Short intro

HEROIC's Counter-Strike rebuild has accelerated once again. Swedish player Simon "yxngstxr" Boije has stepped down from the active roster, reducing HEROIC's active lineup to just three players as the organization continues reshaping its team ahead of the next competitive season. The move follows several roster and coaching changes announced over the last few days, making this one of HEROIC's busiest off-seasons in recent memory. 

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Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Team	HEROIC
Player	yxngstxr
Status	Stepped down from active roster
Date	July 7, 2026
Official?	Yes — confirmed by HEROIC
Current active players	nilo, susp, Chr1zN
Coach	doto
Vacant roster spots	Two

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HEROIC confirm yxngstxr has stepped down

HEROIC officially announced that Simon "yxngstxr" Boije has decided to leave the team's active Counter-Strike roster as the organization continues rebuilding its lineup for the second half of the 2026 season. 

The announcement comes only hours after HEROIC confirmed that Yasin "xfl0ud" Koç had been moved to the bench and one day after appointing Joonas "doto" Forss as the team's new head coach. Together, the changes leave HEROIC with only three active players under contract.

According to HEROIC, yxngstxr personally chose to step away from the active lineup.

In its farewell message, the organization thanked the Swedish player for adapting to difficult circumstances throughout the previous season, highlighting his willingness to temporarily switch into the AWP role when visa issues prevented Alimzhan "Alkaren" Bitimbay from competing. 

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Background: yxngstxr's HEROIC journey

yxngstxr joined HEROIC at the beginning of 2025 after the organization acquired much of Sangal's core during a complete rebuild.

His role changed multiple times during his stay.

At the start of 2026 he was briefly removed from the starting lineup after HEROIC added Tim "susp" Ångström, but only days later he returned because Alkaren became unavailable due to visa problems. That forced yxngstxr to take over AWP duties despite not being the team's natural sniper. 

The organization specifically referenced that sacrifice in its public farewell.

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Updated HEROIC roster

Active lineup

Player	Status
Linus "nilo" Bergman	Active
Tim "susp" Ångström	Active
Christoffer "Chr1zN" Storgaard	Active

Coach

Staff	Role
Joonas "doto" Forss	Head coach

Inactive players

Player	Status
yxngstxr	Stepped down / inactive
xfl0ud	Benched
Alkaren	Benched (visa-related absence)

Roster status at the time of publication. 

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Why this matters

The departure is significant because it leaves HEROIC with only three active players, meaning the organization still needs to finalize two starting positions before it can field a complete lineup.

The rebuild is not limited to players.

Within only a few days HEROIC have:

• Changed head coach.

• Benched xfl0ud.

• Seen yxngstxr step down.

• Continued pursuing new signings. 

Taken together, these moves represent one of the organization's largest roster resets since rebuilding around the former Sangal core in early 2025.

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Tactical impact

Although HEROIC did not specify future roles, yxngstxr had spent much of the recent season acting as an emergency AWPer after Alkaren became unavailable.

His departure creates another vacancy in addition to the opening created by xfl0ud's benching.

According to previous reporting, HEROIC were already targeting Antonio "MartinezSa" Martinez as an AWP reinforcement before the official announcement regarding yxngstxr. Shortly after the announcement, HEROIC confirmed MartinezSa's signing, replacing yxngstxr in the lineup.

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What changes now?

Immediately after yxngstxr's departure:

• HEROIC have only three active players remaining.

• The organization continues rebuilding around nilo, susp and Chr1zN.

• MartinezSa has since been announced as one of the incoming additions.

• Another starting position still remains to be filled following xfl0ud's departure from the active roster. 

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Impact analysis

From a competitive perspective, this announcement confirms that HEROIC are prioritizing long-term roster construction rather than maintaining continuity after the 2026 season.

The organization has replaced its coaching staff while simultaneously restructuring multiple player positions, suggesting a broader strategic reset instead of isolated transfers.

Until the final roster is completed, HEROIC's long-term competitive outlook remains difficult to evaluate.

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Timeline

Date	Event
Early 2025	yxngstxr joins HEROIC from Sangal core
Early 2026	Briefly benched after susp joins
One week later	Returns to starting lineup due to Alkaren's visa issues
July 6, 2026	HEROIC appoint doto as head coach
July 7, 2026	xfl0ud moved to bench
July 7, 2026	yxngstxr steps down from active roster
Later July 7	HEROIC announce MartinezSa as replacement

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What to watch next

Several questions remain unanswered:

• Who will fill HEROIC's final starting position?

• Will Alkaren return once visa issues are resolved?

• Can the rebuilt lineup establish stability before its next major international events?

• How quickly will MartinezSa adapt to HEROIC's English-speaking environment? 

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Related teams, players and events

Teams

• HEROIC

• Gentle Mates

• FUT

Players

• yxngstxr

• MartinezSa

• xfl0ud

• Alkaren

• nilo

• susp

• Chr1zN

• doto

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FAQ

Why did yxngstxr leave HEROIC?

HEROIC confirmed that yxngstxr decided to step down from the active roster. The organization did not provide additional reasons beyond the player's own decision. 

Is yxngstxr benched?

He has stepped down from the active lineup and is no longer part of HEROIC's starting five. 

Who replaced yxngstxr?

HEROIC later officially announced the signing of MartinezSa, who replaces yxngstxr. 

How many active players does HEROIC currently have?

Following the roster moves, HEROIC initially had three active players before beginning to announce replacements.