Team Heretics withstand BDS Academy in EUM Summer finals to take back trophy from LFL

LVP’s Team Heretics took back the European Masters trophy on Spain’s behalf after winning the Summer finals over LFL’s BDS Academy in an intense League of Legends series last night.

Although BDS Academy were the favorite on paper since they hadn’t dropped a single game in the tournament, Team Heretics had become the threatening dark horse following a dream run.

The series saw several twists and turns as Heretics won the two first games, and then lost two more, before winning it all in the last deciding game.

A wind of change was blowing at the start of the EU Masters Summer since the triple defending champion Karmine Corp had failed to qualify for the tournament.

Still, LFL was considered a heavy favorite to take back the trophy since all four representing teams made it to the playoffs. But Team Heretics took down the first one, LDLC OL, three-to-one in the semifinals following barely making it through against Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition.

Coming into the finals, Team Heretics looked well-prepared. They successfully negated BDS top laner Adam’s heavy aggression and Sheo’s jungle in the early games with the help of jungler bluerzor, often taking advantage at the start of the game—which was usually the realm of the LFL team.

Once BDS Academy players were impacted by Heretics’ aggression and smart drafts, they started making more mistakes. Even without his Draven, Jackspektra had a significant impact on the series.

But the Spanish team often struggled to close the game, and their opponents turned the tide by securing objectives at key moments, earning themselves two points and a possible reverse sweep.

They nearly turned the tide at that point in the last game, too. But it wasn’t enough to beat Heretics, who won it all in one last scattered fight at their base.

With this victory, Heretics have brought back the trophy to Spain for the first time since 2018. It’s a crucial milestone for its players, too, since the organization will head to the LEC next year following a buyout of Misfits Gaming’s spot.

While the org has yet to reveal its roster, the academy team’s players have a high chance of making it to the LEC next year, whether they’re wearing the same colors or switching to another team.