The VCT EMEA Stage 2 playoffs have wrapped up play in Berlin, finalizing the field of top-four teams that will head to Barcelona and, eventually, Champions Shanghai. Team Liquid Team Liquid Europe Rank #8 purp0 Semyon Borchev nAts Ayaz Akhmetshin kamo Kamil Frąckowiak trexx Nikita Cherednichenko Kicks Kimmie Laasner downed Enterprise Esports Enterprise Esports Europe Rank #2 MAGNUM Martin Penkov iluri Ilari Puranen Lime Jacob Foster paTiTek Patryk Fabrowski kozzy Denis Stefan Aionitoaei , first by stealing the Tier 2 team's map pick dominantly and then pulling off a stellar comeback to send EP home. The second match of the saw Fire Flux Esports Fire Flux Esports Europe Rank #1 batujnax Mehmet Batu Özaslan hezacoil Berkay Doğar Kachoww Samet Arıcı DeadInk Utku Onur Aydin reazy Kaan Ürpek and BBL Esports BBL Esports Europe Rank #7 Crewen Ali Eren Sargin Lar0k Yusuf Kaan Kanber Loita Utku Kart Rosé Eren Erzan lovers rock Umut Pekdoğan put on one of the most energetic matches of the entire split, ending with the former Challengers squad winning 2-0 to remain as the last Tier 2 team alive in EMEA.

Here's a closer look at how both matches played out:

Liquid derails the Enterprise hype train

A compelling matchup between one of EMEA's gatekeepers and one of the region's hottest Challengers teams was one for the ages. Enterprise carried a 6-1 record against VCT teams this year, with none of them succeeding at pulling off a clean sweep against them. Liquid became that first team, first stealing EP's pick of Lotus with relative ease before pulling off a 10-4 comeback in overtime to send Enterprise packing.

EP has played Lotus in every single match during this short VCT stint. The results have been mixed, with several highs and lows experienced. A blowout loss to FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #16 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Cloud Kirill Nehozhin Alfajer Emir Ali Beder , big wins over Gentle Mates Gentle Mates Europe Rank #12 Proxh Yusuf Emre Tunc starxo Patryk Kopczynski marteen Martin Pátek H1ber Joona Parviainen Minny Patrik Hušek and Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #4 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen PROFEK Dawid Święć Derke Nikita Niko Sirmitev Chronicle Timofey Khromov Sayonara Ștefan Mîtcu , a tight win over Fire Flux Esports Fire Flux Esports Europe Rank #1 batujnax Mehmet Batu Özaslan hezacoil Berkay Doğar Kachoww Samet Arıcı DeadInk Utku Onur Aydin reazy Kaan Ürpek , and a blowout loss to Karmine Corp Karmine Corp Europe Rank #6 dos9 Zhumagali Dastan LewN Burak Alkan Avez Hazem Khaled SUYGETSU Dmitry Ilyushin N4RRATE Marshall Massey have been the team's record on the map since the beginning of the Play-Ins. The team has used the same comp in each appearance, featuring a Raze-Neon Duelist pairing with Vyse, Skye, and Omen.

Many words can be used to describe nAts and Liquid as a whole, but on Lotus, the best term may have been "brick wall". TL seemed to have the answer for every move EP made on its attacker side, with kamo going nuclear for 19 kills in the first half.

After losing the pistol to open the second half, Liquid utilized a double-Guardian force buy, which caught EP off guard enough to convert an eco round of sorts. That disruption in the EP economy was enough to close out the map soon after at 13-4, thanks in no small part to kamo's map-high 23 kills.

Liquid's pick of Abyss promised some surprise. It was the team's first time playing the map since it was reintroduced to the map pool, while Enterprise had just picked it and defeated KC on it a day before. While EP rolled out the same double-Controller, double-Duelist comp with Astra-Harbor and Jett-Phoenix, Liquid rolled out a comp that looked 18 months outdated. A double-Initiator look with Tejo and Sova, with Omen, Vyse, and Sova, was the sixth-unique comp that Liquid was set to use on the map.

EP again started hot, winning through its bonus round to force an early timeout from Liquid head coach LohaN . For most of the half, Liquid seemed outdone by EP's double-Controller comp, but still managed four rounds switching on over to attack. EP won its fourth pistol through two maps to start the second half, and while MAGNUM caused headaches in the anti-eco and the would-be bonus round, Liquid clawed back round by round.

