Miami Heretics BO7 Season Preview

Miami Heretics Black Ops 7 Season Preview: Sunny Days Ahead

The offseason is officially over, which means the Call of Duty League is finally here. With new franchises, a great competitive game, & new rosters across the League, it is shaping up to be one of the best CDL seasons to date.

The Miami Heretics faced tough decisions during the offseason, but came through with a youthful roster with plenty of potential. While they may have lost José "ReeaL" Castilla, they were able to retain the rest of their team, while adding the first Argentinian player in the CDL, Nicolas "Traixx" Monaco. In this season preview, we’ll dive into Heretic's offseason moves, key players to watch, and what are their expectations compared to the competition within the CDL.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Offseason Recap: New Rook in the Mix

Signings:
+ Nicolás “Traix” Monaco

Departures:
- José “ReeaL” Castilla
- Alejandro "Lucky" López (Retired)
- Gonzalo "Sikotik" Galán (Coach)

Heretics did have an eventful offseason, having a drama-filled saga with the Toronto KOI over the signing of José "ReeaL" Castilla. Miami ended up losing out on that battle, but was able to keep David "RenKoR" Isern away from teams like FaZe Vegas, who were looking to buy him out.

Filling the void on the SMG line is the first LATAM professional player, Nicolás “Traix” Monaco. He has competed in the Challenger circuit since 2019 in LATAM, but has been competing with NA teams since just 2025. In a short time period, he has shown real potential, which makes this a very intriguing move heading into Black Ops 7.

The Miami Heretics roster heading into Black Ops 7:

○ Adrian "MettalZ" Serrano
○ David "RenKoR" Isern
○ Diego "SupeR" Escudero
○ Nicolas "Traixx" Monaco
○ Jorge "MethodZsick" Bancells (Coach)

Offseason Reactions

Ronnie: "After experiencing one of the best seasons a European team has had in a long time, many anticipated a smooth off-season for Miami, with everyone sticking together for another run. However, the formidable KOI stepped in, showcasing their strength and successfully persuading star player Reeal to make the move.

With Heretics aiming to maintain a Spanish-speaking roster, this created a challenging situation for them. I wonder if they should have pursued signing Snoopy from Boston more aggressively, but it seems that was not financially feasible. They ultimately signed Triax, a lesser-known player to most fans of the CDL. However, based on conversations with many fans in the Challengers scene, it's clear he is very talented; there is also concern that this move might be too early for him."

Easy Mac: “Miami had a shockingly drama-filled offseason this year. After signing two standout star rookies in SupeR & RenKorR for Black Ops 6, I would have expected the offseason to be smoother and to have a successful setup for the follow-up campaign. Instead, after a turbulent week, ReeaL departed to sign with the Toronto KOI, leaving Heretics with just two players.

The team was able to pivot, though, re-signing MettalZ to pair with the new incoming rookie Traixx. The offseason can’t be fully judged until after Traixx is in the US and the team has fully practiced. While it wasn’t the best offseason for Heretics fans, they still have both of their top players from last year & will see if they can build off that success in Black Ops 7.”

Season Expectations

Ronnie: "To be completely honest, I believe this team could finish anywhere from 5th to 10th place. If Renkor can maintain the level of performance he displayed last season, which caught the attention of Vegas Faze to the extent that they attempted to sign him, then Heretics can be expected to remain a solid team. However, there is definitely a risk that this roster could slide down the rankings this season compared to the consistency they showed last year.

Overall, this roster seems more like a dark horse to make it to Sunday than a genuine threat as they were last year."

Season Predictions
Best Placement: 6th
Team MVP: RenKoR
Final Regular Season Seed: 6th
Will they qualify for Champs: Yes

Easy Mac: “This team is getting increasingly harder to predict this season. With Minnesota, Paris, and Toronto all looking very good in the Kickoff tournaments, it’s starting to make the top half of the League impossible to predict. I would expect them to still compete for Top 4s at every tournament, but I’m also not sure how to compare their SMG line to other top teams.

They will still be firmly in the Champs picture, but I think they have entered Dark Horse territory instead of being a Top 4 team as it currently stands."

Season Predictions
Best Placement: 3rd
Team MVP: RenKoR
Final Regular Season Seed: 5th
Will they qualify for Champs: Yes

📸 Photo by @p3ngu7n

Players to Watch in Black Ops 6

Ronnie: Diego "SupeR" Escudero

"Super enters this season in a unique position. While he is highly rated by most fans, many professional players question his performance during respawns and whether he truly contributes to his team's success in certain situations. However, one thing that cannot be disputed is his elite skill level in Search and Destroy (S&D). Since joining the CDL, he has consistently demonstrated that he is one of the best players in this game mode. With Reeal's departure, even more pressure will be placed on him this season. It’s now up to him and Renkor to lead Miami to the top."

Easy Mac: Nicolas "Traixx" Monaco

“The rookie will be under pressure to perform pretty quickly in this lineup. Super & RenKoR both had great seasons last year, which gives them plenty of leeway this year. MettalZ is more of a known quantity, being the veteran on the team and competing for so many years. This leaves Traixx, the unknown quantity, as the player who will be looked at.

Many of the top teams have dominant, superstar SMG duos, so it will be tough matchups day in and out against them. But through the trial of fire, Traixx could make it three for three for an excellent rookie signing for Miami if he comes out on top."

Stage 1 Matches

Qualifier Match 1: December 6th vs Toronto KOI
Qualifier Match 2: December 13th vs OpTic Texas
Qualifier Match 3: December 14th vs Cloud9 New York
Qualifier Match 4: January 9th vs Carolina Royal Ravens
Qualifier Match 5: January 16th vs Vancouver Surge
Qualifier Match 6: January 17th vs Boston Breach
Qualifier Match 7: January 25th vs Paris Gentle Maties

Check out the full schedule here for the Major I Qualifiers!