Karmine Corp Blue didn’t have an easy start to the LFL Spring Split, finishing eighth in the regular season and suffering back-to-back tiebreaker losses to Gentle Mates and Galions. But they bounced back strongly in the Swiss Stage, taking down Vitality.Bee and then Galions. A big part of that resurgence is thanks to Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin. Now a true leader for his team, the toplaner spoke with us about how the split is going with his new jungler, the upcoming match against Gentle Mates, and his ambitions to reach the LEC—whether with Karmine Corp or Navi.

You've taken on more of a leadership presence within the team. How do you feel about that?

Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin: It was unexpected, because in my previous rosters I always had veterans and really solid junglers like Lyncas (Linas Nauncikas), Boukada (Mehdi Lahlou), and 113 (Doğukan Balcı), all of them LEC-level, very calm, with great game knowledge. I was never the main guy. Now, it's completely different, and it just naturally started to shift. I went from being a secondary voice to becoming the one who keeps the routine going, tells people not to sleep late, to step up, not be afraid on stage. I try to encourage them. I enjoy it, but I’m still learning.

Lyncas is probably the best example I’ve had. He was always positive, always telling us, “never give up guys.” I try to remember what he did and apply it now. When I was with him, I was still a rookie, and I didn’t really understand how important mental stability, positivity, going to the gym, or sleeping well actually were. Now, I kind of see myself in Yukino (Johnny Dang), it's like looking at who I was a year ago.

How have the jungle changes affected you, and what has it been like playing with Yukino so far?

It’s been a bit tough. In my previous teams, my junglers were always really smart guys like Lyncas, Boukada, or 113 — and I never really had to think about jungle. I just trusted them completely and focused on doing my job in the toplane. But now, with a rookie jungler on the team, obviously mistakes happen. Sometimes he makes simple or obvious mistakes that I can help fix, but other times it’s harder. I know what should happen on the map, but I don’t always understand why he can’t do it.

So I’ve started learning more about jungle myself, just to be on the same page with him. We’re both improving together, and that’s how it should be. I’m not the kind of player who tells him everything. I’m learning with him. Of course, it’s harder when you lose someone who’s LEC-level and replace him with someone playing his first LFL split. The level is completely different, and you kind of have to relearn the game from scratch.

With Boukada, we had certain keywords, a shared understanding of the map, and how to play as a team. When you change your jungler, it really feels like you’re changing the identity of the team. It’s a key position. Even with Boukada, we started the split badly before things clicked, and we ended up winning. So right now, we’re going through a similar process — making mistakes, learning, and figuring things out together.

Your next match is against Gentle Mates and there’s a strong rivalry between the two teams. What kind of series are you expecting on Thursday?

I don’t care about the rivalry. I’m not French. I just want to win and play my best. It doesn’t matter who we’re facing, whether it’s Gentle Mates, Galions, or Vitality.Bee. It’s cool for the fans, they’re always happy when we beat Gentle Mates. But for us as players, we’re focused on the game itself, not the opponent or anything outside of it. The rivalry is just a little bonus, but it’s not something we think about beforehand.

Has anything changed regarding a potential move to Paris or Berlin? And if so, do you see yourself playing in the LEC next year?

It changed a lot. Even this split, I spent three months here with my team and we already played EMEA Masters together. The Ukrainian Esports Federation is making progress and has been helping me a lot, so I have more freedom now. Before, it was really difficult. The war had just started, the country was adapting, and I had to write official letters just to leave for a month at most.

Now, after working with them for the past two years, things are much better. I recently got a French residence permit for four or five years, which means I can stay in Europe long-term and probably work in Germany too. I no longer have to worry about visa issues. I’d say my chances of playing in the LEC are now the highest they've ever been.

Kim "Canna" Chang-dong's been playing great all year, and his spot won’t be easy to take. What’s your opinion on him?

Canna is not like other players. For me, the biggest gap between rank one and rank two in any role in the LEC is in toplane, and Canna created that gap. Midlane might be more OP, so Vladi (Vladimiros Kourtidis) can have more impact, but Canna is still better. Even if Vladi is also the GOAT, Canna is G+, and the second-best toplaner is S-.

Do you think you can take his spot?

I think it’s pretty hard. The guy is doing an amazing job. He’s not like some Koreans who go to NA to chill — he’s actually improving. You can tell just by watching him. Two years ago, he wasn’t this good. His mindset is solid, his English is better, and in my opinion, he’s Karmine Corp’s best player. Caliste is also really good — I’m his biggest fan — but when I watch Canna from a toplane perspective, I’m always shocked by how big the gap is. I’m not aiming to take his spot; I just want to become a better player.

I’ve scrimmed against him, it was tough. I sometimes played the same matchup 30 times a day, for three days straight, just to prepare. Then I’d come in, pick that matchup into Canna, and win. I’d solo kill him, even in basic, popular matchups. If you put in enough work, it pays off. I saw that against him. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I had games where I solo killed him or had a 20-30 CS lead, but that was one game out of five. I still have a lot of growing to do.

How do you feel about NAVI entering the LEC? As the top Ukrainian player and one of the best ERL toplaners, do you see yourself possibly joining them?

I was a big CS:GO fan because of NAVI, so seeing them join LEC was a great surprise. Should I ever make it to the LEC, if it's not with Karmine Corp, representing a Ukrainian org like NAVI would be a dream. Right now, I’m just focused on tryharding, and I would be happy to be in the LEC with any team, but if I had to choose, KC and NAVI are the two teams closest to my heart.