Gentle Mates Relegated from VCT EMEA

The Gentle Mates squad will no longer participate in the VCT EMEA competition, missing the opportunity to defend their VCT position at the 2025 Ascension tournament, resulting from yesterday’s 1-2 defeat against GIANTX.

The future presence of the French esports entity within VALORANT’s second-level competition, Challengers EMEA, in the forthcoming year remains uncertain.

Lucas ‘Squeezie’ Hauchard, CEO of Gentle Mates, is documented to have expressed that “There exists a substantial, considerable likelihood that our organisation will not be involved in VALORANT activities in the upcoming year.”

Gentle Mates secured its temporary VCT membership by overcoming Apeks in the 2023 Ascension Grand Final. However, the organisation has found it difficult to establish itself within EMEA’s highest-level league ever since. Across its inaugural year in VCT EMEA, Gentle Mates consistently finished among the lowest-performing three teams in each regional stage.

Significant adjustments were implemented to VCT relegation by VALORANT publisher Riot Games for the 2025 season. As a consequence, Gentle Mates was required to either secure qualification for Champions to automatically prolong its VCT contract or advance to the Stage 2 Playoffs, thereby gaining the opportunity to defend its tier-one designation at this year’s Ascension event.

However, following yesterday’s result, the team has exhausted all possibilities for avoiding relegation. Conversely, GIANTX, the ultimate adversary of Gentle Mates, has currently progressed to the Playoffs for the first time since 2023 and continues to compete for qualification to VALORANT Champions.

Following underwhelming performances throughout VCT EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1, Gentle Mates engaged the services of Berkcan ‘ComeBack’ Şentürk, a Turkish newcomer and exceptional duellist, for their concluding engagement in the league.

Despite displays of promise, notably from Patrik ‘Minny’ Hušek, the in-game leader (IGL) of the roster who consistently achieved high frag counts, the team encountered defeats against FUT Esports (1-2), Team Heretics (1-2), BBL Esports (0-2), and ultimately GIANTX (1-2).

Marceau ‘Placido’ Lambert, Head of VALORANT at Gentle Mates, communicated, “Our journey in VCT has reached its conclusion.”

“We dedicated every effort to salvage the season and retain our position, but it proved insufficient. Throughout the offseason, our standing was a significant burden: numerous players did not even entertain the notion of joining us. Hence, we pursued a daring strategy by assembling a roster primarily composed of rookies.

“I am cognizant that numerous individuals share our sense of disappointment this evening. I accept accountability for it. […] I extend my sincere gratitude to those who provided their support, both in favorable and challenging circumstances.”

Gentle Mates has emerged as the second EMEA Ascension team to experience relegation. Apeks, the victor of the previous year’s Ascension, had already undergone the same consequence on August 6th, subsequent to losing its fourth successive Group Stage encounter in Stage 2 against Movistar KOI.