Despite being undefeated in the VCT EMEA Stage 1 group stage, Fnatic has been eliminated after a devastating playoff loss against Team Heretics. This loss is quite detrimental for Fnatic as this will be the first time that they will not be competing in VALORANT Masters event.
Following this win, Team Heretics are only one match away from securing the third spot for VALORANT Masters London.
In the VCT EMEA Stage 1 group stage, Fnatic went undefeated with a 5-0 record. Thanks to this flawless run, they finished as the first seed of the group and secured a spot in the upper bracket semifinal.
All the team needed to do was win their first match against Team Vitality to qualify for VALORANT Masters London, a tournament taking place in the hometown of their IGL, Jake “Boaster” Howlett.
Fnatic, however, went on to lose that match 2-0. The first map was a one-sided affair while in the second, Fnatic gave away a 9-3 lead. A team known for its mental strength just crumbled when it mattered the most.
In the lower bracket match against Team Heretics, they started strong, winning the first map 13-10. From the second map onwards, it just felt like it wasn’t Fnatic’s night as they lost 13-2 on their map pick, Lotus. Once again, Fnatic built up momentum and reached map point with a 12-9 scoreline.
What happened next was truly shocking, courtesy Enes “RieNs” Ecirli. In round 22, he got an ace clutch, and during round 23, he got a 1v2 clutch, taking the score to 12-11. When the chips were down, he rose up for his team and forced the match into overtime. Here, he secured another clutch and helped Team Heretics win 2-1.
In the post-match interview, Benjamin “benjyfishy” David Fish had this to say about his teammate RieNs:
“I love RieNs so much. He is the greatest VALORANT player in the world. I wish I could have done more on Ascent to help us. Honestly, I messed up during the anti-eco round, which was my bad. But we got RieNs, and I am so happy.”
RieNs and Benjyfishy have been teammates at Team Heretics for nearly three years now. In this time, the duo won the EWC x VALORANT 2025. Before this, the pair had reached the grand final of VALORANT Champions 2024 and Masters Shanghai 2024.
With this loss, fans will next see Fnatic play at the VCT EMEA Stage 2, which will begin in July 2026.
Team Heretics, on the other hand, will continue their lower bracket run against Eternal Fire, with the winner qualifying for VALORANT Masters London and the lower bracket final. The winning team will join the likes of Team Vitality and FUT Esports as the representatives of VCT EMEA in the upcoming VALORANT Masters.
Also read: Global Esports and Full Sense make history by qualifying for VALORANT Masters London
Featured image credit: Riot Games
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