Sources: Papiteero set to join Team Heretics Academy for LES 2026 Spring Split

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, and as first reported by @HERETICSFREEDC on X, Antero Trindade "" Baldaia is expected to join as a toplaner for the LES 2026 Spring Split. After finishing fourth at the Kick-off Tournament, the Spanish club’s academy roster has made just one change, with the departure of Baek "Mihile" Sang-hwi. In its announcement, Team Heretics stated that the South Korean toplaner had been dealing with physical issues since the start of the season, forcing him to step away from competition for an indefinite period.

Following a difficult start to the season, marked by a change of organizer and the late arrival of LastLap, which resulted in a three-day Kick-off, the first real test for Team Heretics Academy came at the EMEA Masters Winter. Placed in Group C, Kacper "Daglas" Dagiel and his teammates delivered a dominant performance, securing three 2-0 victories in the group stage. They first defeated Nightbirds, the #1 seed from the Czech and Slovak Hitpoint league, before beating Arctic Pandas, the #2 seed from the NLC, twice in a row. The playoffs proved more challenging. After losing to Unicorns of Love, the #3 seed from the Prime League, in the winner bracket, they were eliminated by MISA Esports, the #1 seed from the TCL, immediately after dropping to the lower bracket.

With the arrival of Papiteero, Team Heretics Academy will now head into the first full split of its 2026 competitive season. Active in the ERLs since 2021, he previously played in Spain with UCAM Tokiers in 2023. He later joined Anorthosis Famagusta in the Greek Legends League, where he notably won the Spring 2024 title, followed by several second-place finishes before moving to Verdant in early 2025. He ended that year with BDS Academy, playing two Spring splits where the team finished no higher than 9th place in the LFL.

Following the end of the Swiss organization’s academy project, the toplaner joined Team Phantasma in the HLL, where the team secured second place in the regular season before losing in the playoff finals to WLG Gaming. Back at the EMEA Masters, a competition the Portuguese player had not attended since 2024, Team Phantasma opened with a win against FN Esports, the #1 seed from the Arabian League, before dropping to the lower bracket of Group H after a loss to Eintracht Spandau, the #4 seed from the Prime League. Papiteero and his teammates then defeated Bomba Team, the #1 seed from Rift Legends, to earn a rematch against the German side for a playoff spot. However, they were unable to take revenge and fell just short of reaching the knockout stage.