Team Heretics have signed Fabian 'Febiven' Diepstraten as a positional coach for their LEC roster. The former Fnatic and Misfits midlaner moves into a staff role after a notable playing career and a recent spell in coaching.

Febiven's background

Febiven enjoyed a strong run as a pro. He won an EU LCS title with Fnatic and produced one of the more memorable solo plays of recent years when he solo killed Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok at MSI 2025. After stepping away from full-time play he started coaching, helping NORD Esports in the NLC last year.

What he will do at Heretics

Role: Febiven joins as a positional coach for the LEC team. Expect him to focus on midlane prep, matchup work, and individual development.

Primary focus: Helping Tolga 'Serin' Ölmez, a rookie who impressed in his LEC debut split with Versus. Febiven's experience should accelerate Serin's learning curve.

Other coaching moves in the league

  • Nubar 'Maxlore' Sarafian, once Febiven's teammate at Misfits, has taken a positional coach role at GIANTX.
  • Barney 'Alphari' Morris joined Movistar KOI as an assistant coach with an emphasis on the laning phase.
  • Fnatic recently added Andrei 'Odoamne' Pascu to expand their LEC coaching staff to three members.

Team Heretics roster updates

Heretics had a respectable start to the year, qualifying for the LEC Versus Playoffs, but they were knocked out after failing to secure a win in the playoff stage.

They are the only LEC team to make a roster swap ahead of the Spring Split. The organisation signed Korean support Han 'Way' Gil in a straight player swap, sending Paul 'Stend' Lardin to MISA Esports.

Changes at Team Heretics Academy

Korean toplaner Baek 'Mihile' Sang-hwi has stepped away from competition due to ongoing physical issues that began earlier in the season. Heretics wished him a full recovery and thanked him for his contributions.

To fill the gap, the academy signed Antero 'Papiteero' Baldaia from Team Phantasma, the side that finished second in Greece's Hellenic Legends League.

Team Heretics Academy exited EMEA Masters Winter earlier this week after a loss to MISA Esports, a match that featured their former support Stend on the opposing side.

Final thoughts

Febiven's move is another example of experienced players shifting into coaching roles across the LEC. Heretics have made multiple adjustments to both their main and academy rosters, aiming to refine their lineup ahead of Spring. Whether these changes make them a dark horse for the split will depend on how quickly the new pieces gel.

Share your predictions with the community if you want to debate who will surprise this split.