Gentle Mates swept Natus Vincere 2-0 and GIANTX stunned BBL Esports 2-1 on Wednesday in Berlin, delivering two drastically different storylines on the opening day of VCT EMEA Stage 1 Week 3. NaVi fell to 0-2 in Group Alpha and now look like one of the group’s most vulnerable names. BBL, fresh off a Week 2 sweep loss to Eternal Fire, extended their slump to two straight series defeats.
How the Gentle Mates NaVi Result Unfolded
M8 took Pearl 13-10 on their own pick, then closed out Lotus 13-8 on NaVi’s pick to finish the sweep and leave Split untouched. Pearl stayed competitive into the second half before Gentle Mates locked it down on defense. Lotus offered NaVi no such window. marteen and Minny ran the show, with M8’s double-Duelist setup consistently winning early map control and forcing NaVi into reactive retakes they couldn’t convert.
NaVi’s Group Alpha problem is now impossible to ignore. Two losses in two weeks, first to FUT Esports, now to M8, have stripped the team of margin for error. The bigger concern is structural: NaVi still haven’t solved their Duelist role, and Filu‘s inconsistency is bleeding into every map where the team needs a reliable entry. ExiT is still waiting on visa clearance, which means NaVi are heading into a must-win stretch against Team Liquid and Karmine Corp without their intended starting five.
BBL GIANTX VCT 2026 Upset: ara’s 51-kill Masterclass
GIANTX took the series on the back of ara, who finished with 51 kills across three maps and looked like the best player on the server from round one. BBL took Haven 13-11 on their own pick, then dropped Lotus 7-13 on GX’s pick, before losing the Split decider 9-13.
The tactical story is simple: GX stopped playing for structure and let ara freelance. On Lotus and Split, GIANTX built their defensive setups around giving him the aggressive peek he wanted rather than forcing him into utility roles. BBL had no answer, and their mid-round adaptations looked a step behind on every retake attempt. It’s the same pattern GX rode to a late playoff push last stage, and it works when ara is this locked in.
BBL fell further in VLR’s regional rankings after the loss, dropping to 0-2 in Group Omega. GIANTX, meanwhile, climb to 2-0 in Omega and have now won both their opening series of the stage, a genuine surprise given preseason expectations and the fact that betting markets had them as heavy underdogs at 2.68 odds pre-match.
Group Standings After Week 3 Day 1
Group Alpha:
| # | Team | Record |
| 1 | Team Liquid | 2-0 |
| 1 | FUT Esports | 2-0 |
| 3 | Gentle Mates | 1-1 |
| 4 | Karmine Corp | 0-2 |
| 4 | Team Heretics | 0-2 |
| 4 | Natus Vincere | 0-2 |
Group Omega:
| # | Team | Record |
| 1 | Fnatic | 2-0 |
| 1 | GIANTX | 2-0 |
| 3 | Eternal Fire | 1-1 |
| 3 | Team Vitality | 1-1 |
| 5 | BBL Esports | 0-2 |
| 5 | PCIFIC Esports | 0-2 |
What’s Next
Week 3 continues today with Eternal Fire vs Team Vitality and Karmine Corp vs Team Heretics, before Friday’s marquee clash between the two undefeated Alpha sides: FUT Esports vs Team Liquid. Whichever team wins that one takes a commanding lead heading into the final two weeks of group play.
