Renowned Norwegian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive veteran Ruben “RUBINO” Villarroel will no longer be competing for Heroic.
The Norwegian player will be replaced by Asger “AcillioN” Larsen, who previously acted as a stand-in for the team. RUBINO’s time on the roster lasted roughly five months, in which time has struggled to put forward noteworthy results.
This will be Heroic’s third roster change of 2018, following the departure of its former stars Jakob “JUGi” Hansen and Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer to OpTic Gaming on April 24.
“We are continuously analyzing and working to improve all aspects of the players’ and team’s performance in-game and outside,” wrote Kasper Hvit, director of sports at Heroic’s parent company RFRSH Entertainment in a press release. “We believe bringing in a player with the profile, skills and mentality of Asger “Acilion” Larsen, will contribute to the team’s overall development and performance.”
RUBINO joined Heroic on Feb.7. During his time on the roster, he was forced to take two separate breaks for health-related issues. Following his second break on June 25, AcillioN began competing for the team regularly as a stand-in.
RUBINO’s removal from the roster also means that he can’t be acquired by a team attending the upcoming FaceIt London Major. This is due to RUBINO already having competed in the closed qualifier for the European Minor qualifier. The Norwegian player will have to wait until after the Valve Major’s conclusion on Sept. 23 before being able to compete for a top team.
The new Heroic roster will play its debut match on July 12 at DreamHack Valencia.