LoL: "No matter who we sent, we were going to be the weakest region" — Caliste on Europe’s performance at MSI

French AD Carry for Karmine Corp, Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert, spoke on stream about the current state of Europe following the early eliminations of G2 Esports and Movistar KOI at the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational in Vancouver. He also addressed the comments made by Anyone's Legend head coach Wong "Tabe" Pak Kan regarding his team's practice schedule, and shared his thoughts on what he sees as a lack of pressure on LEC players.

Caliste first addressed Europe’s performance at MSI, saying it came as no surprise to see G2 and KOI among the first teams eliminated. G2 suffered a clean sweep at the hands of FlyQuest, while KOI were taken down by a more clinical CTBC Flying Oyster. Reflecting on the region’s level, he stated plainly, “No matter who we sent, we were going to be the weakest region,” suggesting that such an outcome was inevitable regardless of which LEC team qualified.

In a stream by Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, Coach Tabe detailed the demanding workload imposed on his team: waking up around 1 PM, a first scrim block at 2 PM, a second at 7 PM, and a third at 10 PM. Players take breaks to eat and nap before grinding Solo Queue from 1 AM to 3 or 4 AM. Caliste compared this to Karmine Corp’s routine, explaining that "During Winter and Spring, as soon as we're in playoffs, we play eight games a day.” He also pointed out that LPL teams often fit in more games because they surrender early when a match feels lost. Offering his perspective on the difference in work ethic, Tabe summed it up bluntly: “If you are lazy, ‘ok I just lose,’ then you have no hope at all.”

Finally, Caliste addressed what he sees as a lack of pressure on LEC players, pointing out that some don’t put in the necessary work but still collect their paycheck without consequence. He believes the absence of strong accountability holds the region back. “If there were coaches or staff saying either you work or you're out,’ it would change things,” he explained, adding that “in this scene, people are too nice.”

These testimonies often spark debate and contrast sharply with the approaches of South Korean and Chinese teams, which are typically seen as stricter and more rigorous. Coaches like Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun, for example, have often been criticized for being too harsh with players, but their results proved worthwhile in building one of the biggest esports organizations in the world. More extreme cases have also been documented, such as Kim "cvMax" Dae-ho, who has now returned to the LCK with Dplus KIA. The South Korean coach had a history of mismanagement controversies during his time with Griffin.