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Team Heretics Trash Talk Curse Strikes Again: TH vs WOL VCT Masters Toronto Recap

Be careful who you trash-talk: Team Heretics is headed home from Toronto with a 0:2 loss streak from Wolves Esports and Paper Rex, an org TH benjyfishy infamously flamed in 2024. Let's recap.

Gabby DeSena

Team Heretics is headed out of Toronto after a defeat.
Team Heretics is headed out of Toronto after a defeat. / @HereticsVal via X.com

Spanish esports org Team Heretics secured its place in VALORANT lore with a second-place standing in Champions Seoul 2024, and the team started 2025 itching for another Champions spot. However, it has remained just out of reach: they placed second in 2024's Masters Shanghai and this year's VCT EMEA Stage 1, and Wolves Esports has just eliminated Team Heretics from the Masters Toronto Swiss Stage. The result arrives after another poetic defeat to Paper Rex (which TH benjyfishy trash-talked in 2024) and finalizes a 0:2 loss streak. Is the Team Heretics trash-talk curse real? Let's recap WOL vs TH and what it means for the state of VALORANT esports.

Map 1 (Pearl): Astra and Aces

TEAM COMPS:

  • TH MiniBoo: Yoru
  • TH RieNs: Sova
  • TH Boo: Astra
  • TH benjyfishy: Cypher
  • TH Wo0t: Jett
  • WOL juicy: Yoru
  • WOL Yuicaw: Chamber
  • WOL SiuFatBB: Fade
  • WOL Spring: Astra
  • WOL Lysoar: Vyse

First Half: WOL Defender, TH Attacker

TH and WOL flooded A-site with Astra smokes during pistol round, creating a minefield of unexpected angles. WOL quickly cleared it out, snowballing to a 4:0 lead. WOL's double-Sentinel comp specialized in intense map control, carefully holding space and thwarting any pushes with carefully-timed lurks. Wolves Esports' defender side looked notably cleaner than the recent WOL vs SEN matchup, but viewers witnessed the same deadly mid-lurks and masterful Smoke utility from Spring.

After Team Heretics restructured their pushes to defaults to avoid aggression from WOL, they captured a few first-half rounds. MiniBoo's Yoru aggression was instrumental for these executes. Wo0t also grabbed a clean Jett Ultimate clip with an A-main updraft. However, WOL's retakes remained strong with SiuFatBB's exemplary Fade utility and juicy's info-gathering Yoru plays. Ultimately, WOL ended the half at an 8:4 advantage.

Second Half: WOL Attacker, TH Defender

Things looked grim on Wolves Esports' second pistol round. After all his teammates died on a B-push, juicy was left alone to defend the site from 3 Team Heretics players with the bomb down. Defying all the odds, juicy scored a 1v5 ace, making the crowd erupt and beginning WOL's second-half eco advantage. However, TH picked it up until the score was WOL 11: TH 10, and the gap was closing. WOL Spring and juicy locked in to dump their deadly Ultimates, using Yoru for info on B-site before administering a deadly postplant Astra wall on A. TH simply could not retake against Spring's utility, and Wolves emerged victorious.

Final Score: Wolves 13, TH 10

Key Moments:

  • Round 2: WOL Spring and Yuicaw team up for a devious Astra-Chamber combo.
  • Round 7: TH captures a Flawless push.
  • Round 8: TH MiniBoo hits a devious Yoru 4k on A-site.
  • Round 11: WOL Spring annihilates TH's B-push with a beautiful Astra Ultimate and a 4k.
  • Round 13: WOL juicy 1v5 aces and saves the pistol round.

Map 2 (Lotus): Juicy Judge Plays

TEAM COMPS:

  • TH MiniBoo: Raze
  • TH RieNs: Viper
  • TH Boo: Omen
  • TH benjyfishy: Killjoy
  • TH Wo0t: Fade
  • WOL juicy: Raze
  • WOL Yuicaw: Killjoy
  • WOL SiuFatBB: Fade
  • WOL Spring: Viper
  • WOL Lysoar: Omen

First Half: TH Defender, WOL Attacker

Lotus began with an exact mirror comp between TH and WOL, upping the pressure on both teams. To win this identical matchup, players would have to prove superior utility skills and team cohesion. WOL's confidence in Lotus was clear, and they quickly secured the pistol round thanks to a 3k from juicy. Just two rounds later, juicy scored another 3k with the Judge, thwarting TH's B-site retake and pushing the score 3:0. Wolves continued their flawless game until Round 7, when benjyfishy locked down C and MiniBoo finished off WOL's rotate to B.

