LoL - EMEA Masters: KCB and IJC set for the first semifinal, while Team Phantasma will face Los Ratones in the second

The EMEA Masters quarterfinals have concluded, and while most matchups followed expectations, Team Phantasma’s (TP) 3-2 victory over Los Heretics (LH) stands out as a major upset. The tournament favorites fell to the Greek champions and exited earlier than anticipated. TP will now face Los Ratones (LR) in the semifinals after their own hard-fought 3-2 win over Papara SuperMassive (SUP). On the other side of the bracket, Karmine Corp Blue (KCB) advanced by eliminating ZenniT (ZNT) and will go up against Ici Japon Corp Esport (IJC), who knocked out Arabian League champions Geekay (GK).

A quick criticism of the format before diving into the games—the decision to have all four BO5s start at the same time was frustrating for viewers. Being forced to watch only one live is unfortunate, and the broadcasts can’t cover everything, meaning they have to prioritize based on viewership. As a result, some matches received far less media attention than they deserved.

The Belgian champions became the first Benelux team to ever reach the EMEA Masters Playoffs, but they faced the most decorated team in the competition’s history—the four-time champions, Karmine Corp Blue—and the challenge proved too steep. ZNT did manage to take a game off the Blue Wall, thanks in large part to Martin "Marty" Dimitrov’s standout performance on Ahri, finishing 8/0/13. However, it wasn’t enough, as KCB powered through to the semifinals, where they will face IJC in a rematch of the LFL final that Karmine previously won.

Team Phantasma's performance is a true testament to resilience and perseverance, securing at least a Top 3-4 finish. Despite trailing 2-1 with momentum seemingly in favor of the Spanish squad, the Greek team fought back to claim the final two games, including a nearly 50-minute decider. Nikola "Axelent" Petrusev once again proved he can compete with the best AD carries in Tier 2, while Stéphane "Manaty" Dimier showcased his deep champion pool—locking in an unkillable Mundo in Game 4 and pulling out solo queue picks like Darius in Game 1. TP now advance to the semifinals, where they'll face Los Ratones, aiming to cause yet another upset and book their spot in the EMEA Masters final.

The first competitive split of LR is already a success. After their final victory in the NLC against NORD Esports, the Rats continued their journey in the EMEA Masters, eliminating the TCL champions with a 3-2 victory, and doing so impressively. The draft phases of Ratones are always interesting to follow; Simon "Baus" Hofverberg played Garen in game 1 (a heavy defeat), Kayn in game 4, and Cho'Gath in the final game. Veljko "Velja" Čamdžić is quite aggressive, and his performance on Nidalee in game 4 showed that LR can play very well with a highly aggressive jungler. His Kindred game was also excellent, finishing 10/1/5. Los Ratones are the favorites in the semifinals against TP, but they will still need to be cautious given what the Greeks did against LH.

The LFL has sent two teams to the EMEA Masters, and with IJC's victory over Geekay, both are still in the running and will play for a spot in the final. Nothing new under the sun for the French seed 2, as Lee "Hans SamD" Jae-hoon continues to prove he's LEC-tier, Theo "Theocacs" Sauda is playing his second EMEA Masters at just 17 years old and is already in the semifinals, and Daniel "Sertuss" Gamani remains a reliable asset for his team. The performance is even more impressive given that just 7 months ago, the structure was in LFL Division 2, making a meteoric rise to the EMEA semifinals. The Arabian League champions were eliminated in the quarterfinals after beating Barça eSports twice and losing to Sup and IJC.

The semifinal format will be much more enjoyable to follow. Karmine Corp Blue will play against Ici Japon Corp today at 5 PM CET, while Los Ratones and Team Phantasma will face off on Saturday, March 22, at 5 PM CET as well. The final will be played on Sunday, March 23, at the same time.