HEROIC Bench gr1ks, Bring in Alkaren on Loan — Expanded Edition

HEROIC Bench gr1ks, Bring in Alkaren on Loan — Expanded Edition

HEROIC has made a bold roster decision, benching 19-year-old AWPer Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin and bringing in Alimzhan "Alkaren" Bitimbai on loan from Spirit Academy, effective immediately.

Background: Why the Change?

• gr1ks joined HEROIC in late June during a strategic rebuild. He came after departures of SunPayus and coach sAw to G2, bringing a young-firepower dynamic to the lineu.

• Despite strong earlier numbers in Astrum (1.17 rating in 2024; 1.07 during YaLLa Compass Spring 2025), his results with HEROIC failed to meet expectations in events like FISSURE Playground #1 and IEM Cologne 2025.

• HEROIC acknowledged that gr1ks’s style was not a good fit and took responsibility for the mismatch.

About Alkaren: The Incoming Talent

• Age & Background: Alkaren is an 18-year-old player from Kazakhstan currently competing for Team Spirit Academ.

• Performance Highlights: He has consistently delivered solid stats—an overall 1.10 rating with Spirit Academy, and strong scores in key events like LanDaLan #1 & #2, and CCT Season 2 EU Series #14 and #15 in late 2024 and early 2025.

• Prize Earnings: His tournament winnings total approximately $26K–$28K, with LanDaLan #2 alone awarding $6,000.

• Expanded Stats: Over his career, Alkaren has recorded 4,226 kills and 3,630 deaths, maintaining a 1.16 K/D ratio. He boasts strong opening kill metrics too (672 opening kills vs. 513 deaths; opening kill ratio of 1.31), with a 75% win rate in rounds where he gets the first kill.

Immediate Role & Context

• Alkaren is set to become HEROIC’s primary AWPer, joining teammates LNZ, yxngstxr, tN1R, and niko under coach TOBIZ.

• This marks his first opportunity to shine at Tier-1 level competition.

• He is expected to debut for HEROIC on August 8 against Complexity at BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2.

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Summary Table

Player	Age	Previous Team	Notable Stats & Highlights
gr1ks	19	Aurora / Astrum	Averaged 1.17 (2024) & 1.07 (YaLLa Compass); benched due to misfit in system.
Alkaren	18	Team Spirit Academy	1.10 rating, strong tournament history, ~$26–28K earnings, stellar opening kill data.

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HEROIC’s move signals a decisive shift toward integrating youthful, high-ceiling talent like Alkaren into their lineup. His Tier-1 debut could become a pivotal moment for both player and team trajectories.

Alkaren – The Incoming AWPer from Spirit Academy

• Overall Rating & Core Metrics

  • Holds a 1.10 HLTV rating across 276 maps.

  • Average Damage Per Round (ADR): 71.1

  • Kill/Death Ratio: 1.16

• Specialized Stats

  • Sniping rating stands at 93/100, reflecting strong AWPer capability.

  • Clutching ability: 70/100

  • Opening kill rating: decent at 63/100

  • Entrying stats: lower effectiveness at 31/100

• Win Consistency

  • From Escorenews, Alkaren has played around 100 matches, achieved over $7,000 in prize money, and has secured 2 golds, 1 silver, and 3 bronze finishes—demonstrating consistent competitive results.

• Winrate and Performance Consistency

  • According to CQ.ru, his win rate is around 60% with a current loss streak of one match. His CQ Score ranks him in the top 40 globally.

Summary of Alkaren’s Strengths: A highly capable AWPer with excellent sniping skills and clutch potential, backed by consistent results in Tier‑2 competition. Entry fragging is less of a strength, but not unexpected for his role.

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gr1ks – The Young Belarusian Talent on the Bench

• Core Career Stats

  • HLTV rating: 1.21, ADR: 78.2, KAST (round impact): 73.9%, Impact: 1.23

• Opening Kill Efficiency

  • Opening kill rating: 1.16

  • Opening kill ratio: 1.83

  • Team’s winning rate when he gets the first kill: 75.3%

  • Career Progression

  • Has played across multiple teams, including Nemiga Academy, Aurora, Astrum, and finally HEROIC.

  • Earned approximately $2,600 with ~180 matches played.

  • Notably, won Galaxy Battle 2025 STARTER with AUR.

• Recent Form with HEROIC

  • Played 7 matches: 2 wins and 5 losses (win rate: 29%)

• Additional Insights

  • Per HLTV, gr1ks has accumulated 8,811 kills over 11,423 rounds (maps played: 516), with a K/D ratio of approximately 1.28.

Summary of gr1ks’s Strengths: Known for consistently high opening-kill efficiency and overall solid performance, especially noted for creating impactful early-round advantages.

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Comparison Table: Alkaren vs. gr1ks

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In Conclusion

• Alkaren will be a specialist AWPer who brings reliability, poise in clutch moments, and consistent performance.

• gr1ks, while statistically strong, may not have adapted to HEROIC’s strategic approach—resulting in the bench move.

• HEROIC appears to be gearing up for a more structured and specialized playstyle by bringing in Alkaren’s precision and consistency.

Let me know if you'd like further insights—perhaps tactical breakdowns, head-to-head map stats, or predictive outlooks for HEROIC’s upcoming matches!