Liquid's attack-side approach may have reminded longtime Pacific fans of Team Secret Team Secret Asia-Pacific Rank #44 kellyS Kelly Sedillo natz Jonathan Adiputra STYRON Tidus Goh Zeus Jhian Vega Sylvan Go Young-sup (고영섭) 's Haven A spam against KIWOOM DRX KIWOOM DRX Korea Rank #5 MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) free1ng No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) Flicker Kim Tae-hee (김태희) BeYN Kang Ha-bin (강하빈) , prioritizing attacks on the A site. The approach worked for a short run, earning Liquid five straight rounds at one point before EP hit map point. With backs against the wall down 12-10, Liquid fought back to force overtime with, you guessed it, a well-executed A hit. To start OT, heroics from Liquid's B site anchors won a crucial defense round. The broken record trend continued on Liquid's attack, as it feigned an A hit while nAts was sat bottom mid with an Outlaw. As nAts does, he ended up getting two with the long-range sniper, opening the door for a rotation to the B site in a four-on-one scenario.

Overtime? nAts? Outlaw? Mid? You know how this ends.

Liquid punches its tickets to Barcelona with the win, while also now guaranteeing a Championship Points haul of at least four points. While Shanghai-bound tickets aren't punched yet, Liquid puts itself in prime position with the win. Enterprise, after putting VCT EMEA on high alert with wins over some of the region's strongest outfits, goes home ranked 5th-6th and with $10,000 in prize money.

Fire Flux speeds past BBL in action-packed 2-0 victory

In an all-Turkish derby, BBL and Fire Flux went head to head in a match that promised excitement for fans of double-Duelist play. FF will have felt good leaving the veto. An Abyss pick was followed by BBL picking Summit, a map that BBL had only played once since its release and a map that FF has looked solid on.

Fire Flux looked strong to start on Abyss, seizing a 6-2 lead to start, but slipped up, letting BBL into the game and entering halftime tied at six apiece. After losing the second-half pistol to some heroic BBL shots, more of the same happened. FF went on a run, but again seemed to lose control, allowing BBL to claw its way back in. With the score tied at 11-11, chaos ensued, with a body-blocked Dimensional Drift ultimately playing a pivotal part in a failed BBL retake that opened the door for FF to find map point, which was converted at 13-11. Kachoww's map-high 25 kills were crucial for FF, who had the upper hand this time in the battle of the Yoru-Waylay 'mosquito' comps.

Last time out on Summit, BBL played what could be called a default BBL comp, with the mosquito Duelist pair, Omen, Cypher, and Sova. In two matches, FF had used an Omen-Viper comp with Chamber, Fade, and Neon. A comp change saw FF adopt BBL's comp, a change that its Turkish counterparts may not have expected.

Summit was a map of clips. Highlights left and right. A Kachoww ace here, a DeadInk 4K there; there was chaos from front to end on the map. FF kicked off the map with a run of three straight rounds, but a round dropped to a thrifty saw FF let BBL into the game. The economy of both teams teetered back and forth, with the score tied 6-6 at halftime. batujnax , currently on a redemption arc of the ages, pulled off a Sheriff ace to kick off FF's defense side, prompting a BBL force-buy. The force was unsuccessful, resulting in a hit to the BBL economy that lasted until the deficit was 9-6.

Once BBL got its economy in check, a run of rounds followed, allowing the team to equalize despite an uncharacteristically slow start from Lar0k . An exciting back-and-forth ensued, with each team stealing the limelight with moments of heroics. With DeadInk making a serious case as one of the best Waylay players in the world and Kachoww showing off what might be the best first-bullet accuracy the VCT stage has ever seen, FF reached match point first. Up 12-9, BBL clawed back two rounds and seemed poised to force overtime, but reazy had other plans.

The Valorant equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Kachoww, with 49 kills, finished as the only player with more than 40 kills while also picking up a match-high 13 first kills. Fire Flux now advances to finals weekend in Barcelona, where they have a serious shot at reaching Champions Shanghai after playing in the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier just one month ago.

Up next

EMEA's top four has now been set, also narrowing down the teams looking to qualify to Shanghai on points. Fire Flux's win qualifies Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #4 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen PROFEK Dawid Święć Derke Nikita Niko Sirmitev Chronicle Timofey Khromov Sayonara Ștefan Mîtcu on points, while BBL's season ends with the loss. Team Heretics Team Heretics Europe Rank #9 koshmaras Martynas Namikas Wo0t Mert Alkan RieNs Enes Ecirli benjyfishy Benjamin David Fish Boo Ričardas Lukaševičius watches on from home, needing FUT Esports FUT Esports Europe Rank #3 s0pp Efe Tur xeus Doğan Gözgen yetujey Eray Budak KROSTALY Okan Alaçam sociablEE Volkan Yonal and Liquid to meet in the grand final to qualify as EMEA's fourth seed.

Play in the EMEA Stage 2 playoffs from Barcelona will continue with: