announced that it will sell its LEC spot to Team Heretics.

After a turbulent summer, Misfits Gaming Group (MMG) has decided to sell its LEC spot to Team Heretics and this transaction will go into effect in the 2023 season. Moving forward, MMG will remain as a minority owner in the team but only of symbolic value. Since Team Heretics already owns a team competing in the ERL league, this also spells the end for Misfits Premier, MMG’s team in the LFL.

The rumor mill has been running hot for the past 24 hours since Eros dropped this bomb on the League community. A lot of speculation and anticipation surrounded the announcement, with fans of big ERL brands like Karmine Corp and KOI hopping for the good news. It turns out both of these organizations had made inquiries for the Misfits LEC spot, but a late push changed the situation.

Team Heretics supposedly received an influx of new investors in recent weeks, and that allowed it to make a more compelling offer. Rumors are circulating that this purchase will cost the Spanish club somewhere between $37 million and $45 million. Team Heretics will officially introduce its new investors in the upcoming days, and this seems to be a huge step in the development of the organization.

After being founded in 2016 and entering esports competition in 2017, Team Heretics has enjoyed moderate but steady success. The org started off by fielding a Call of Duty team, followed up by CS:GO and League of Legends squads. Its League squad started off in the second division of the Spanish SuperLiga in 2017, notably fielding Fnatic jungler Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz. Its partnership with G2 Esports known as G2 Heretics put the org on the map in the League community. Also, being represented by several Spanish League content creators like Jorge “Werlyb” Casanovas and David “TheGrefg” Cánovas Martínez has helped the club amass a huge fan base in the Spanish community. Team Heretics are currently tied for first place in the SuperLiga and have already qualified for the upcoming EU Master tournament.

For Misfits, however, things are not looking up. MMG announced that it plans on remaining in Activision-Blizzard’s Overwatch League with the team Florida Mayhem, and in the Call of Duty League with the Florida Mutineers. The organization also plans on maintaining a presence in Riot Games’ Valorant Championship Tour events, depending on the outcome of the franchising process.

Meanwhile, contracts of Misfits League players will be honoured until the end of the year, after which they will become free agents. While this puts them in an unfavourable position, the talent of the players almost guarantees them a roster spot in the upcoming season. What’s much worse is how this decision probably could have impacted the teams just days before they play the most important matches of the year. Both Misfits league squads are fighting tight races for the playoffs in their leagues, and amid roster changes, this announcement comes as a great shock. Long gone are the days of young Hans Sama and the rest of the 2017 Misfits roster taking reigning world Champions SK Telecom to five games in the Worlds semifinals.