Karmine Corp stormed into the 2025 League of Legends EMEA Championship with a strong start, quickly grasping the meta and outpacing their rivals. Others have caught up, though, exposing KC’s weaknesses, as the team’s head coach said. With playoffs now looming, they must stay ahead or risk falling behind.
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After a disappointing 2024 season, KC entered 2025 with renewed ambitions, hoping to cement themselves as title contenders, and in the first three weeks of competition, the team quickly established themselves as one of the strongest in the league. In an interview with Dot Esports, head coach Rehareha “Reha” Ramanana spoke about the team’s early success and the challenges they now face in maintaining their momentum during playoffs.
Karmine Corp coach, Reha, during LEC EMEA 2025 Winter Split. Photo by Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games.
In his second year with KC in the LEC, Reha said he massively improved in several aspects, particularly in his understanding of mid-game strategy. He admitted that failing to grasp key objectives can lead to being completely overwhelmed, as seen in some of KC’s last matches in the LEC Winter regular season. Beyond strategy, Reha is also adjusting to his first splits with new colleagues and teammates, saying that being able to “do the right things” in a human management aspect is as important as in-game strategy.
But focusing on the team’s strength on Summoner’s Rift, Reha said one of KC’s biggest assets this season has been their ability to adapt to the evolving meta. He pointed at how the team was initially ahead of the competition, quickly understanding the game’s shifting landscape, which allowed KC to secure important victories early on, like in their game against G2 Esports.
But as other teams caught up, KC struggled to maintain their edge and suffered losses to GIANTX and Fnatic, which exposed some of their key weaknesses. The coach pointed out how the team struggled in recent games due to poor objective-based systems and difficulties making proactive plays without pushing lanes. “We have a massive hole in our understanding of gameplay in the last few days,” said Reha. “We need to make sure we are ahead.”
Pas grand chose à dire, on était pas du tout au rendez-vous ce weekend, c’en est ma responsabilité.
On reste seed 2, full focus sur la suite, fearless, playoffs, pour que ce genre de performance ne se reproduise plus, et qu’on aille la ou on veut aller.
Merci aux fans pour le… — KC Reha (@SKIDIDIPOPOFF) February 3, 2025
Now, with playoffs approaching, KC must prove themselves in the best-of-three format, but Fearless Draft looms in the corner as a “massive challenge” for them to overcome. He noted how the preparation will be crucial, particularly in “analyzing trends from Asia” and using data-driven strategies. “There are many scenarios and strategies we can use, and we must be smart about it,” he said.
With their playoff run at stake, all eyes will be on KC to see if they can match the passion and energy of their devoted fans in the stands. The road ahead is tough, but if KC can refine their strategies and overcome their weaknesses, their name could be etched in the LEC trophy by the end of the split.
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“Fearless Draft is a massive, exciting challenge for us”
