VCL guarantees a VCT EMEA playoff spot as Enterprise and Fire Flux set for showdown

The four VCL teams are not in VCT EMEA Play-Ins just to make up the numbers, and the first week of competition has proven it. After the opening matches, Enterprise Esports and Fire Flux Esports remain undefeated with two wins each. One of these two VCL teams is guaranteed to reach the VCT playoffs, as they will face each other this Saturday in an Upper Bracket Round 3 qualification match.

With the Play-Ins getting underway this week, Eintracht Frankfurt Esports are the only Tier 2 team yet to defeat a VCT opponent. The other three have all secured at least one win, with Joblife notably taking down Natus Vincere. However, it is the two finalists of VCL Challengers EMEA Stage 3 who have impressed the most throughout the opening weekend.

The Fire Flux Esports roster, previously known as REBORN, has already confirmed its credentials in the opening Play-In matches. Facing PCIFIC Esports, who have yet to win a single match in VCT this season, the Turkish side secured a convincing 2-0 victory. At just 17 years old, Samet "Kachoww" Arıcı became the youngest player to record an Ace in Europe's top league, although his record would only stand for a few days.

The following day, the team confirmed its form against Team Heretics. Despite dropping the opening map, Fire Flux put on a dominant display on the second (13-2) to level the series before comfortably closing it out on the final map, with Mehmet Batu "batujnax" Özaslan playing a key role in their victory.

The most highly anticipated Tier 2 team entering the competition after an impressive season, Enterprise Esports were immediately faced with a daunting challenge against Fnatic. While the multiple-time European champions were not at their best, they still made a strong start by handing EP a 13-3 defeat on the opening map. The Czech side subsequently fought their way back into the series, led in particular by Denis-Stefan "kozzy" Aionitoaei's outstanding debut in the league.

Just 16 years old, the Romanian player further underlined his potential on Sunday against Gentle Mates, becoming, only days after Kachoww, the youngest player to record an Ace in the competition. Enterprise were in complete control throughout the series, comfortably securing a 2-0 victory over a Gentle Mates side whose recent roster change has yet to produce the results they were hoping for.

Enterprise Esports and Fire Flux Esports will therefore face each other this Saturday, with the winner securing a place in the VCT EMEA playoffs, where they will face either Team Vitality or Team Liquid. The two teams have already met three times in the VCL this season. Under their former REBORN name, the Turkish players won their first encounter in Stage 2 before Enterprise defeated them twice in Stage 3. Their most recent meeting ended in a dominant 3-0 victory for the Czech side in the competition's grand final.