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Six finals, zero trophies. Team Heretics just rewrote that record with a 3-2 Grand Final win over Vitality: full bracket, all map scores, and what this means for Masters London.
Team Heretics are VCT EMEA Stage 1 champions. After six lost regional finals, they finally broke the curse on May 17, beating Team Vitality 3-2 in a brutal five-map Grand Final. Here's the full story from brackets to confetti.
This article covers everything: group stage recap, team profiles, the full playoff bracket results (May 7-17), and what each finish means for Masters London.
The EMEA Stage 1 group stage ran eight teams across two groups, with the top four from each advancing. Four teams got sent home early.
Group Alpha:
Group Omega:
Eliminated before playoffs: Natus Vincere, Karmine Corp, GIANTX, and PCIFIC Esports. That Karmine Corp situation after a winless stage deserves its own article, honestly 😬.
FNATIC was the dominant force of the group stage, going a perfect 5-0 in Group Omega. FUT Esports matched them in consistency, dropping only one map in Alpha. These two earned the coveted playoff byes.
Heretics finished 3-2 in Group Alpha, with their most important result coming on the last day. They defeated FUT Esports 2-0 to lock in their playoff spot, which was a big confidence boost heading into the bracket.
Their style is structured and map-control heavy. They read setups well and play slow when they need to, but can flip the switch into aggressive plays. Awkward opponents for anyone in the bracket.
Vitality's group stage run was uneven, but when they needed to perform, they showed up loud. Their final qualifying win against PCIFIC was borderline embarrassing for the opposition: 13-5, 13-3. Two maps, zero mercy 💀.
They bring a two-style approach: slow utility-heavy rounds on defense, then chaotic aggressive takes on attack. It's the kind of game plan that can either dismantle you or collapse under pressure.
No team in EMEA right now looks as polished as FNATIC. A clean 5-0 group stage is a statement. They earned their bye and only needed one win in the upper bracket to punch their ticket to London.
FUT matched FNATIC's consistency without the same buzz around them. They're compact, disciplined, and play a clean style that doesn't give opponents easy reads. Don't sleep on them 👀.
Eternal Fire finished second in Group Omega and entered the upper bracket as a dangerous opponent. Their aggressive playstyle can be electric, but also fragile. They drew Team Heretics in the first round, which set up one of the most interesting series of the week.
Liquid had a quietly strong group stage, going 4-1 and landing in a good bracket position. They looked more cohesive recently and faced Vitality in a match that swung quickly.
Team Liquid - VCT 2026 Roster
The playoffs ran as a double-elimination format, meaning every team got at least two chances. FUT Esports and FNATIC received first-round byes and needed just one win to qualify for VCT Masters London.
Upper Bracket, Round 1 (May 7-8):
Upper Bracket Semifinals:
Upper Final (May 15):
Lower Bracket Round 2 (May 11):
Lower Bracket Final (May 15):
Grand Final (May 17):
Teams that lost in the upper bracket dropped to the lower bracket. The lower bracket is where it got brutal: every loss was elimination.
For the full EMEA qualifications picture, check who qualified for the EMEA playoffs, our VCT EMEA Stage 1 Week 4 recap, and the FUT and FNATIC qualification article from earlier in the stage.
Five days of playoffs, one historic champion. Here's how it unfolded from first round to Grand Final.
Eternal Fire and Team Vitality both kicked off the playoffs with wins on day one, setting up a strong start for both squads. Vitality in particular looked sharp, confirming their status as one of the bracket's top contenders.
FUT Esports and Team Vitality punched their tickets to Masters London on day two, earning their spots at the global event. Two EMEA spots confirmed, with at least one more up for grabs.
Check out the full list of VCT Masters London 2026 qualifiers to see the current international field.
The biggest results of the playoffs came on day three. Team Heretics eliminated BBL Esports, and Gentle Mates pulled off the upset of the tournament by knocking out Team Liquid. Liquid, considered one of the safer bets to reach London, are done.
Six teams remaining: FUT Esports, Team Vitality, FNATIC, Eternal Fire, Team Heretics, Gentle Mates
Eliminated: BBL Esports, Team Liquid
May 11 delivered the biggest shock of the playoffs: FNATIC, the group stage's 5-0 dominant force, was eliminated. Heretics dismantled them across three maps, including a clutch overtime win on Ascent. RieNs was the standout performer, posting a 57/37/16 KDA across the series.
