On January 22, Team Heretics, the silver medalists of Champions 2024, will begin their journey in the new season of the Valorant Champions Tour. They are set to face the newly-formed roster of Gentle Mates, who have already played their debut match at the VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff. Let’s analyze both teams and predict the outcome of this exciting matchup.

Current Form of the Teams

Team Heretics

Team Heretics had a relatively quiet offseason, participating only in the Red Bull Home Ground #5, where they finished 5th-6th, and the HereticsXP #2 show match, where they lost to Gentle Mates. Despite this, their runner-up finish at Champions 2024 highlights their potential.

Although their recent victories are a few months old, Heretics’ unchanged roster following their successful season could provide much-needed stability against an opponent still building synergy.

Gentle Mates

Gentle Mates spent the offseason forming their new roster. Their only pre-season appearance was at the HereticsXP #2 show match, where they secured a convincing 2-0 win over Team Heretics.

In addition, Gentle Mates opened their VCT 2025 campaign with a win, boosting their confidence. However, questions remain about the stability and synergy of their newly-assembled lineup.

Map Pool Analysis

Banned Maps:

• Team Heretics: Likely to ban Split, given their historical preferences.
• Gentle Mates: Expected to ban Lotus, which they tend to avoid.

Map Picks:

• Team Heretics: Likely to pick Bind, where they boast a strong 75% win rate.
• Gentle Mates: May lean towards Pearl, as they’ve shown comfort on this map.

Decider Map:

• Haven is the probable decider, being neutral territory for both teams. Gentle Mates lack substantial stats on it, while Team Heretics exhibit balanced performance.

Head-to-Head Matchups

The teams have faced each other twice in the past six months:

1. Team Heretics won the first encounter 2:1, showcasing their consistency.
2. Gentle Mates triumphed 2:0 in the second meeting, demonstrating the potential of their new lineup.

Match Prediction

This clash pits the stability and experience of Team Heretics against the raw potential and unpredictability of Gentle Mates. While Gentle Mates’ aggressive playstyle might create surprises, Heretics’ proven roster and high-level experience make them the favorites.

Predicted Outcome: 2:1 in favor of Team Heretics, thanks to their stability and familiarity with top-level competition.

About the Tournament

The VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff runs from January 15 to February 9 as a LAN event hosted at Riot Games’ arena. Twelve partner teams from the VCT program compete for two invitations to the Masters Bangkok tournament and critical EMEA Points essential for qualifying for the World Championship.