Sources: From possible extension to stepping down: what led to Sheo’s bench at Team Heretics?

On Wednesday, April 15, announced on X that their jungler, , had expressed his wish to step down from the roster for the coming weeks. The vacant position will therefore be filled by academy player , who played his final match yesterday with the team in the LES before departing for Berlin.

While it now appears unlikely that Sheo will return to play for the Spanish organization, the situation between the two parties could have unfolded very differently. However, the context surrounding the team’s disappointing results in the LEC Spring Split — one win, five losses, and now close to elimination —ultimately disrupted Team Heretics’ original plans.

Per sources familiar with the situation, Team Heretics intended to begin discussions with the French jungler regarding a possible contract extension before the beginning of the Spring Split. Having been part of the roster since early 2025, Sheo was considered an important part of Team Heretics’ long-term project. As the longest-tenured member of the lineup and one of its most experienced players, he had helped the team consistently reach the playoffs since his arrival, including during this year’s LEC Versus.

While the discussions initially appeared to be progressing positively, the team’s plans began to shift with the start of the Spring Split, as results started to decline. At the beginning of the competition, Team Heretics had opted to replace support with , while also securing the future signing of for 2027. However, Sheo stated early in the split that Way was still adapting to the English language, with the team’s AD Carry Yoon “Ice” Sang-hoon helping him.

In the meantime, disappointing results continued to accumulate for Team Heretics, with their chances of reaching the playoffs diminishing as the weeks passed. Attempting to remain measured in his assessment, Head Coach Jonas “Hidon” Vraa explained on the LEC broadcast last Sunday that one of the objectives to be a successful year or split would leave the team with something to build upon for the following season, adding that “Summer is what really matters, because it's where you get the chance to play for Worlds.”

Outclassed by in the match that followed, Sheo stated in an interview with Sheep Esports that the results following the roster change had been disappointing so far and that the team’s progression had not matched expectations. Internally, the organization has been actively working to address the performance-related issues, with both players and coaching staff sharing a sense of frustration regarding the current results. They’ve been doing feedback and reviews with their players to fix the problems. During those talks, Team Heretics still regarded Sheo as a central element of the team, while also acknowledging that his recent performances had fallen short of expectations.

On April 14, just days after the match against Karmine Corp, an internal meeting took place within Team Heretics. During the discussion, Sheo was told he needed to improve his individual performances or risk the team considering changes. The following day, Sheo chose to step down from the starting roster, effectively benching himself and handing the jungle role to Daglas for the remainder of the Spring Split. The organization also explored the possibility of moving him to the academy team in place of Daglas, but the French jungler declined.

In the span of just a few weeks, both Team Heretics and Sheo saw their plans shift significantly, culminating in the benching of the roster’s longest-standing member—despite earlier intentions from the organization to extend his contract ahead of the Spring Split. Team Heretics now have three matches remaining to attempt to secure a playoff qualification, including this week’s meeting with , as well as the EWC EMEA Qualifier, which will begin on April 28.