If we thought Week 1 had upsets, no one was ready for Week 2 (except for Habos Babos and FOKUS Sakura fans, I guess). The dust is settling, we're getting an idea of who will skip Play-Ins versus who needs to fight the Cash Cup teams for their spot in Playoffs.
FOKUS were a highlight for many this week - looking like a team unlocked, they managed to stroll through G2 Gozen, and take a 2-1 victory over Gentle Mates (including a crazy 13-1 victory on the final map of Summit). They've not locked their Playoffs position yet, but with their two new players they look renewed and like they're ready to go to Istanbul.
Another highlight for many was Habos Babos. They made a splash in Week 1, yes, but Week 2 has proven they're posturing for a Top 4 finish at minimum. The only teams that have beaten them so far are M8s, Gozen, and SK; Week 3 only has two matches lined up for Habos - FOKUS and ATN. Can either stop SoReal and her unreal carry performance she's bringing to the biggest stage in Game Changers EMEA. They are, however, the only team with a <50% round win-rate in the Top 6 - although this changes the moment Fudgestars gets an Operator (more on this in a future post).
The top of the standings is no surprise to most though - M8s, SK Nebula, and G2 Gozen. All 3 have fought each other, and now have three more matches to complete their final EMEA Group Stage of 2026. M8s are all but confirmed for Playoffs, with only a 0.3% chance they don't qualify straight from Groups - whilst SK and Gozen both sit at around 8% themselves. The one key highlight here is that SKs only losses are to M8s and Gozen, but both G2 and the Mates lost to FOKUS Sakura - SKs first game this week is against FOKUS, so this is a key watch for anyone wanting to see how the top of the standings is likely to line-up.
Twisted Minds Orchid, currently splitting FOKUS and Habos, in fifth place, had a quietly difficult week last week. Losing their two games against G2 and Habos - both 2-1 overall, but not close in the round-diff. They've shown that their Breeze is their home ground and a solid pick into the Top 4 - but, other than Lotus, the rest of their map pool is lacking proven power. This could become a risk for them in Playoffs, especially as they need to fight into the Bo5s to finally get Leen the place at GCC she has been fighting for with Twisted for over 3 years.
Now, we've got to start taking a look at those teams at the bottom of the current standings - attempting to make their way into Playoff security. Karmine Corp is the first of these, sitting at 2-3 currently - but they've got an incredibly difficult week ahead of them. KC did set themselves up for their own redemption with a tight win over Barça - which helps with both tiebreakers as well as their overall scoreline. But the Gozen game was always going to be a tricky one. Next week M8s, FOKUS, SK, and GX all stand in their way.
Barça, who lost to KC in a multiple overtime 3 map banger, only won one of their games this week - against ATN, and even that came very close in Map 2. The team's hyper aggressive style leads to their players getting caught out in disadvantageous positions midround and with their Week 3 games being vs TWIS and G2 - they're going to have to have a strong week of fundamentals to avoid going into Play-Ins.
GiantX GC and Alternate aTTaX Ruby - the two teams currently at the bottom of the board. Although GiantX did beat ATN, whilst ATN had a last minute (Round 2 of Map 1) substitution, GX only has 2 remaining games which puts them at a much greater risk of Play-Ins being their only way forward. Their matchup was, despite the sub, a very close game - largely due to the fact that Jade was that sub, who has been with the Rubies for 3 years. As the last team on only 1 win, ATN would be hoping for some easier games in their final week but they’re against G2, Habos, M8s, and FOKUS - the latter being their most played rival in DACH, where they have historically had the advantage.
To end on a higher note, GiantX GC recently made some adjustments to their calling structure that seem to have worked wonders - Jduh now picking up the pre-round calling has allowed Jademwah to focus on the moment-to-moment decisions in what they perceive as a very micro-heavy meta. It’s a long road for either of these teams to make it into the Playoffs - but Play-Ins are there waiting to give that last chance to them.
It’s less than 48 hours between the end of Stage 3 Groups, and the start of Play-Ins, so keep an eye out for future articles about the four teams who’ve made it up from the Cash Cup circuit, and what to expect from them all.