Karmine Corp win VCT EMEA Kickoff: Final placement and recap
Riot GamesThe 2024 Valorant esports season started with kickoff tournaments in all four international leagues with the top two teams from each qualifying for the first international event of the year, Masters Madrid.
Karmine Corp has claimed the trophy for VCT EMEA’s Kickoff tournament, taking down Team Heretics 3-1. Both teams will represent the league at VCT Masters Madrid. The French organization fought through Group A and the Play-In stage to qualify for its first international event since VCT LOCK//IN.
Karmine Corp struggled in the European league in 2023, failing to make Masters, Valorant Challengers and VCT EMEA playoffs. The French organization retooled in the off-season, bringing in Marshall ‘N4RRATE’ Massey and Martin ‘MAGNUM’ Penkov as its highest-profile signings.
The team only dropped one series the entire way to Madrid, defeating Masters Tokyo-winners Fnatic en route to the event.
KCorp will represent EMEA as its No. 1 seed, with Team Heretics going to the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
Hara Amorós / Riot GamesBelow is what happened at the VCT EMEA kickoff tournament including match results and team rosters during the event.
Contents
VCT EMEA Kickogg: Final Standings
| PLACEMENT | TEAM | QUALIFIES TO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karmine Corp | Masters Madrid |
| 2 | Team Heretics | Masters Madrid |
| 3-4 | NAVI Fnatic | – |
| 5 | Team Vitality | – |
| 6 | KOI | – |
| 7-9 | FUT Esports Team Liquid Gentle Mates | – |
| 10-11 | GIANTX BBL Esports | – |
VCT EMEA Kickoff: Stream and VODS
The VCT EMEA Kickoff tournament was streamed on the league’s Twitch and YouTube. We’ve embedded the VOD of the Grand Finals below.
VCT EMEA Kickoff: Schedule
VCT EMEA Kickoff took place on February 20 and ended on March 1 with the Grand Final matchup. The schedule was as follows:
- Group Stage: February 20 – 25
- Play-In Stage: February 26
- Playoffs Stage: February 29 – March 1
VCT EMEA Kickoff: Results
Playoffs: February 29 – March 1
Day 8: February 29
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | Team Heretics 2-0 NAVI | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Semifinals | Fnatic 0-2 Karmine Corp | 11 AM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Day 8: March 1
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Finals | Karmine Corp 3-1 Team Heretics | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
Play-In: February 26
Day 7: February 26
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-ins | Karmine Corp 2-0 Team Vitality | 5 AM | 8 AM | 1 PM |
| Play-ins | KOI 0-2 Team Vitality | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Play-ins | Karmine Corp 2-0 KOI | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Group Stage: February 20-25
Group A
| Placement | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Heretics | 2-0 |
| 2 | Karmine Corp | 2-1 |
| 3 | FUT Esports | 1-2 |
| 4 | GIANTX | 0-2 |
Group B
| Placement | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAVI | 2-0 |
| 2 | Team Liquid | 1-1 |
| 3 | KOI | 1-1 |
| 4 | BBL | 0-2 |
Group C
| Placement | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fnatic | 1-0 |
| 2 | Team Vitality | 2-1 |
| 3 | Gentle Mates | 0-2 |
Day 1: February 20
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A Round 1 | FUT 0-2 Heretics | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Group A Round 1 | GIANTX 1-2 Karmine Corp | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Day 2: February 21
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group B Round 1 | NAVI 2-1 BBL | 5 AM | 8 AM | 1 PM |
| Group B Round 1 | Team Liquid 2-0 KOI | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Group C Round 1 | Vitality 2-0 Gentle Mates | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Day 3: February 22
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A Round 2 | Team Heretics 2-0 Karmine Corp | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Group A Round 2 | FUT Esports 2-1 GIANTX | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Day 4: February 23
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group B Round 2 | NAVI 2-0 Team Liquid | 5 AM | 8 AM | 1 PM |
| Group B Round 2 | BBL Esports 0-2 KOI | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Group C Round 2 | Fnatic 2-0 Team Vitality | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
Day 5: February 25
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Round TBD | Team Vitality 2-1 Gentle Mates | 5 AM | 8 AM | 1 PM |
| Group Round TBD | Karmine Corp 2-1 FUT | 8 AM | 11 AM | 4 PM |
| Group Round TBD | Team Liquid 1-2 KOI | 11 PM | 2 PM | 7 PM |
VCT EMEA Kickoff: Format
All 11 teams were seeded and split into three groups, as one group only featured three teams. The highest-placing team from Valorant Champions 2023, in VCT EMEA’s case Fnatic, will be placed in the group of three with a bye to the second round.
The remaining teams were seeded based on their 2023 performance and drawn into the remaining slots. The group stage featured a double-elimination bracket with best-of-three matches. The top two teams from each group moved on to the next stage.
The second-place teams from each group faced off in a Play-In Stage and played each other once with the team with the best record moving on to the Playoff Stage with the top teams from each group.
The Playoff Stage then crowned two representatives for the league at Masters Madrid through a single elimination bracket.
VCT EMEA Kickoff: Teams
Team rosters are not final as the transfer window is still open, and some teams have yet to announce their full rosters. However, most of these teams have been practicing for months during the off-season and should be locked in for at least this tournament.
This event will also be the first to feature Gentle Mates, who were promoted into the league via the Ascension tournament.
| Team | Players |
| BBL Esports | QutionerX, Brave, Elite, pAura, reazy |
| Fnatic | Boaster, Derke, Alfajer, Leo, Chronicle |
| FUT Esports | qRaxs, MrFaliN, ATA KAPTAN, yetujey, cNed |
| GIANTX | Fit1nho, Cloud, hoody, nukkye, Redgar |
| Karmine Corp | Shin, Magnum, marteen, N4RRATE, tomaszy |
| KOI | koldamenta, Sheydos, trexx, starxo, TBD |
| Team Heretics | Boo, benjyfishy, MiniBoo, RieNs, paTiTek |
| Team Liquid | Jamppi, nAts, Enzo, Keiko, Mistic |
| Team Vitality | ceNder, runneR, Kicks, Sayf, TBD |
| NAVI | ANGE1, SUYGETSU, Shao, Zyppan, ardiis |
| Gentle Mates | TaKaS, nataNk, logaN, beyAz, Wailers |