Log in

Apeks Becomes the First Ascended Team to be Relegated from the VCT

Apeks Becomes the First Ascended Team to be Relegated from the VCT

Kaustavmani Choudhury

Kaustavmani Choudhury

7 Aug, 2025, 13:15

|

Last updated: 7 Aug, 2025, 13:18

Apeks has become the first team to rise from Ascension to fall back out after a single season. Following a year marked by high hopes, hard lessons, and a relentless string of defeats, the Norwegian squad’s rapid relegation signals both the unforgiving nature of top-tier competition and the uncertainties built into Riot Games’ evolving league format.

Apeks’ Challenging Venture into the VCT EMEA League

Apeks made a significant leap in 2024 by winning the EMEA Ascension, securing their place in the VCT EMEA 2025 League. The Norwegian team, featuring promising talents like Erik “penny” Penny and Ava “florescent” Eugene, arrived with high hopes after a strong performance in the Challengers North circuit.

However, their transition to the top level proved tough. Apeks struggled to build team synergy despite several roster changes, including the departure of florescent in April. These setbacks contributed to an unfortunate run of eleven consecutive losses throughout the season. The team’s hopes were dashed on August 6, 2025, following a narrow 1-2 defeat to KOI, confirming their elimination from the top tier after just one season.

Understanding VCT Relegation

Riot Games’ new system requires Ascension teams to meet minimum competitive benchmarks to retain their place for the following season. For Apeks, that meant either qualifying for the Stage 2 playoffs or finishing in the top eight of the Championship Points leaderboard, both objectives that they fell short of.

Mathematically eliminated and with zero points to their name, Apeks became the first VCT Ascension team to be directly relegated, unable even to compete in the next Ascension tournament to reclaim their spot.

This relegation means Apeks will return to the Challengers League for the 2026 season, ending their brief tenure among the VCT’s best. Their experience highlights the pros and cons of Riot’s evolving partnership and promotion-relegation system and acts as a harsh reality check for ambitious Tier 2 teams.

Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe on YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Source: Michal Konkol/Riot Games

Read More:

VALORANT Esports Introduces "Shotcall" to Make Real-Time Predictions During Matches

Latest news

Dplus KIA to be Sold Amid Financial Turbulence

Dplus KIA have announced the organization is in the middle of a sale process as the club has "reached a point where it needs even greater capability and support to grow to the next level." Growing operational costs in esports and recent reports surfacing regarding unpaid wages at Dplus all seem to indicate that the move will be in the best interest of everyone involved, including players and fans of the organization.

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Team Vitality CEO Neo: "For Us to be a Global Leader Means Being a Contender at EWC"

Team Vitality remains one of the most influential and well-known esports organizations to date. The Paris-based org fields over 20 esports teams in various esports, though their immensely impressive results in Counter-Strike take center stage. Being one of the organizations present at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, we managed to speak with Fabien "Neo" Devide, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hive, just after an interview with Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, at the opening press conference at EWC. Neo provided a ton of insight into the organization's participation at this year's edition of EWC in Paris. He expressed his desire for the org to perform to the highest standards, but also highlighted that rivalry is key to grow the ecosystem. Additionally, Neo gave strong opinions on the growth of mobile esports following last year's Vitality's takeover and merger with Indonesian side Bigetron, stressing the need for innovation and following ideas in the east, as much as the west.

Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Declares War on Boosting and Smurfing

Riot Games is done playing nice with rank manipulators. Starting with Patch 13.01, the studio is rolling out sharper detection tools built to catch boosting, win-trading, and stream sniping, and this time the punishments are landing on everyone involved, not just the person paying for the service.

Mike McCabe COO of EWC Foundation: "The Home Is Always Going to Be Riyadh"

The Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC) had its grand launch on July 8, commemorating the official start of the event with an opening press conference at the Hotel de Ville in the heart of Paris. With many speakers kicking off the event, like the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, Ralf Reichert, Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, and others, taking center stage. Following an opening ceremony with multiple speakers, media were given the opportunity to chat with representatives of the Esports World Cup Foundation, game publishers, or even reps of prolific esports organizations such as Team Vitality. We managed to speak with Mike McCabe, the COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.

Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Patch 13.01: Iso and Yoru Buffs, Outlaw Nerf and More

Riot Games has rolled out VALORANT Patch 13.01, and while it's not the biggest update of the year, it brings meaningful quality-of-life buffs, a notable nerf, and a major crackdown on competitive integrity. Here's everything you need to know.

Kaustavmani Choudhury

Riot Games Brings Local Flair to VCT EMEA With Mushkaa Collab

Riot Games has confirmed a fresh collaboration that's about to give one of VALORANT's most iconic anthems a distinctly local twist. Ahead of the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Finals in Barcelona, the publisher has teamed up with rising Spanish artist Mushkaa to remix Villain (Take the Shot), one of the game's biggest musical hits.

100 Thieves Claim First-Ever International VALORANT Title at Esports World Cup

100 Thieves have been crowned champions of the VALORANT Esports World Cup 2026, defeating regional rivals NRG in a tense five-map grand final. The win marks a defining moment for the organization, delivering their first-ever international trophy after years of near-misses and missed qualifications.

Kaustavmani Choudhury

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match