Spanish esports organization Team Heretics has finalized a deal with Call of Duty League (CDL) team Florida Mutineers in which the franchise will be rebranded as the Miami Heretics. The anticipated move became official today as part of the seven-year anniversary celebration of Heretics.
The Heretics CDL roster will retain Vikul, the Mutineers’ lone Spanish player, who will be joined by fellow countrymen Alejandro “Lucky” López, Adrian “MettalZ” Serrano, and Juan “JurNii” Antonio González Muñoz. The latter three were a part of the last Heretics CoD lineup in 2019 during the Black Ops 4 season. Eric “EriKBooM” Ferrer and coach Jorge “MethodZ” Bancells round out the new franchise’s initial roster. It is unclear at this time, though, what Heretics’ four-man starting lineup will look like to kick off the 2024 CDL season.
While there were some twists and turns, most competitive CoD fans had expected the deal to eventually happen since May when Jacob Hale of Dexerto reported the news. In the more than three months since that initial report, however, doubt began to creep in about the partnership, in large part because several trademarks for the new team name appeared to be abandoned in July.
Ultimately, Heretics and Misfits Gaming Group, the Mutineers’ owners, came to an agreement, which marks the second deal the two parties have made in just over a year after Misfits sold its LEC spot to Heretics in July 2022.
Heretics bowed out of CoD following the 2019 season as the competitive circuit transitioned from the Call of Duty World League, which included a 16-team Pro League, to the smaller, more exclusive CDL comprised of 12 franchises that reportedly paid millions of dollars to gain entry into the league.
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In the four seasons of the CDL, the Mutineers have had varied success, although their greatest achievements came in the inaugural season in 2020, when they won three Home Series events and netted $175,000 at the CDL Championship. Since then, the team has not won an event and has missed out on the last two CDL Championship tournaments.
