Securing sole possession of first place, Karmine Corp now turns its focus to the playoffs, with Movistar KOI as its first opponent. In the team’s eyes, the goal is clear: claim their second title in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). In an exclusive piece, Martin "Yike" Sundelin, the team's jungler, sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss his time in Évry-Courcouronnes, Karmine Corp’s current level, and their upcoming playoff matches.

Does it feel special to win on stage in front of your home crowd? You’re still undefeated when your family is in the audience — does that mean something to you?

Martin "Yike" Sudelin: "It means so much to me, knowing that when they are here, I just win, you know? That feeling is amazing, and I'm so happy to have them here. I love them.

Did having them there add extra stress going into today’s match?

Yike: Definitely. I felt a lot more stress against G2 today than when we faced Vitality. Before we go on stage, that's always the most stressful for me. But I think I handled it well, the team handled it well. Everyone was a bit tense, but we did good. When we get on stage in front of our crowd, everyone in the team loses that pressure.

Did securing first place mean anything special to you? How much of an advantage is it to be able to pick your first playoffs opponent?

Yike: In my eyes, it means a lot. I can see the counterargument, since you do need to win no matter what in playoffs. But first place is really good, obviously. Getting it shows that we are consistent, play well, and that we aren't the kind to stumble after having went internationally once. For some teams, it's hard to come back and remain at the top, but we are doing well, and I'm really happy about it.

I know you’ve said before that G2 isn’t a rivalry for you — just another team to beat. But since it’s your old team, did it still feel a bit special to win against them?

Yike: [Smiles] Yeah. Of course, it feels really good to beat my old team. Anyone playing against their previous team will feel this way, it's just a good feeling, always. Obviously, I won't let it affect me going into a match, I'll play like I do against everyone else, but afterward, when we walk over to their side for handshakes and hugs, that's when you realize you've just beaten your ex-team, you know? There's a part of me that was a bit sad, which is why I hugged them and all that, but I'm definitely happy to have won.

You've earned the chance to pick your opponent, which means facing MKOI in the first round. Are there any teams that can contest you, or is KC currently a step above other LEC teams?

Yike: We’re a step above the others. The other three upper bracket teams — Fnatic, G2, and Movistar KOI — I’m pretty sure they can all beat each other on any given day, but not us. It’s going to be very interesting to see how playoffs go; I’m quite excited. I definitely believe we’re the best, so we just have to keep it that way now. Whoever we face in best-of-fives, it’s going to be free for us. We’re very good in fearless draft as well, and I just can’t wait to play fearless BO5s again.

Many were talking about today's jungle matchup in particular, with you going against Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan. He’s been a consistent carry and a solid rock for G2 this split. Do you think this match says anything about the skill gap between you two?

Yike: I will always say and believe that I'm the best. If I think it, I play like it. Still, I don't necessarily see myself above him, he played good against us in my opinion. In game 1, he completely smurfed and solo won the game against us, so props to him. In the other games, I'd say my team played well and, even if I did some good plays, we were both kind of useless and didn't do anything, especially in game 2 for example. In the last game, I had an edge over him. I think he's very, very good. Playing against him keeps me on my toes and it's never easy. I have a lot of respect for him.

Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert recently said he felt KC was only playing at about 30-40% of their First Stand power level during Week 5. Did you agree with that statement, and where do you think the team stands now?

Yike: Yeah, I can see where he's coming from. I wouldn't say we were that low, but maybe about 50% worse than when we were in Korea. We were definitely not good — we kept pushing series to 3 games and kept throwing games randomly. We were really not that consistent. Nonetheless, besides that game against Vitality in Évry, I feel like we've been much more consistent now, and I'm really happy with how we've been playing. We're looking really strong now. It's hard to compare exactly with how we played in Korea since the meta changed quite a lot, but I'm hopeful with how things are going now.

How was the experience playing in front of the Évry-Courcouronnes audience? Could you even hear yourselves with how loud the Blue Wall was?

Yike: It was really, really loud. We could clearly hear them chanting our names through our headsets. With each kill, they were screaming their lungs out. We didn't hear each other in some moments, and we had to communicate only with pings [laughs]. Still, I appreciate it so much. I'm really happy that we got those wins and played well for the fans.

Can you tell me how did the team react to the fire alarm on Day 1 of the roadtrip? You had to wait almost a full hour to play your match, I can imagine it wasn't easy to deal with.

Yike: It was very weird. We had never experienced something like that before. We were all just very confused at that moment. We had to wait quite a while afterward, and we were a bit thrown out of the zone, you know? I was super pumped for the match and then it happened. I'm glad we came back and still managed to win. Luckily, I don't think it affected us much in the end.

Do you have one last message for the fans, for your family, or just everyone in general?

Yike: I appreciate every single fan coming here to watch us in Évry. Being in Les Arènes... it's just amazing to play in front of so many of you. I love every single one of our fans. I also have to thank my parents for coming here and always supporting me — it’s just amazing. Thank you all very, very much."