Yesterday our VALORANT team secured their spot in the upcoming Upper Swiss Phase in Stage 3 of VCL 2025 NORTH//EAST, starting this Saturday.

The Lower Swiss Phase that Mathias “SEIDER” Seider and his team had to go through last weekend was packed with teams having qualified from the Open Qualifiers, as well as the teams having had a similarly poor performance as Metizport last stage, now finding themselves on the brink of regulation in the Lower Swiss Phase. Teams like Team Liquid Academy, Formulation Gaming (Grand Finalists of Glitched Invitational 2025), WYLDE, ACEGEAR TEMPEST, and many more were present in the “do-or-die” phase, where teams had to secure three wins in order to advance to the next stage, the Upper Swiss, or get eliminated from the entire league.

Metizport had a rough start in their opening game, losing to Boars Gaming in a best-of-one on Sunset. They immediately went into the next one versus Coalesce with a different mindset, sweeping them aside with a 13-7 scoreline on Haven. With a 1-1 score they finished the first day, going into the following day with only one game to play, turning out to be against mix team Easties. Tobias “ShadoW” Flodström led his team towards a strong first half on Split, finishing with a 9-3 scoreline as defenders. However, on the attacking side the team struggled massively and were only able to secure two rounds while the opponents mounted a full comeback, running away with the match in the end, 13-11. With a 1-2 score in the Swiss Stage, the team now had to win their remaining two matches in the last day of competition if they wanted to advance to the next phase.

The positive thing about the last day was the change in match format, with the two remaining matches being played out in a best-of-three format. Things were looking good until the team was met with the news that Viktor Zsombor “shinnok” Maglóczki’s internet had completely shut off due to a storm in the area, deeming it impossible for the Hungarian to play the most important matches in the stage. With no other option, Head Coach ShadoW stepped into the 17-year-old’s shoes, digging up his former experience as a tier1 player, a career path he retired from in the beginning of this year to pursue coaching full time.

Despite playing with a stand-in, Metizport kept their cool and were able to secure their first victory of the day against CTRL Esports, and they did so after losing the grip around the first map, losing 11-13. The remaining two maps were taken with ease though, with 13-5 and 13-3 scorelines, and the team now stood before their last opponents, Extreme Gaming. It was a do-or-die match-up for both teams as they were both in dire need of a last match win. With ShadoW still “subbing” for shinnok and with a groove from the past match (Extreme Gaming hadn’t played yet that day), the European squad managed to find their way to a clean victory in two maps, 13-9 and 13-9.

With this win, Metizport finished the Lower Swiss Phase with a 3-2 scoreline and are therefore ready for the Upper Swiss Phase starting on Saturday, where a similar format awaits again. The Upper Swiss, however, consists of a Playoffs stage as well, and top four teams in the tournament make it to the prestigious Challengers EMEA, where Ascension points are up for grabs. €15,000 is also awarded to the top-8 teams.

Stay updated on our socials and on the “Matches” tab on this website for updates regarding matches, as well as content around the team.