FUT Esports, Team Liquid, Karmine Corp... VCT EMEA Stage 1 Tops & Flops

The VCT EMEA Stage 1 came to a close this Sunday with Team Heretics’ 3–2 victory over Team Vitality, securing the organization’s first-ever VCT title. After seven intense weeks of competition, the tournament delivered its fair share of surprises, both positive and negative, depending on the expectations fans and analysts had placed on the teams and players involved. Before turning the page and moving on to the next events of the season, Sheep Esports looks back at the major successes and disappointments of this first stage of the year.

Unsurprisingly, the Stage champions stand among the biggest success stories of the competition. Despite the organization’s reputation, few expected Team Heretics to go all the way following a disappointing Kickoff campaign and an 0–2 start in the group stage. The Spanish organization made the bold decision to part ways with its sole offseason signing, Berkcan “ComeBack” Şentürk, replacing him with Martynas “Koshmaras” Namikas. The move proved highly successful, allowing the team to rediscover its identity and playstyle before ultimately capturing its first VCT title after losing five previous finals.

After finishing last at Kickoff, expectations surrounding FUT Esports were relatively modest, yet the Turkish side defied predictions by finishing third and securing qualification for Masters London. The arrivals of Volkan “sociablEE” Yönal and Efe “s0pp” Tur, alongside Berke “Vlad” Kantürk as Head Coach, completely revitalized the team, which gained far greater structure and discipline while still maintaining the individual flair that defines its roster. The Turkish organization will now compete at its first international event since VALORANT Champions 2024.

It was arguably even harder to envision Eternal Fire near the top of the standings after the majority of ULF Esports’ roster transitioned into a new organization following Riot Games’ decision to remove the previous structure from VCT EMEA. Nevertheless, the Turkish side arrived far better prepared than it had been during Kickoff. A major factor behind this improvement was the addition of rookie player Ömür Serkan “echo” Şenol, who impressed from his very first matches. With renewed confidence spreading throughout the roster, Eternal Fire ultimately secured a fourth-place finish, falling narrowly short against Team Heretics and just missing out on qualification for Masters London.

Following a top-three finish at Kickoff and a first qualification for Masters Santiago, Team Liquid entered Stage 1 with expectations of continued progression and status as one of the favorites to win the tournament. The team largely lived up to that billing during the Group Stage, finishing with four victories and only one defeat, before collapsing in the playoffs. Initially defeated by Team Vitality and then eliminated by Gentle Mates, TL suffered an unexpectedly early exit and may ultimately have paid the price for an underwhelming week of performances or a series of strategic mistakes that proved costly.

EMEA’s first seed at the most recent Masters Santiago appears to have lost much of its momentum since Kickoff. BBL seem to be among the teams most negatively affected by the meta changes and no longer display the same explosiveness that characterized their earlier performances. With only two victories during the Group Stage, the Turkish squad entered the playoffs directly through the lower bracket, where its run ended immediately with a defeat against Team Heretics. At present, BBL still possesses enough circuit points to remain in contention for qualification to Champions Shanghai, but the team will need to show a dramatically improved level during Stage 2 if it hopes to keep its competitors at bay.

After a disappointing Kickoff, Karmine Corp aimed to rebound by bringing back Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey following his departure from Sentinels earlier in the year. Despite the undeniable individual talent present within the lineup, the roster has failed to truly come together, culminating in yet another major disappointment. KC failed to secure a single victory during the group stage and now finds itself among the final five teams worldwide still without any Champions qualification points. The remainder of the season, now set to continue without Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov, will need to unfold at an entirely different level if the organization hopes to revive its ambitions of reaching Champions.