VCT EMEA Kickoff 2024 Grand Finals: Team Heretics vs Karmine Corp Preview and Prediction

In a turn of events, it will not be Fnatic, or NA’VI, or Team Liquid, who will grace the Grand Finals stage of Kickoff. Instead, it will be two newcomers: Team Heretics and Karmine Corp.

Both organizations underwent massive roster shuffles during the off-season. And clearly the changes are delivering providence in the form of twin upsets today.

Few can claim NA’VI did not look like the slight favorites over Heretics. Even fewer can claim Fnatic was not the best team in EMEA in their minds coming into this semifinals.

However, both teams have now fallen. The 2024 VCT EMEA Kickoff Grand Finals will kick off tomorrow night (1/3/2024) at 4.00pm CET.

The two teams are set to take on each other to determine seeding for Masters, however, both teams have already qualified for Masters Madrid.

Without further ado, let us take a look at their journey to reach the Grand Finals stage.

Setting the Stage

Team Heretics. A flawless run from start to finish in Berlin as they ran through the Kickoff tournament. Taking down FUT Esports, Karmine Corp, and NA’VI.

Now, they face a rematch against a former vanquished foe. Can Heretics claim the first domestic title of the year for EMEA?

A newly formed team, only Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius remains from the old roster. In place of the rest, Heretics added two new Turkish talents in the form of Enes “RieNs” Ecirli and Mert “Wo0t” Alkan, former Fortnite legend Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish, as well as younger brother to “Boo” - Dominykas “MiniBoo” Lukaševičius.

What makes their run even more impressive, is the fact that “Wo0t” was in fact too young to compete in VCT EMEA until a day after Madrid began, meaning veteran player Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski had to sub in for the roster.

Moreover, “RieNs” had been unable to secure a visa, meaning he was competing online with the team and not on stage with his teammates. Despite all that, Heretics have snatched one of the two spots to Madrid.

Karmine Corp. From the butt of jokes last year, to one of the most elite EMEA teams this year, their growth has been nothing short of incredible.

Taking down GiantX, Team Vitality, KOI, and Fnatic, Karmine are truly playing at a world-class level at the moment.

After retaining just Ryad “Shin” Ensaad from the old lineup, KC have collected a powerful group of talent, including young French phenom Martin “marteen” Pátek, former Fnatic and Apeks veteran Martin “Magnum” Peňkov, NA Challengers star Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey, as well as Portuguese duelist turned controller Tomás “tomaszy” Machado.

The VCT EMEA Kickoff Grand Finals Match-Up: Preview and Prediction

Both teams earned their spots with spot-on team cohesion. A noticeable trait of both is their immaculate mid-rounding, with good reads on the opponent team’s positioning.

Moreover, both teams have brought on exciting young talents who are capable of delivering high fragging numbers for their respective teams.

It is difficult to call which team can make it out, however, of the two, Heretics has looked more infallible and less prone to mistakes.

They have also shown a willingness to pull out unusual picks on maps, including Neon on Sunset, Yoru on Split, and Phoenix on Breeze, leading to difficult adaptations for the opponents.

75% of Strafe Voters have chosen Karmine Corp as their team of choice. However, that number may be skewed by their fresh obliteration of Fnatic, the choice of many to not only make it to Madrid, but to potentially deliver another win for EMEA.

Follow the 2024 VCT EMEA Kickoff Playoffs on Twitch or YouTube. You can also follow the finals on Strafe.

Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

Read More:

NA’VI crumbles against Team Heretics in VCT EMEA Kickoff Playoffs.

Fnatic has fallen: Karmine Corp Massive Upset to secure Madrid.