HEROIC assembled their new roster less than three months ago and have already secured two championships. After defeating 100 Thieves in the Stake Pulse Beat II finals, MartinezSa spoke to HLTV about the significance of this victory, their comeback on Ancient, the breakout performance of susp, and the team's plans moving forward.
Q: That was an incredibly exciting final. First of all, how are you feeling now? HEROIC's roster composition has a lot of potential, but the initial results weren't ideal—they failed to advance in many tournaments. Now that you've secured a championship, can you talk about how the team came together and achieved this?
MartinezSa：This tournament is very important to us. As you said, we've played many matches, and we lost many closed qualifiers, failing to advance. Those matches were significant because they were S-tier events where a lot of points could be earned. But regardless, winning this tournament feels really good. There's nothing else to say.
Q: Let's talk about Ancient. Back then, you were in a do-or-die situation with 10 Thieves having multiple match points, but you managed to hold on and force the game into Inferno. What was the atmosphere like within the team and in the team chat at that moment?
MartinezSa：To be honest with you, we seemed to be leading 10-6 at the time, but then we were outscored from 10-6 to 10-12. Sometimes when things don’t go our way, the team goes quiet. But later we called a timeout, and eventually managed to force overtime. We showed great resilience, and it’s not the first time we’ve done this. It was really good, the whole team performed well.
Q：By the time we got to Inferno, it had completely become a one-man show by Susp—what else can I say? I certainly never expected him to become the star of this team, he never was since you guys formed, but on Inferno, until the final round of the first half, he was absolutely unstoppable.
MartinezSa：I don't even know what to say. I remember one round where I was holding an angle on FalleN, and I died because I switched views after wanting to get a kill. They were shooting through the smoke or something, and then susp started wallbanging, getting four kills. We were screaming in TeamSpeak—it was insane. After that, he pushed through the smoke and got an ace. He played incredibly well on Inferno, especially on that map, but overall, he's been doing great for the team.
Q: Returning to this championship victory. Perhaps the outside world always focuses on the biggest events and their prestige, but when I look at the two teams here, seeing how you celebrate and how 100 Thieves absorb this loss, it feels significant for both sides. In terms of your goals for this season, where does this championship put you?
MartinezSa: To be honest, this tournament is very important because, as we mentioned, it's not a top-tier event, but it's the pathway to the top-tier events. So we treat it as an S-tier tournament. Our goal for this season is, of course, to play in the Major, but even if we don't qualify, it's okay—we know we can achieve it next year. Besides, we have IEM Beijing; we won that closed qualifiers. Not everything revolves around the Major. So, I think that's about it.
Q: Let's talk about this team and your player lineup. Brollan brings a lot of experience—he's played in many major elimination tournaments and has even won some S-tier championships. He's still young but highly experienced. Is he the one who brings calm to the team? Who has the loudest voice in the roster? How does the team function?
MartinezSa: Brollan is very important to us now. As you said, he brings a lot of experience to the team. I must also say that he is now the second voice in the team, helping Chr1zN a lot. Of course, we are also trying to help, because sometimes you have information and need to shout something, but now he is the second in command. He also directs on some maps, especially on the CT side. He helps Chr1zN and boosts the team's morale a lot.
Q：Who controlled the most space? Who got the most flashbangs? Who was able to play their own way the most?
MartinezSa：Probably me and Nilo... well, not really Nilo, since he's just lurking. We know he's got a star role, he's a star player, but when it comes to making proactive plays, it's probably Susp or me. If I want to do something like a peek or whatever, I'll ask for utility; if not, then it's Susp who takes what he needs. Basically, I'm either setting up Susp for his plays or giving him what he needs.
Q: I'd like to ask about doto, as he is new to you and also new to HEROIC as a whole. From a coach's perspective, what has he brought to the team?
MartinezSa: I think he's done a great job. Of course, I didn't know him before joining HEROIC—he was previously in the HEROIC academy with these guys. Overall, he's done very well, working alongside our assistant coach to develop excellent game plans and preparation. Plus, the timeouts he calls sometimes just let everyone catch their breath, and then he calls out the plays he thinks are best. He's really done a fantastic job.
Q: Looking ahead, you'll be returning to play Stake Pulse in a few weeks, with several more events before the Major deadline. What are your plans?
MartinezSa：I think we might take a week off now, or perhaps a few days, and then go play Stake Pulse III. From Sweden we'll probably head straight to DraculaN, and that should be about it. We also wanted to play Stake, but we can't because we need to attend the media day for IEM Beijing. These are likely the last two events for us before the deadline.
Q：Anything you'd like to say at last?
MartinezSa: Nothing much. I'm really happy to be on this team; it's my first international team. Sometimes it's been tough for me since I used to play in Spanish, but overall it's been really good.