MartinezSa: Tier Two Tournaments Like Stake Pulse Beat II Are the Path to Tier One

HEROIC defeated 100 Thieves in the Stake Pulse Beat II grand final, securing the team's second trophy in less than three months. The victory comes as the Spanish organization works toward qualification for PGL Major Singapore.

In an interview with HLTV following the win, in-game leader Antonio "MartinezSa" Martinez reflected on the tournament's significance. "This tournament I think is so important for us," he said. "As you said, we have been playing many tournaments, many closed qualifiers that we lost, we didn't manage to qualify. They were really important because they were S tier tournaments that bring many points. But yeah, anyways, we managed to win this tournament and it feels really good for us."

HEROIC's road to victory included a tense series against 100 Thieves on Ancient, where the team recovered from a 12-10 deficit to force overtime. MartinezSa highlighted the team's resilience during the map. "Not gonna lie, we were winning like 10-6, I think from 10-6 it was 10-12," he explained. "Sometimes we are going quiet when things are not coming like we would like them to come, but I don't know. I think we took a pause, and I don't know, we managed to get to overtime."

The subsequent Inferno map proved decisive, with player susp delivering a standout performance. MartinezSa recounted a pivotal moment where susp eliminated four opponents while holding a smoke position. "We were screaming in the TS, it was crazy, and then also he got the ace after pushing the smoke," MartinezSa said.

When asked about the broader context of winning mid-tier events, MartinezSa framed Stake Pulse Beat II as part of a larger strategy. "To be honest this kind of tournament is really important, because as we've said it's not tier one, but it's the way to tier one tournaments. That's why we are taking it like it's a tier S tournament," he stated.

HEROIC's season priorities extend beyond Major qualification. The team secured a closed qualifier victory at IEM Beijing and plans to compete in Stake Pulse III before the Major cutoff. "Our goals this season, of course playing the Major, but if we didn't manage to qualify it doesn't matter, we know that we could do it next year," MartinezSa said.

The roster features experienced player Brollan, who MartinezSa identified as a key voice in team communications. "Brollan, right now for us, is very important. As you said he brings so much experience to the team, also I have to say he is the second voice in the team right now, he is helping Chr1zN a lot," MartinezSa explained.

Coach doto, newly arrived with HEROIC, has contributed to the team's preparation and in-game adjustments. "Overall he is doing a really good job, also with our assistant coach, they are doing really good game plans and prep. Also the pauses that he takes sometimes, just to breathe and call what he thinks is the best way to do it, he's doing a really good job," MartinezSa noted.

For MartinezSa, the transition to HEROIC as his first international team has presented challenges, particularly with communication. "I'm so happy to be in this team, my first international team. Sometimes it's hard for me because I used to play in Spanish every time, but overall it's really good," he said.