Sources: Busio set to join Karmine Corp in LEC

Support Alan “Busio” Cwalina will be joining Karmine Corp for the 2026 season, sources tell Sheep Esports on Wednesday. The North American support, whose contract with FlyQuest expires this month, drew heavy interest from several Western teams during the offseason, including Shopify Rebellion, LYON, and Karmine Corp, while also having the opportunity to re-sign with FlyQuest. After weighing his options, Busio has opted to move to Europe and compete in the LEC. Targamas was the club's second option in case Busio chose another team.

Busio has spent the past two years forming what many consider the best botlane in North America alongside Fahad “Massu” Abdulmalek. The duo helped FlyQuest capture the first three LTA titles in the organization’s history—all in the span of a single year—and consistently ranked among the top-performing pairs in the region. Despite FlyQuest’s early exit from Worlds 2025 in the Swiss Stage, Busio’s domestic success made him one of the most sought-after supports heading into the new competitive cycle.

Karmine Corp’s interest in Busio was driven by both performance and practicality. The 21-year-old holds a Polish passport, granting him EU residency status, as reported first by En Bref. His arrival will let the organization retain Kim “Canna” Chang-dong in the toplane and pursue the import of a South Korean midlaner, as previously reported by Sheep Esports. Busio would not be able to join if he couldn't become an EU resident.

Busio is expected to replace Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé, who served as Karmine Corp’s support during the 2025 season. With this move, KC aims to strengthen its bot side and bring the aggressive, mechanically gifted playstyle that defined Busio’s time in the LCS to the European stage.

During the offseason, Karmine Corp explored several options for the Support role, including Polat "Parus" Furkan Çiçek and Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus. Ultimately, with the region lacking supports stronger than Targamas according to KC, the decision came down to Targamas and Busio, with Karmine Corp offering a compelling deal to secure Busio. Alongside this signing and the re-signing of Canna, and factoring in the remaining midlane options, Karmine Corp is set to significantly increase their roster spending next year, placing them among the league’s top budgets. Sheep Esports will provide a full update in 2026.

LYON, FlyQuest, and Shopify Rebellion and other teams all engaged in discussions with Busio during the offseason. LYON, in the middle of an ambitious rebuild around its midlaner Kang "Saint" Sung-in, also pursued Kacper “Inspired” Słoma and Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas, but ultimately could not land Busio’s signature. The organization also expressed interest in Bill "Eyla" Nguyen in parallel.

Karmine Corp now secures one of the most promising support players in the West, reinforcing its ambition to return to the top of the LEC standings after a turbulent 2025 season. With this move, Europe has absorbed the Support domino of the LCS, similarly to how Movistar KOI did in midlane last year when they acquired Joseph "Jojopyun" Pyun.

EDIT: Corrected a typing mistake stating that Karmine Corp made a strong offer to Targamas; the offer was actually made to Busio.

For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub and Offseason Live Tracker.