The match was highly anticipated, but in the end, it was over in a flash. On Monday evening, following
G2 Esports' victory over Fnatic, Karmine Corp made quick work of Movistar KOI, sweeping them 2-0 in the second round of the upper bracket of the LEC Winter Split playoffs. The Spanish squad struggled to make an impact, particularly in Game 1, where they managed to secure just a single kill before their Nexus fell at 26:51. That lone elimination matched the tally of KC's toplane T3 under which David “Supa” Garcia willingly executed himself to deny the Blue Wall any additional gold.
Karmine Corp wasted no time highlighting the stat on its official account, and it also didn’t escape the notice of Monsieur Yordle, data analyst for OTP, the primary French broadcaster. Known for his statistical breakdowns of individual players, he extended the same treatment to the turret, further rubbing salt into the wounds of KC’s Franco-Spanish rivals. Another stat that delighted KC fans was the KDA of Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun. Across three games against KC—one in the regular season and two in Monday's series—the former Cloud9 prodigy failed to secure a single elimination, ending with a 0/12/8 KDA overall.
Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis was quick to mock his direct opponent once again, just as he had after their first encounter on January 19. “
Not much to say since I was vs NA mid,” the Greek midlaner quipped on X, capping off an impressive weekend performance. KC’s botlane also lived up to expectations, particularly after Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert’s
pointed remarks about Movistar KOI’s duo. “
Supa (David Garcia)
and Alvaro (Álvaro Fernández del Amo)
are pretty good, but honestly, I'm not sure if they are better than Carzzy (Matyáš Orság)
and Hylissang (Zdravets Galabov),” the rising KC star commented after his team’s victory over Vitality.
The French squad’s botlane backed up those words
with a crucial 2v2 win in the first minutes of Game 1, setting up Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé’s Poppy for two early kills. Targamas continued his strong form throughout the series, securing a brilliant engage in Game 2 with Renata Glasc, thanks to Caliste’s Kalista ultimate.
With this dominant performance, KC enters the upper bracket final brimming with confidence. Kamel “Kameto” Kebir’s team will now face the reigning two-time LEC champions, G2, who seem to have regained their peak form after a slow start. Regardless of the outcome, KC has already secured a top-three finish in the Winter Split—its best result since joining the
League of Legends EMEA elite.
