After defeating both Vitality and G2, Liquid advanced to their first MVP event playoff stage in more than half a year. However, their success has created an unexpected scheduling problem that could impact their VRS rankings.
Following disappointing results in early 2026, Liquid signed up for Stake Pulse Beat I, a smaller LAN tournament in Stockholm starting July 31st, hoping to earn easier VRS points. The issue is that this event coincides with BLAST Bounty Season 2 playoffs, potentially forcing them to forfeit matches.
Coach Viktor "flashie" Tamás Bea addressed the situation on social media, explaining their reasoning. "We were aware there could be a clash with the 2 tournaments, but participating in BLAST was our only chance to try and secure some invites on the 3rd of August," he stated. While any forfeited Stake matches would occur before August 3rd, the tournament runs until August 5th, meaning those results won't count toward August rankings. BLAST Bounty concludes on August 2nd.
The August VRS update holds special significance as it determines invites to major events like EPL S24, IEM Beijing, and FISSURE Playground 5. For a team rebuilding their tier-one status, these invitations are essential. According to flashie, September rankings don't offer similar opportunities.
As the lowest remaining seed, Liquid will likely face a top seed, placing their quarterfinal on July 30th. "If we win our QR, we will drop out of the stake tournament... If we don't succeed in the QR, we will fly the next day to Stockholm to be ready for our game," flashie explained.
Should forfeits become necessary, they'll minimize the impact. Any lost points won't affect invites for another month anyway, and they'll only forfeit if reaching BLAST semifinals, a result that would likely generate enough points to offset the losses through victories and prize money.
While not perfect, flashie's breakdown demonstrates careful planning and readiness for any outcome.
