The European Valorant knows how to surprise — NAVI and GIANTX fans are clearly in mourning today. Both teams officially dropped out of the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 race after losing their key relegation matches. Now both “Born to Win” and GIANTX will watch the Masters Santiago on TV — it’s a shame, though, given the ambitions of the teams at the start of the season. On the other hand, Team Heretics and Team Liquid, on the contrary, retained their chances to snag a slot for the first global event of the year through the lower bracket.
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Team Heretics vs NAVI relegation match results
The real drama unfolded in the rematch between Team Heretics and NAVI – in fact, it was a battle for survival. Last time, NAVI pulled out a 2-1 victory, but today the Spanish club looked simply unstoppable, shutting down the opponent 2-0.
On the Haven map, which, by the way, was chosen by Heretics themselves, the “yellow-blacks” started cheerfully, but quickly crumbled. It’s all Cypher’s fault — his traps and information have become an insurmountable obstacle for NAVI, apparently. Heretics perfectly read the opponent’s movements, taking the first half in defense with a score of 8-4. After the change of sides, the dominance only intensified — the result was 13-5 in favor of the Spaniards.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the newcomer of the line—up – Berkjan “ComeBack” Shentyurk showed an incredible performance. His stats on Haven are staggering: 29 kills with 12 deaths and an average combat score of 455 — this is, by the way, the level of the best fraggers in the world.
On the second map, Breeze, Heretics generally decided to experiment by rolling out a bundle of Sage and Chamber — a rather strange choice for the current meta, but it worked. Again, the same 8-4 in the first half and a quick squeeze after the pistols in the second. The final 13-4 on Breeze recorded NAVI’s departure from the tournament. It seems that the “Heretics” are now in their best shape in a long time, but there are serious questions about the preparation of NAVI, to put it bluntly.
Reasons for NAVI’s Defeat in the VCT EMEA Kickoff Playoffs
The defeat of NAVI in the relegation match against GIANTX with a score of 0:2 was a cold shower for the fans. On the servers in Berlin, the ANGE1 team looked lost — the team simply did not take out the pressure in the lower bracket of the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 playoffs. While the opponent was building up the pace, NAVI got stuck in the old blanks. As a result, there was a logical and rapid departure, which exposed the systemic problems of the composition.
Draft analysis and selection of NAVI team agents
At the peak and ban stage, NAVI decided to stick to the classics by choosing Split and Bind. The strategy is, frankly, questionable. GIANTX instantly read this move and deprived the opponent of comfortable conditions, banning key characters for long—range shootouts – Jett and Sova were left out of business.
Статистика матча: NAVI vs GIANTX
The choice of agents from the “yellow-blacks” smacked of mothballs. Betting on Reyna in the hope of an individual skill is an adventurous venture, especially when a well—coordinated machine is playing against you. Without competent support, such aggression was overwhelmed by the onslaught of GIANTX. The Spanish organization got into the actual VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 meta much more accurately, turning off the opponent’s strong AWP in time.
Macro Game Errors and Rotation Timings on Abyss
The main problem with NAVI is slowness in rotations. While GIANTX players seized control of the points with lightning speed, NAVI wasted precious seconds on slow shuffles. On Abyss, it almost looked painful: GIANTX launched fast attacks, and the defenders were 5-7 seconds late using their abilities.
Such delays led to a complete loss of control over the established spike. The preparation of the team clearly did not take into account that the opponent would play so brazenly and quickly. The lost pistol rounds only confirmed that the pace of the match had been completely missed even before the first shooting started.
The influence of coaching decisions on the tactics of the squad
The staff led by ANGE1 believed too much in the firepower of Xiao and Roxic. Individual talent is cool, but there was no team chemistry at all. The rotations turned into Brownian motion, and the clear commands inside the round disappeared somewhere.
It seems NAVI has overslept the latest updates of the game, where the rollback time of abilities decides the fate of the round. GIANTX conducted an excellent home audit and methodically punished every mistake in positioning. If NAVI does not reconsider its approach to analyzing fresh patches, such departures will become an unpleasant tradition for them.
Now all that remains is to draw conclusions and watch how yesterday’s outsiders share the spoils in Berlin.
Team Liquid’s victory over GIANTX in the lower bracket
The esports season is at the peak of events, and GIANTX fans are not envious today. The second episode of the game day at VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 turned into a real meat grinder for survival. Team Liquid met with their old friends from GIANTX, and, you know, history just repeated itself — the “Liquid” turned out to be stronger again, closing out their opponents with a score of 2-1. Now GIANTX are packing their bags, and Liquid continue their journey through the lower bracket.
Analysis of the NATs game on the Breeze vs GIANTX map
It all started on the Breeze map, which was chosen by Team Liquid themselves. After a quick victory in the second round, the initiative completely passed into the hands of Ayaz “NATs” Akhmetshin’s team.
The team leader, in fact, organized a master class on reading the game. Under his leadership, Liquid’s attack looked so coordinated that they closed the first half with a crushing score of 9-3. Next is a matter of technique. The final result of 13-4 in favor of Team Liquid left no doubt about who the favorite was, apparently.
GIANTX Comeback and defense tactics on Pearl Map
It would seem like a one-way game, right? But Pearl turned everything upside down. GIANTX rolled out an incredible ten-win streak in a row, while Team Liquid’s attacking strategy literally crashed against the opponent’s defense.
As a result, the first half ended with the score 11-1 in favor of GIANTX — it was a real shock for the fans. After a confident pistol in the second half, the Giants easily held the card to 13-6, equalizing the series. Put the squeeze on the card. It’s interesting how quickly one team can lose focus and the other can catch their nerve.
Using the Gekko Agent on the Bind card
The decisive battle unfolded on the Bind map, and that’s where the real validation began. Both teams, in fact, showed a crushing defense. Team Liquid went into the break with an 8-4 advantage, but GIANTX, to their credit, showed character.
Despite losing the pistol rounds, they were able to make a comeback and put the game into overtime. And here’s the most interesting thing — Team Liquid’s bet on Gekko agent proved 100% justified. The pet “Gekko” brought basic information on both sides, which eventually allowed Liquid to snatch victory in this grueling fight with a score of 16-14. It’s a shame for GIANTX, but Team Liquid proved to be more cool-headed at a critical moment.
Schedule and broadcast of the Liquid vs Heretics match
Already on February 12, at 17:00 British Summer time, another battle awaits us in the lower bracket — Team Liquid will face Team Heretics. The broadcast, of course, will be available on Twitch and YouTube. This tournament is not going to slow down, and there are even more unexpected twists ahead of us. It is worth considering that the winner of this match will take a big step towards the coveted slot at Masters Santiago.