Heretics vs FNATIC (2-1):
FNATIC's elimination marked their first miss of two consecutive international VCT events. Meanwhile, Eternal Fire took care of business against Gentle Mates with a clean sweep to advance.
Eternal Fire vs Gentle Mates (2-0):
Eternal Fire's nekky led the Lotus map with 25 kills and a 1.40 rating. No drama, no map 3.
Four teams remaining:
Eliminated: BBL Esports, Team Liquid, FNATIC, Gentle Mates
The semi-finals played out exactly as the bracket demanded. Vitality dispatched FUT Esports in the Upper Final to claim the top seed heading into the Grand Final. On the other side of the bracket, Heretics ran through Eternal Fire in the Lower Bracket Final, ending EMEA's Turkish hopeful and booking a Grand Final ticket the hard way.
Three EMEA London spots locked in: FUT, Vitality, and the Grand Final winner (Heretics or the Vitality rematch). Eternal Fire's run ends here.
Six finals, zero trophies. That was Heretics' record coming into May 17. It almost became seven.
Vitality won Breeze to open the series and Pearl to go up 2-1. Heretics were on the ropes. What followed was a 45-minute comeback story: back-to-back wins on Split and Haven to take it 3-2 and claim EMEA's first VCT title for the franchise.
Heretics vs Vitality (3-2):
Key performances:
Haven was the story map. Tied 13-13, Fish clutched a 1v2 to give Heretics match point, and they closed it out on the very next round. Six years of heartbreak ended with a single clutch 💥.
This is the kind of grind that resonates beyond esports. The same resilience it takes to claw back from Platinum to Diamond on a ladder is what Heretics showed across five maps. Want to put your own clutch instincts to the test? Valorant ladders on Amber.gg are live.
EMEA sends three teams to Masters London. The final standings:
Finishing first in EMEA carries real weight at Masters London: Heretics won't have to play the group stage grind that could expose them early. Vitality and FUT will need to navigate the Swiss format before they can reach the knockout rounds.
For the full picture on which teams from every region are heading to London, check our VCT Masters London 2026 qualifiers tracker.
All three finalists qualify for VCT Masters London (June 6-21, Copper Box Arena, London). The prize pool sits at $1,000,000 USD.
Masters London is shaping up to be the most stacked international event of the year. China already sent XLG and EDward Gaming, two teams that looked terrifying through their own regional stage. The Americas bracket is still ongoing, with teams like LOUD and Cloud9 battling for slots.
EMEA will send its top three finishers to London. With Heretics arriving as regional champions with a direct bracket bye, the EMEA contingent is going in confident.
The competitive meta in EMEA converged on a clear set of picks across these playoffs. Here's what defined the series:
Duelist slots: Jett was the carry agent of the playoffs, with Wo0t's performance on Haven the defining proof. Neon remains an option on faster maps, but Jett's versatility won out in the finals.
Controller: Clove's flex kit showed up repeatedly in clutch rounds. Teams running Clove properly look almost impossible to isolate, and Heretics used that to their advantage in overtime situations.
Initiator: Sova remains king in EMEA. His information gathering and Shock Dart pressure are mandatory on maps like Breeze and Split.
Sentinel: Chamber and Cypher both appeared depending on the map. Chamber's Rendezvous gives teams a safety valve that punishes aggressive pushes, and it came up big in the series' decisive moments.
Heretics are EMEA champions. After six regional finals without a trophy, they finally broke through in one of the most dramatic Grand Finals the region has seen: down 1-2, clutching their way through Split and Haven to win 3-2.
Wo0t's Jett performances and Benjamin Fish's 1v2 on Haven will be the clips people replay all week. Chronicle played an excellent Breeze for Vitality, but that map was the only one they fully controlled. Heretics wanted this more when it mattered.
Vitality and FUT both go to London via the Swiss stage. Heretics go straight to the bracket. The EMEA story at Masters London starts here.
Compete in Valorant ladders on Amber.gg while the pros prep for London.
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