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Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp: Spain hosts the Frenchmen in a battle for supremacy
The 2026 LEC Versus has delivered some exciting League of Legends action so far, but it's only going to get better. With only two matches left on the split, the trophy — as well as a spot at First Stand — remains up for grabs. To decide who will take on G2 Esports in the Grand Finals, we get one of the most fiery matchups in the LEC up first in the Lower Bracket Finals: Movistar KOI vs Karmine Corp.
And to make things all the more exciting, the French side of Karmine Corp will need to enter hostile territory as they head to Barcelona to take on an Movistar KOI squad backed by thousands of Spanish fans.
All Roads Lead to G2
It's a story as old as the LEC itself: as soon as the playoffs arrive, G2 kick it up a notch. No one knows this better than Karmine Corp and Movistar KOI. Whichever team wins their Lower Bracket Finals match will move on to fight G2 for a shot at the title and a spot at First Stand, while also earning the chance to exact revenge.
Both KC and MKOI lost to G2 during these playoffs. Both teams, in fact, were swept by G2. A Grand Finals match against the long-time Kings of the LEC will see either KC or MKOI hungry to prove that the LEC is far from a one-team region. To earn the chance to do so, though, they first need to take down the foes in front of them.
For all of G2's domination of the LEC across the years, both Karmine Corp and Movistar KOI managed to take a trophy away from G2 in 2025. The chance to do so again is just one match away, so the question now is: who will get there?
Matchup to Watch: Elyoya vs Yike
Over the last couple of years, Martin "Yike" Sundelin and Javier "Elyoya" Prades Batalla have been in a constant tug of war for the title of 'best Jungler in the LEC'. Now, it will be largely up to them to get their respective teams into the finals.
The two players have similar champion pools, leaning towards the usual suspects of the current meta (Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, Vi, Pantheon...). Perhaps the biggest difference comes in the fact that Yike has shown good performances on Dr. Mundo when the pick fits KC's draft, while Elyoya has never played Mundo on-stage.
Moreover, the two Junglers have put up extremely similar stats over the course of the playoffs. For instance, only 0.03 kills per game, 16 gold per minute, 0.4% kill participation, 0.7% kill share, and 0.1% gold share separate the two players. Both Junglers also secure considerably more kills per game than their Mid Laners, demonstrating just how important Yike and Elyoya's aggression is for their teams.
As a veteran of the LEC and one of the most important League of Legends players to ever come out of Spain (none quite like xPeke, though), Elyoya might try and make the most of playing on home soil as he looks to keep Yike on the back foot throughout the series.
If Yike can manage to dictate the pace of the game against Elyoya and his horde of supporters, however, then MKOI could be in for a rough ride.
Prediction: Who Moves on to Battle G2?
Backed by the roaring Spanish crowd, Movistar KOI should feel good about the timing of this matchup. That said, Karmine Corp come hot off a clean sweep against GIANTX, and will be eager to keep that momentum going into the Grand Finals.
This should not be a one-sided affair by any means. And yet, if we're talking pound-for-pound, KC do look like the better squad (if not the best squad in the LEC). Once all is said and done, we expect Karmine Corp to complete the hostile takeover and win the series 3-1.
Our voters also agree with the choice, with an overwhelming 80% of the Strafe fan votes picking Karmine Corp to win the match.
Whichever way this matchup ends up going, it should prove to be a show to behold all the same. Make sure you tune in to the official LEC Twitch or YouTube channels to watch these two European heavyweights take each other on this Saturday, February 28, at 5 pm CET.
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Featured image credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games
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