VCT Ascension EMEA Recap: France’s Finest Take the Crown

Jul 17, 2023

VCT Ascension was a clash of the titans, where all of the best teams from across Challengers EMEA battled it out in a high-stakes tournament defined by upsets and intense VALORANT action. With France: Revolution’s Gentle Mates emerging victorious over the rest of EMEA’s regions, the newcomers have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with going into VCT EMEA 2024!

If you missed out on any of the Ascension action, or simply want to relive it all (especially if you’re a fan of France: Revolution or Northern Europe: Polaris) we have a rundown of all the best moments from VCT Ascension EMEA 2023!

VCT Ascension EMEA: Final Standings

Below are the final standings for VCT Ascension EMEA, with first-place squad Gentle Mates qualifying for both VCT EMEA 2024 and 2025.

Bien joué Gentle Mates!

Gentle Mates are one of 2023’s biggest anomalies. Joining France: Revolution late, competing under SBG beforehand, they tore through the competition to snatch the crown, and their reign of dominance continues to astound.

Things didn’t get off to a flying start for Gentle Mates, though, as they left Group B in second place after falling 2-0 to Northern Europe’s Apeks. They then dropped into the lower bracket at the behest of East: Surge’s Acend, who showed up and shut down on both Fracture and Lotus. There was just one game between continuing in the competition and crashing out early, and it looks like this lit a fire in the hearts of Gentle Mates.

After a hard-fought battle against Portugal: Tempest’s SAW, they faced Acend once more, hungry for redemption. While the tables turned and Gentle Mates owned Fracture, second map Split ran deep into overtime, with the game rounding out on Lotus with a 13-9 victory. This cemented their spot in the finals against newfound rivals Apeks, and we knew immediately that this would be one to remember. 

Logan ‘logaN’ Corti was by far the star of the Grand Finals, boasting an impressive 250 ACS and a ridiculous 1.91 K/D. Starting on Haven, Gentle Mates ran away with the game after bouncing back from a pistol round loss, closing the first map 13-6. Second map Ascent proved a closer affair ending 13-10. Finally, Pearl was much the same, ending with the same scoreline in a game where logaN and Beyazit ‘beyAz’ Körpe took no prisoners. It wasn’t an easy win, but good things never come easy.

So what’s next for Gentle Mates? They have now secured their spot in VCT EMEA for 2024 and 2025 and will go up against the big guns like NAVI and back-to-back international champions Fnatic. They will become the third French organization within the league, alongside Karmine Corp and Team Vitality. So how will they fare? We’ll have to wait and see, but their opponents best be worried - these Gentle Mates aren’t so gentle when the sparks begin to fly.

VCT Ascension EMEA: Vods

If you missed out on any of the VCT Ascension EMEA action, make sure you check out the vods on twitch.tv/valorant_emea.