EU Fall Cup: Karmine Corp win their first Regional, secure spot in Rotterdam
After another incredible weekend, Karmine Corp stand alone as winners of the European Fall Cup! They went on a strong run through the bracket after finishing seventh in the Swiss Stage, knocking out Team BDS, Moist Esports, and Quadrant to take home the title. Kamine Corp have also become the first European team to clinch their spot at the Fall Major in Rotterdam. The roster of Axel “Vatira” Touret, Amine “itachi” Benayachi, and Brice “ExoTiik” Bigeard join a long list of majority-French teams to win an RLCS event.
Vatira’s vindication
This past offseason, Vatira made the much-discussed decision to leave Moist Esports, the Spring Major champions and one of the best teams in the world. He did it to join a dream roster for any French player, and the opportunity to play on Karmine Corp. So far, he’s been vindicated in that decision. Karmine Corp are the first European team to clinch the Major, are one of two teams to win an event, and have beaten Moist Esports twice. Both victories over Moist Esports have come in the semifinals, knocking them out of the tournament.
Vatira also led Karmine Corp to their victory, as he paced the team in several stat categories. He led in shots per game (3.29), shooting percentage (31.20%), goals per game (1.03), saves per game (1.82) and Octane Rating (1.162). It was among the most impressive runs of the season so far, highlighted by scoring 1.00 goals per game on Championship Sunday to clinch the win.
The European RLCS points leaders - Image courtesy of Psyonix
Major contenders
There’s one event left this Split: the Fall Invitational. Europe’s will be in two weeks, and there are still 16 teams contending for the four remaining Major spots. One of them will be eliminated on Thursday, as the Tiebreaker between HEET, Team GO, and Williams Resolve will take place. Monkeys, Solary, and Soniqs are all auto-qualified for the Fall Invitational, and are all still in Major contention. None of them control their own destinies, however, and will likely need to reach the Grand Final and get help to qualify for Rotterdam.
There are numerous teams that can clinch with a Regional win, including reigning World Champions Team BDS and last season’s Spring Major qualifiers Team Liquid. Tundra Esports, GamersFirst, Aogiri, Evil Geniuses, and Team Vitality are also in that group of teams, and all have looked strong at certain points in this Split. They could all also qualify with a worse result than a victory if other results go their way.
Quadrant, who have reached a semifinals and a Grand Finals this season, only need to finish 9th-11th or better to qualify on their own. That would mean reaching two wins in the Swiss Stage, even if they didn’t reach the Playoffs. Fall Open champions Oxygen Esports need a 5th-8th finish to guarantee qualification for Rotterdam without help, which would mean reaching the Playoffs. Moist Esports, who have reached the semifinals in both Regionals so far, need another top-four finish to secure their spot. All of these teams can qualify without these results if other results go their way, but they will be looking to do it on their own.
The Club clinched their Major spot with a perfect performance - Image courtesy of Psyonix
SAM shoutout
At Shift, we usually focus our coverage on Europe and North America. When something noteworthy happens in another region, however, it’s important to mention. This past weekend, The Club went a perfect 21-0 on their way to a second consecutive Regional win, as they failed to drop a single game. They also clinched a spot in Rotterdam, becoming the third team to do so, and first from an upcoming region.
The RLCS will return next weekend, as North America returns to competition with the Fall Invitational. Until then, make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your RLCS news, including a brand-new edition of the Shift 16!
