An unlikely path to VCT playoffs has emerged for the former EMEA ‘laughing stock’

Just the smallest amount of light has appeared at the end of the dark tunnel that is Karmine Corp’s season in VCT EMEA, and after a noticeable improvement in form over the past two weeks, a daunting but still doable path to the playoffs has appeared.

Since Ahmed “ZE1SH” Sheikh stepped into the starting lineup and grabbed the in-game leader reigns from ScreaM, the team has looked significantly better. Even in their week four loss against NAVI, Karmine Corp looked more structured and coordinated, and that improvement manifested in a must-win victory over KOI in week five. ScreaM credits ZEISH for bringing “energy and an aggressiveness” to the shotcalling role.

It’s a night-and-day difference between the first three weeks of the season, when Karmine Corp was the butt of the joke across the league.

Related: VALORANT expert roasts ‘laughing stock’ Karmine Corp on VCT EMEA co-stream

Currently, Karmine Corp sits in eighth place with a 2-4 series record, a 4-9 record on maps, but a dismal -56 round differential. And yet, if you peer long enough into the standings and remaining schedule of VCT EMEA, you can spot the road to playoffs for Karmine Corp.

The biggest obstacle standing in their way has to be their week seven match against the titans of the league, Fnatic. Fnatic haven’t dropped a series all season and only lost one map, with members of the roster dominating the top of the leaderboards across most major statistics. In an absolute dream scenario, Karmine Corp also win against Fnatic, but for the purposes of realism and believability, let’s assume they don’t beat the undefeated juggernauts of EMEA.

First, they have to win their matches against FUT Esports and Giants, preferably 2-0. Even so, they still need at least one of the three 3-3 teams in Giants, FUT, and Vitality to trip at the finish line. However, even if one of them fall, Karmine Corp also has to finish better than BBL Esports, who also have a 2-4 match score but a slightly better map record of 5-9.

While it is unlikely, given how this season started, a Karmine Corp playoff appearance could be considered the biggest comeback story of the year so far across the entire VCT ecosystem.