The VCT EMEA teams largely faced a humbling week of play last week as Tier 2 teams took to the Riot Games Berlin Studio with fire in their hearts and a point to prove against Tier 1 opposition.
The results have called into question the level of the existing partner teams as Valorant prepares for a total revamp of its circuit in 2027, which will open up the circuit and remove guaranteed qualification for partnered teams.
VCT EMEA teams struggle as Challengers come alive in Berlin
Out of the total matchups between VCT and Challenger teams, Challenger teams won five of the seven total series where VCT teams faced Challengers opposition.
That left VCT with only two wins against Challengers teams, a harrowing and humbling outcome for NAVI, PCIFIC, Fnatic, Heretics, and Gentle Mates.
After GIANTX survived a scare against Eintracht Frankfurt to win the series 2-1, NAVI were the first team to fall to Challengers opposition, reverse swept by Joblife.
Joblife’s Emil ‘runneR’ Trajkovski would go on to be one of the week’s highest-rated players, averaging a 1.32 rating against NAVI and Eternal Fire.
NAVI were far from the last to struggle against Challenger opposition, as Fire Flux dismantled fellow Turkish org PCIFIC to add to their 0-5 VCT Stage 2 groups woes. Fire Flux blew PCIFIC out of the water, with a 13-5, 13-6 hammering to progress to Upper Round 2.
Joining them there next was Enterprise, who piled on the pain and pressure onto the struggling Fnatic roster, going through a historic time of struggle.
But Fire Flux and Enterprise were not done, taking upset wins against Heretics and Gentle Mates to make Upper Bracket Round 3.
The week’s results guaranteed that one of Fire Flux or Enterprise would make the VCT EMEA Stage 2 playoffs, facing either Vitality or Liquid in the Upper-Bracket first round of playoffs.
Results raise questions for VCT EMEA rosters
The series of losses was more than worrying for the established VCT rosters, but represents a huge threat to each VCT org moving into the ‘Open Era’ of Valorant in 2027.
Partnered teams for 2027 onwards are yet to be confirmed, but will be a smaller cohort overall. Additionally, partnered teams will no longer have the same level of privilege in the circuit as now.
Partnered teams are still set to benefit from playing fewer qualification rounds than other teams, but will still have to qualify for tournaments they contest from 2027 onwards.
With nothing guaranteed, the lower-skilled VCT partnered teams need to rely on their skill to consistently overcome the top Tier 2 opposition and qualify for VCT Cups and Global events, but have severely faltered in that regard in the final domestic split before the 2027 changes.
The results bring into question the ability of the orgs and the rosters they field to stay relevant when the circuit opens up, with some commentators pointing to shambolic roster management and coaching changes harming the level of the lower-ranked VCT teams.
As Enterprise’s Martin ‘MAGNUM’ Penkov said on broadcast after their victory against Gentle Mates, “Some teams sh*t their pants but they change their shirt.” The stability, or lack thereof, in Tier 1 is coming home to roost for VCT teams, but they don’t have long to fix it.
While VCT teams may look forward to the 2027 changes with apprehension, the Tier 2 rosters and beyond will no longer be held back behind a gated community, but all their potential and ability will be unleashed against languishing rosters.
Valorant is ready for an open circuit, but the Tier 1 EMEA teams are seemingly not.
Can the Challengers rosters cause a few more upsets in the Play-Ins? Let us know what you think on the Insider Gaming Discord
For other news, see the Esports Nations Cup Valorant rosters and sign up to the Insider Gaming newsletter
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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