British player fluxxy and SK Nebula opened their VCT Game Changers Championship 2026 campaign without dropping a map on Thursday 22 October, beating Nova Esports GC in Upper Bracket Round 1 Match 2. The German-based side, whose roster also includes Joliinaa, rezq, Liza and Thuy, now face Shopify Rebellion Gold on Saturday 24 October.
It was the opening day of the playoffs, which run until 1 November.
Map 2 takes 49 minutes as SK Nebula close it out
The opening map went SK Nebula’s way in 32 minutes. The second was a far longer affair. It lasted 49 minutes before SK Nebula sealed the series and denied the Chinese qualifiers a deciding third map.
The outcome matched the power rankings. SK Nebula came in at rank 44 with a rating of 1693, built on a 45-28 record across 73 rated matches. Nova Esports GC sat at rank 87 on 1601, with a 6-4 record from only 10 rated matches, a far thinner body of work at this level.
A reset after G2 Gozen and Gentle Mates GC defeats
The win was a welcome change of mood for SK Nebula. Their VCT Game Changers EMEA Stage 3 2026 campaign had ended with a 2-3 defeat by G2 Gozen and a 1-2 loss to Gentle Mates GC. Before those setbacks, they had beaten Karmine Corp GC 2-0, Twisted Minds Orchid 2-1 and GIANTX GC 2-1.
Nova Esports GC had arrived in much better form. After losing 1-2 to Havoc & Yonder GC in the VCT Game Changers China Qualifier 2026, they strung together wins over QuGuangHao Gaming, VLG GC and Yew Reign Gaming, then avenged that defeat by beating Havoc & Yonder GC 3-1. That run ended here.
Shopify Rebellion Gold wait on Saturday 24 October
The other opening tie in the upper bracket also finished without a dropped map, with MIBR GC defeating FENNEL Female in Upper Bracket Round 1 Match 1.
SK Nebula’s reward is a meeting with Shopify Rebellion Gold on Saturday 24 October, with the event’s upper bracket narrowing as the tournament heads towards its finish on 1 November. For fluxxy, the only British player in this tie, that is the next test.
