KCB Yukino: "I've never been treated this well in my whole career. I'm blessed to be in Karmine Corp [...] I didn't think twice taking their offer"

KCB Yukino: "I've never been treated this well in my whole career. I'm blessed to be in Karmine Corp [...] I didn't think twice taking their offer" | Sheep Esports

"I need to prove that I’m the best, so nobody regrets their decision or second-guesses whether I’m the best jungler they could’ve gotten"

Karmine Corp Blue broke their curse during the LFL Days 2025, defeating their nemesis Gentle Mates in a thrilling, back-and-forth match. With a new addition to their roster, the reigning champions of the Ligue Française de League of Legends are now aiming to build on their Flash-In success and keep the momentum going. In an exclusive interview, the team's North American import and jungler, Johnny “Yukino” Dang, sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss his move to Europe, the differences between North America and Europe, how KC has welcomed him, and his first LAN experience.

You’ve been put on a lot of Maokai duty this week, and after such a nail-biter of a final game, it must feel good to close the weekend with a win—how are you feeling about it all?

Johnny “Yukino” Dang: "Honestly, we should’ve won our game Wednesday too, but we had an incident around midlane. I won't comment any further on that. But yeah, I was definitely put on Maokai duty this week. Maokai was working a lot better for us in scrims. These two games were kind of a humbling experience for me—I got put really far behind and was struggling to find a way to come back. But I have insane teammates who honestly carried me this week. I don’t know what to say because I kinda got stomped so hard. I really got humbled. So moving forward, I need to analyze my gameplay a lot more. When I came in, I was pretty confident I was gonna smurf the league, but I still have a lot to learn, which is a good thing. It keeps me motivated, for sure. And yeah, playing my first two games on stage came with a lot of pressure.

Was this your first time playing in front of such a big and passionate crowd? And overall, how was the Évry-Courcouronnes crowd—did you enjoy it or find it stressful?

Yukino: These were my first games on stage. I’ve never experienced that before, even in North America. All my games in the NACL were remote—they were either in the office or at home. So even if I was playing in Academy, and despite it being streamed in front of 6,000 people… I never really felt like there were 6,000 people there, you know? In Évry, I could actually see them on the stage, it was pretty crazy. This was honestly the most fun I’ve had playing League of Legends ever. I wish I played better [laughs], but I liked the experience either way.

This was probably your first time getting so much attention from the media. How was it being in the spotlight like that? Was it overwhelming, especially without media training?

Yukino: It was a first for me. Honestly, I never get interviewed this often. The only interviews I’d do were probably post-game after NACL matches, and those were remote. I mean, there were a lot of people coming up to me for interviews and stuff, but I didn’t really mind it. Well—it was kind of annoying after I lost yesterday because I just wanted to go home [laughs]. Today was fine though. I had to do some fun stuff like the meet and greets before the match. We had to arrive five hours early and I kinda just wanted to play solo queue the whole time. It was nice being with the fans though. But driving here and back takes like an hour each way. My drive back home is gonna be an hour long—it’s gonna be so annoying, but it’s chill.

Joining Karmine Corp, a big org that just won Winter, must feel intimidating, especially with Mehdi "Boukada" Lahlou’s shoes to fill. It’s also your first time playing in Europe—how did you handle the nerves of being on stage with the crowd chanting your name? How did it feel as a 19-year-old in such a big moment?

Yukino: I was a bit nervous for sure. Especially since it was my first time being on stage. I don't know if it affected my gameplay or not—we’ll have to see next week, honestly. I wasn’t really happy with my performance this week. I’m not sure if it was stage fright, because I want to say I didn’t feel that nervous, but maybe deep down I was. I felt like I was playing pretty shaky, even though I was performing well in scrims. Maybe it’s our opponents that had a stage buff.

Credit: Elliot Le Corre

Joining Karmine Corp is a huge opportunity, but was it hard for you to leave your comfort zone, go to Europe, and leave your family behind? Did you stop and think about how big a change it would be to move to a different continent with a whole new culture?

Yukino: Honestly, I didn’t really think twice and hesitate about Karmine Corp’s offer. I wasn’t going to say no. I actually had plans to go to Korea before, because I didn’t get any offers locally from North America. I went to Europe originally just to practice solo queue and ended up getting rank 2. Honestly, I was considering semi-retiring from professional play, and I wanted to try streaming for a bit, but I always had in the back of my mind that if I wanted to go back to pro, I’d want to join a team in Europe. There are so many leagues, and so many talents moving up and down, so it’s honestly a better opportunity to play in Europe than in NA. There aren’t really many players who move up from the NACL to LTA in the Americas.

Do you see this as your best chance to take your career to the next level? And how do you compare the LFL to the NACL?

Yukino: I do think this is a better opportunity for me, for sure. I mean, I have a lot to learn, but once I fix a few things and improve, this is the best chance for me to eventually get promoted to LEC. In general, I think LFL teams are slightly better than NACL teams on average, but the higher-tier LFL teams are way better than the higher-tier NACL teams, in my opinion.

What are your expectations for this year, and are there any teams you’re excited to face now that you're in Europe?

Yukino: My expectation is to be the best I can be, so I’m really disappointed that I didn’t play well my first week. I have high expectations for myself. Even if I could blame someone else, I always try to take the blame myself. Especially yesterday, I was really hard on myself, thinking about how I could have done better. I’m looking forward to facing Los Ratones because, honestly, before I joined KC, I was watching Caedrel’s streams all the time. I just liked how they can be competitive but also entertaining at the same time. So yeah, if there was a team I was looking forward to facing, it would probably be them.

Do you think Karmine Corp Blue is the best ERL team right now with your addition?

Yukino: I have some stuff to work on, but yeah, I mean, I think my teammates are the best in their roles. I just need to reach that level, and we’ll be insane.

Credit: Elliot Le Corre

How has your time at Karmine Corp been so far? Do you feel like you got a warm welcome, especially after this weekend?

Yukino: Everyone here has treated me really well. I’m blessed to be in Karmine Corp. I’ve never been treated this well in my whole career. I just need to show the same level of respect by performing well. I need to prove that I’m the best, so nobody regrets their decision or second-guesses whether I’m the best jungler they could’ve gotten.

Do you have any last words for the fans?

Yukino: Merci. Yeah, thanks. Thank you, guys. I’ll be better. That’s all I can say."

Header Photo Credit: Elliot Le Corre