EMEA’s #2 seed in Karmine Corp dominated Pacific’s top seed, Xipto Esports. Crowd and team support was a big factor, said both teams.
Karmine Corp vs Xipto Esports - EMEA's second seed against Pacific's rising champions. For KC and XIP alike, this was their first match in VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2025. However, this is the first time Xipto's roster is stepping into the international stage. Meanwhile, Karmine Corp had experience on their side, with 2022 GCC champions Anastasiya "Glance" Anisimova in their lineup. At the end of the day, this experience won out.
Crowd support for KC, a piece of home for Xipto
The crowd was heavily KC-favored, and this was something that Şura "Jiex" Yıldırım expected. "I know that, whatever happens, [our fans] will be there." Meanwhile, Safia "safiaa" Leghzal was the opposite. "I was not expecting the KC fans to make that much noise," she confessed.
For Xipto's side, though, in attendance were Team Falcons' Alexandria "Alexy" Francisco and Odella "enerii" Abraham. According to capriciouS, their presence was incredibly welcome. "Alexy and enerii coming here to support us - I think it really helped boost our moods." She added that both ex-Xipto players were giving them advice and helping them train their mechanics before the match.
This GCC 2025 match is also the international stage debut for everyone in Xipto. "In Pacific, we could just be ourselves since there was no audience at all. When we stepped here, it was our first time seeing a lot of people come," capriciouS said. "This is very different, and it's a really, really good experience that we're here."
"[The KC crowd] was like an earthquake," XIP coach Aron "2766" Orlanda recalled.
KC vs XIP - Experience and adjustments
Map 1 was Abyss - Karmine Corp's pick. Xipto had a great start to the first half, but KC quickly regained control to pull far ahead. By the second half, the EMEA team further extended their lead. Their 8-4 half, and a win in the pistol round meant that they were 10-4 up. They kept the snowball going and eventually dominated their Pacific adversaries, 13-4. Azra "Alkyia" Erin went on a tear this map, ending it with 400 ACS and a 26/9/3 KDA on her Jett.
"I feel like I'm really hungry to play on stage and take revenge. I really wanted to show how I play on the stage. Next to my team - it was not only me. It was them supporting me and letting me have my kills. It wasn't just me, it was my team."
Now on Corrode, Xipto's pick, they once again took the first pistol round to get an early lead. This time, though, they manage to take the bonus and put themselves in a position to have a bigger lead than map 1. However, this dream was promptly crushed by KC, who pulled off a Thrifty win on round 4. The half ended up being closer than the series opener, with map 2 at an even 6-6 at the start of the second half.
Again, KC took the second pistol, poising them for a similar maneuver as map 1's. They even won the bonus, which got them 9-6 up. Xipto went on a save round after, locking in KC's 10-6 lead. Xipto was able to find one round afterward, but that was it. Their international debut was underwhelming, while KC's was anything but.
This time, KC's win was a solid team effort with most of their KDAs close to each other. Anastasia "anesilia" Ivanova ended the game with a whopping 95% KAST stat, meaning that in most of the rounds, she got either a kill, assist, survived, or was traded.
Go next: Xipto gets a rematch with Ninetails
A Pacific vs Pacific matchup awaits Xipto. Ninetails got sent to the lower bracket after their loss vs Nova - and, with this elimination match, one of the two Pacific reps in GCC 2025 will have to bid farewell to Seoul early.
Despite the result in Pacific Stage 2, Xipto still thinks that Ninetails will be a challenge for them. "[We'll be under] a lot more pressure since we'll be against Ninetails, and this is their home court. They will have more fans cheering for them," said grahams.
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