Valorant Masters Shanghai schedule changes for Team Heretics

The Valorant Champions Tour will start its second Masters in Shanghai this week, but Team Heretics will no longer be second of the opening day matches. 

The Valorant Esports X account has just updated that the opening day match between Team Heretics and Dragon Ranger Gaming. That game will be moved to May 24 instead of being the opening day match on May 23. Riot has explained that this is due to Team Heretics needing more time to fill their roster for Masters Shanghai.

The opening day match will now feature FunPlus Phoenix taking on FUT Esports as the second match on May 24. Team Heretics and Dragon Ranger Gaming will now play in the second slot on May 24. The start times for these two matches will be the same. 

Heretics mental health cause Shanghai Masters delays

On May 14, the Team Heretics Valorant X account announced there would be roster changes for their Masters Shanghai team. Team Heretics states that their player Dominykas “Miniboo” Lukaševičius has been showing signs of burnout, anxiety, and exhaustion. While the team monitored Minoboo to ensure he was in a healthy condition, they worried about whether he was at his best.

“We are aware that the timing is not optimal, but the mental health of our players will always be a priority for us,” said Team Heretics.

Team Heretics says that Miniboo, who is just 18 years old, is also trying to balance his studies along with being an elite esports competitor. The team hopes that he will be able to join them for Stage 2 play.

As a result, Team Heretics has been looking for a player to take the Specialist role. Since they still have not announced their updated roster, Riot has no choice but to push back their match to allow them the time needed to fill its team and finalize travel plans. 

Team Heretics are not the only roster changing players. On May 13, Bleed’s Jacob “yay” Whiteaker announced that he would be stepping back from Valorant due to health reasons. Bleed and yay failed to clinch a spot in Masters Shanghai, coming in last place in the Valorant Champions Tour Pacific.