Karmine Corp win VCT EMEA Stage 2

Karmine Corp are the VCT EMEA Stage 2 champions after defeating Team Liquid 3-1 in the grand final at Olimpic Arena in Badalona. In front of thousands of fans, KC completed a four-map series that changed direction more than once: two controlled opening wins gave the team command, Liquid answered on Lotus, and a difficult start on Summit became the final test of the champions. The result delivered KC’s second EMEA title and ended a regional event in which the team’s improvement through the 2026 season carried it from a troubled earlier stage to a trophy on the final stage in Badalona.

The scoreline was built on Karmine Corp wins on Sunset, Ascent and Summit, while Team Liquid kept the match alive by taking Lotus. KC opened with a 13-7 result on Sunset and followed it with a 13-6 win on Ascent. Liquid then turned the series on Lotus, winning 13-7 to ensure that the final would continue to a fourth map. Summit began with Liquid taking a 7-0 lead, creating the clearest opening for a comeback in the series. KC responded before the interval, cutting the deficit to 7-5, and then used the second half to take control. A 13-10 Summit victory sealed the 3-1 result. The match therefore offered a useful guide to how the title was won: KC’s early map control mattered, but so did its ability to recover when Liquid had momentum and a substantial final-map lead. That resilience, rather than a straightforward sweep, defined the closing act of the EMEA season.

KC withstand Liquid’s late challenge

Sunset established the competitive shape of the final. KC moved into a 6-1 lead, only for Liquid to win out the half and make it 6-6. The response after the break was decisive. KC’s defense stopped Liquid from carrying that recovery into the rest of the map and closed a 13-7 victory. It was an important opening because Liquid had shown it could erase an early deficit, yet KC still found the rounds required to finish the map cleanly. dos9, playing Omen, was the top fragger on Sunset as KC controlled the defensive portion of the map. Ascent followed a similar overall result but through a different sequence. KC started on defense and built an 8-4 halftime advantage. Liquid won the second-half pistol, but KC converted a five-Classic eco round immediately afterward. That round broke Liquid’s momentum and helped KC turn its attack side into a 13-6 map win. The detail matters because it explains why the second map did not become a reset for Liquid despite the pistol success. KC did not simply protect a lead; it found a low-economy conversion that changed the direction of the half and widened the pressure on its opponent.

Liquid’s Lotus win made the final more than an account of KC’s opening strength. The teams traded rounds early, but Liquid took the upper hand in the second half and held KC to five attacking rounds before winning 13-7. Kicks and kamo each recorded 23 kills on Lotus, supplying the production Liquid needed after the first two maps. Their response forced Summit and gave the series a new sense of jeopardy. That pressure intensified immediately on the fourth map. Liquid claimed the first seven rounds of Summit, repeatedly hitting A during its opening run. KC clawed back rounds on the same site before shutting down Liquid’s move to B on the last round of the half, leaving the score at 7-5. KC then won the pistol and anti-eco after halftime to draw level. With the economy and momentum moving its way, KC worked its attack into a 12-10 lead and converted the final point soon afterward. The Summit finish gives readers the central match explanation: Liquid had both a map win and a seven-round start, but KC produced the larger recovery when the championship was on the line.

dos9 earns Grand Finals MVP

Dastan “dos9” Zhumagali was named OMODA Grand Finals MVP for his performance against Team Liquid. He played Omen throughout the series and finished with 70 kills, 46 deaths and 23 assists, along with 231 ACS. His 1.28 rating was the highest in the series, and his 70 kills also led all players. Those figures make the MVP award a supported reader-value point rather than a label alone: dos9 led the final statistically while contributing across all four maps. N4RRATE was close behind for KC with 67 kills and a 1.16 rating. For Liquid, Kicks ended the series with 57 kills and kamo with 58, totals that reflected the team’s ability to extend the match even in defeat. The individual numbers do not replace the tactical story of the final, but they identify the players who produced most consistently across it. dos9’s performance, in particular, connected KC’s strong first two maps to the eventual four-map win.

• Map-pool context: KC used its double-map ban advantage to remove Split and Abyss, two maps identified as stronger options for Liquid and maps KC had been hesitant to play during Stage 2.
• Pre-final Summit and Lotus form added tension: KC entered Summit winless in two attempts, including a group-stage loss to Liquid, while KC had been 5-0 on Lotus and Liquid 4-3 on that map during Stage 2.

The title completes a marked turnaround for Karmine Corp. The team went 0-5 and finished 11th-12th in Stage 1, then topped Group Omega with a 4-1 record and went 3-0 in the playoffs before defeating Liquid in the final. KC will head to Champions Shanghai as EMEA’s top seed, while Team Liquid also secured a Champions place. Beyond the final’s comeback drama, the lasting supported takeaway is that KC converted a season turnaround into its second EMEA title.