TH benjyfishy showed impressive dexterity on C-site, scoring several chain kills and a 3k with a setup 'nade kill in Round 11, but Heretics still finished the round at a 5:7 disadvantage to Wolves.

Second Half: TH Attacker, WOL Defender

Team Heretic's attacker side began with a shaky C-site push, wiping out the entire team except for benjyfishy and boo. However, benjyfishy came in clutch once again by stopping Lysoar's smoked defuse with just seconds on the clock. Heretics evened out the score to 7:7 with the resulting eco advantage, prioritizing diligent plays to match WOL's careful pace. That said, WOL's retakes were even more meticulous, and Yuicaw and Spring effortlessly cleared out ReiN's B-site Viper ult in a later round. The dynamic duo continued clutching up on B-Site in Round 21, putting WOL at 12:9 Match Point with an efficient Killjoy Ultimate and securing the final round to end in a WOL victory.

Final Score: WOL 13, TH 9

Key Moments:

  • Round 1: WOL juicy hits a 3k and clutches pistol round again.
  • Round 3: A juicy Judge 3k for WOL.
  • Round 11: TH benjyfishy shows off his Killjoy skills with a C-site with a 3k, including a setup 'nade kill.
  • Round 16: WOL juicy hits a 3k to clutch a C-site push.
  • Round 18: WOL make an unlikely retake on B-site against RieN's Viper ult and all 5 TH players.

Related Article: SEN City Survives and Makes it to Masters Toronto Playoffs: Sentinels vs Bilibili Recap

Be Careful Who You Trash Talk: What Does This Mean for VALORANT Esports?

Of all Masters Toronto pros, TH benjyfishy has one of the most unique origin stories. He is one of the few esports athletes in history to have directly transitioned from Fortnite to VALORANT, having previously enjoyed a successful career with the American organization NRG. He began VALORANT streaming under the same NRG banner in 2022 before taking to pro play like a fish to water. While benjy is no longer one-pumping or grappling onto enemies, he quickly caught fan attention for performing quite well and rapidly advancing into VCT circuits. Specializing in the Sentinel role, he thrives with unconventional Cypher setups, and his Fortnite roots inevitably lead to a unique playstyle.

Team Heretics (and benjyfishy) shook up the esports scene by placing 2nd in VALORANT Champions Seoul 2024. Though they ultimately lost to EDward Gaming (with star player zmjjKK in tow), Heretics demonstrated formidable potential. However, another controversy caught international notice earlier that year: benjyfishy was caught trash-talking Paper Rex, yelling "Yo Monyet!" and "I'm so good, sit down!" during a Masters Madrid matchup.

Related Article: Sentinels Sells Bundles While Wolves Esports Sells Rounds: Masters Toronto Match Recap

Benjy later apologized for the incident on stream but also stated, "It was a good game. It did feel good to sh-- talk, ok. I was very hyped, I was hitting some nice shots, I can't lie." However, he observed that Monyet had begun popping off right after his comments and worried that he was "partly responsible" for that.

Paper Rex would defeat TH in the same 2024 Masters Madrid matchup, and it seems the trash talk curse has continued: in a poetic twist, PRX also dealt TH their first loss in Masters Toronto. After today's Wolves Esports defeat, Team Heretics will end their Masters Toronto run with a 0:2 loss streak and an elimination. In addition, Paper Rex is currently in the top 4 Swiss Stage standings: if they win tomorrow's Mid-Bracket matchup, they have a fighting chance to enter the Masters Toronto finals.

Plus, esports fans can't count out Wolves Esports just yet. WOL's performance against TH today was polished and precise, and the team held their ground against Sentinels, who have since qualified for the Masters Toronto playoffs. In particular, juicy has proved himself a terrifying opponent, and Spring reliably clutches rounds. Will SEN and WOL meet again in an unlikely comeback arc? Stay tuned to find out.

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Gabby DeSena
GABBY DESENA

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