Derke, Aurora Gaming eliminated from VCT EMEA qualifier

Aurora Gaming’s first European qualifier for VCT EMEA Kickoff 2027 ended with a 2-1 loss to BONK on Nov. 6. BONK overturned an 11-3 deficit on Bind, the deciding map, and advanced to the round of 16.

BONK won Sunset 13-9 before Aurora responded with a 13-8 victory on Lotus. Aurora led Bind 9-3 at halftime and extended its advantage to 11-3. BONK then won eight consecutive rounds to tie the map at 11-11.

Aurora briefly regained the lead at 12-11, but BONK tied the score and forced overtime. The teams exchanged rounds until the score reached 13-13. BONK won the next two rounds to take Bind 15-13 and the series 2-1.

Aurora had won its first three series without losing a map. On Nov. 5, it swept Kryo Esports and Tantra Blitz. Aurora beat Kryo 13-1 on Lotus and 13-0 on Abyss, then defeated Tantra Blitz 13-1 on Lotus and 13-1 on Bind. It won 52 rounds and lost three across those four maps.

Aurora then beat Enisorail 2-0 in the round of 64 on Nov. 6. It won Lotus 13-4 and Summit 13-11 before meeting BONK.

Aurora entered VALORANT competition in late October with a roster featuring Derke, Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius, Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko, Vitaliy “B1SK” Emelyanov and Egor “chiwa” Stepanyuk.

Derke reached the VALORANT Champions 2026 grand final with Team Vitality, which lost 3-1 to LOUD in Shanghai on Oct. 18. He won VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo and Masters Tokyo with FNATIC in 2023.

Boo was Team Heretics’ in-game leader during the organization’s runner-up finishes at Masters Shanghai and VALORANT Champions in 2024. Trexx previously played for Guild Esports, KOI, Team Liquid and Team Vitality, where he was Derke’s teammate.

Aurora may enter Europe Qualifier No. 2, scheduled for Nov. 12-15, although the team has not confirmed its participation. The two European open qualifiers will each send four teams to the Europe Qualifier Playoffs, scheduled for Nov. 26 through Dec. 5. Eight invited non-partner teams will join the 16 teams advancing from the qualifiers. The top two playoff finishers will qualify for VCT EMEA Kickoff 2027.

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Reviewed and fact-checked by Alex Panasenko on November 8.