Florescent Retires From VCT EMEA 2025 Season

In a bombshell move, the Game Changers GOAT is taking a step back as Florescent retires from the remainder of the 2025 season of VCT.

Florescent Retires from 2025 competition

Confirmed both through her personal account and the official Apeks social media, Ava “Florescent” Eugene is going to be taking the rest of the 2025 season off. Both have confirmed that this is a move that will last for the entirety of 2025, rather than just going into Stage 2.

It’s no secret that all eyes have been on Apeks since their wave-making signing before kick off. And the results that have come from this ascension team have been a humbling reminder that the team was just that, an ascension team. Fans of Flor were hoping that the same godly performances we got used to seeing on Shopify Rebellion were going to continue to be the norm in Berlin but the losses have stacked up. After finishing out Stage 1 as an 0-5 team and struggling in Stage 2, Flor opened up about the struggles she’s been facing personally with consistency and with settling into Europe in an interview with Hotspawn.

Update from Apeks pic.twitter.com/2aCP2FbZAv

— Apeks (@apeksgg) April 28, 2025

No place like home

Uprooting your life to jump into a new scene with thousands of prying eyes watching your every move is pressure in and of itself. Both the org and the GOAT focused their statements on the difficulties that come with leaving home to compete overseas, away from a support network. It’s easy to distract yourself when you’re winning, no doubt, but when people were looking at where Flor would go first, EMEA wasn’t exactly anyone’s first pick, which is what made the pickup so surprising.

“Several other VCT teams even showed interest in buying out my contract these last couple weeks and Apeks told me I could explore those options for Split 2 if anything made me happy and allowed me to continue competing.” – Florescent said in her statement.

Unfortunately, despite offers being on the table, she’s doing what is absolutely the best for her long-term success. We saw with yay that trying to jump straight back in with whatever opportunity shows up might not be the best for your immediate success, and preventing burnout, finding your passion and locking back in will always take precedent over scrambling to stay in Tier 1.

When she’s ready, people will be waiting, the highs she showed silenced critics and her play has been praised by some of the biggest of names so she’ll be welcomed with open arms when she turns back to VCT. Hopefully somewhere a little closer to home.