Team Liquid and Team Heretics – two top teams from the previous year – find themselves in a do-or-die elimination match in VCT Kickoff EMEA 2026. In this match, two former teammates that know each other very well will have to try eliminating each other from the event. If you’re betting on Team Heretics vs Team Liquid today, you’re going to want to read this.
This matchup between Team Liquid and Team Heretics isn’t just your typical elimination match. It’s going to be the first time Team Liquid’s Dominykas “MiniBoo” Lukaševičius will play against his older brother, Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius, on the VCT stage.
The two brothers previously played together on Team Heretics, but the team ultimately decided to bench the little brother. MiniBoo then landed a spot on Team Liquid shortly after.
Team Liquid had a rough start to the year, particularly due to issues outside the server. Their newest recruit, Wayne “wayne” Chang, who comes from Singapore, didn’t have enough time to relocate to Europe and practice with the team. As a result, Liquid played their opening VCT match without him, which ultimately resulted in a loss against Team Vitality.
Image: Riot Games
Since then, wayne has successfully joined the roster, meaning Team Liquid have been competing in full force. Liquid have been able to stabilize, showing signs of improvement. However, their results haven’t looked the greatest.
Liquid dropped a map to ULF Esports – arguably the weakest team at the event – and only barely survived their previous elimination match against GIANTX, where they narrowly won the decider map in overtime to stay alive.
Overall, Team Liquid still looks extremely shaky.
Team Heretics only made one roster change coming into the season, but they have looked far below the level they showed last year. They found themselves in the Lower Bracket of the tournament much earlier than they anticipated.
Image: Riot Games
Since falling down, Heretics have begun to find their footing. They picked up a solid win against Karmine Corp, then proceeded to dominate NAVI – a team that was on the rise – with convincing 13-4 and 13-5 map wins.
If Heretics can maintain the form they showed in their match against NAVI, they could once again become a serious threat in the region.
Last year, Team Liquid and Team Heretics were consistently top four teams in the region, so it’s surprising to see both of them facing elimination relatively early into the event. It’s no secret that neither side has looked fully convincing so far.
We initially had serious doubts about Heretics, but their dominant performance against NAVI changed our minds. They looked like they solved many of their issues and played like a completely new team. On the other hand, Team Liquid have shown gradual improvement, but their limited practice time with wayne and razor-thin margins in their recent games leave us with plenty of doubt.
Team Liquid does have a slight veto advantage, however.
In terms of recent form, we would favor Team Heretics, but Team Liquid’s veto advantage helps balance the scales. This matchup is incredibly hard to call, but we lean slightly toward Heretics, giving them a 55% chance of winning.
Our prediction:
Odds courtesy of GG.Bet Esports
Add Jaxon.gg as a Preferred Source on Google to get more esports betting insights.
Featured image: Riot
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
