On April 11, the game day at VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1 ended with Fnatic’s victory over Apeks and Karmine Corp’s triumph against Gentle Mates, marking the second group stage win for the French organization. The day was filled not only with endless technical pauses but also with some interesting drama. Let’s take a closer look at both matches.

Fnatic vs Apeks

The game day started with the first-ever meeting between Fnatic and Apeks. Fnatic were clear favorites, but no one underestimated Apeks, something even Fnatic’s player Chronicle noted on social media: "Honestly, a serious team (Apeks), considering they took at least a map from every strong team in our group, so they shouldn't be underestimated."

Apart from the storyline of kamyk facing his former team, another playful drama emerged — a friendly duel rivalry between Chronicle and florescent during the match. In the end, florescent won by securing one more duel (6:5), but it wasn’t enough for Apeks to take the series, as Fnatic closed the match with a 2:0 scoreline. This was their third win, guaranteeing them a playoff spot, while Apeks’ chances of advancing are now very slim.

Gentle Mates vs Karmine Corp

Although the match between Gentle Mates and Karmine Corp lasted quite a while, a significant part of it was spent resolving technical issues with players' PCs and devices, which undoubtedly could have impacted the course of the game. Despite all the delays, Karmine Corp managed to stay focused and secured a 2:0 victory. This was the team’s second win in Group Omega, significantly improving their chances of making it to the playoffs.

VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1 runs from March 26 to May 18 in LAN format at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. Twelve partnered teams from VCT EMEA are competing for three slots at Masters Toronto, as well as for valuable EMEA Points needed to qualify for the upcoming Champions.