MSI 2026 Team Review: Karmine Corp Falling Desperately Below Expectations
As the LEC’s second seed, Karmine Corp had a difficult task. Qualifying out of the MSI Play-Ins stage was going to be tough. Getting past T1 is a tall order for any team in the world. However, they did not reach that stage. Bowing out before the rematch against T1 was a massive disappointment. Not only did they lose to Team Liquid Alienware, but they did not come close to winning.
Karmine Corp’s MSI Results
Karmine Corp played three series at MSI. They won their first, but then lost the next two. All three series ended as 3-0s.
- Won 3-0 against Relove Deep Cross Gaming
- Lost 3-0 to T1
- Lost 3-0 to Team Liquid Alienware
Karmine Corp Player Review
Canna
- Total Apex Rating – 6.1 (tied 2nd among top laners, tied 19th among players)
- Champions Played
- Gnar (2)
- Renekton (2)
- Rumble (2)
- Sion (2)
- Vayne
Canna started MSI dominantly. He won lane against both Flauren and Doran. KC put all their eggs into the Canna basket in game three against T1. It almost worked, but he made one mistake. He was not himself against Team Liquid Alienware, dying solo to Morgan. The rest of the series was not his fault, but he was a shell of himself.
Yike
- Total Apex Rating – 5.8 (6th among junglers, tied 27th among players)
- Champions Played
- Naafiri (2)
- Qiyana (2)
- Wukong (2)
- Jarvan IV
- Vi
- Xin Zhao
Yike had a disappointing tournament. In our opinion, he was not as bad as many have said. He had horrible moments, but there were also times where he shone. The final series was his worst, as he struggled to match Josedeodo. While the invade in game one against T1 was bad, if he had landed the smite, the game may have looked different.
Kyeahoo
- Total Apex Rating – 6.2 (6th among mid laners, 18th among players)
- Champions Played
- Anivia (2)
- Cassiopeia (2)
- Orianna (2)
- Taliyah (2)
- Ryze
Kyeahoo was the most stable member of the KC roster. He rarely had a disappointing performance. He had one significant mistake in game two against Team Liquid Alienware. Walking into melee range with Josedeodo’s Lee Sin in the Drake fight was a cost to his team.
Caliste
- Total Apex Rating – 4.6 (10th among bot laners, 46th among players)
- Champions Played
- Ezreal (2)
- Varus (2)
- Ashe
- Caitlyn
- Yunara
- Zeri
- Ziggs
Caliste did not show up at MSI in the way he would have wanted. For a player who dominated at his debut international tournament, he failed. He was often the team’s weak point in their losses. While losing to Peyz is not a surprise, being outperformed by Yeon was not expected. Yeon himself was not impressive, making Caliste’s drop-off worse. Even against Relove Deep Cross Gaming, Caliste made mistakes.
Busio
- Total Apex Rating – 5.2 (6th among supports, ties 34th among players)
- Champions Played
- Camille (2)
- Seraphine (2)
- Alistar
- Bard
- Lulu
- Neeko
- Rell
Busio was a difference-maker at previous international tournaments. He had moments at MSI, but was not consistent enough. Perhaps his best performance was game two against T1. He dragged KC to a lead, and nearly found the perfect angle to win the final fight of the game. He underperformed against Team Liquid Alienware and did not have the same impact as CoreJJ.
Karmine Corp Review
While many players on the team underperformed, that was not the worst aspect of their MSI run. Their drafting missed the mark, especially against Team Liquid Alienware. They gave the LCS second seed almost everything that they would have wanted. Allowing Josedeodo to play Lee Sin was their first mistake. Then, for some reason, they willingly picked Jarvan IV into it.
Often when you give a team a champion they dominate on, you must have an answer. KC did not seem to have that. KC was known for their teamfighting in the LEC. However, it never felt like they drafted for their style. One of the comments that popped up after their elimination was that not only did they not know Team Liquid Alienware, but they did not know themselves. KC was never expected to qualify for the Bracket Stage. But losing 3-0 to Team Liquid Alienware was a massive disappointment.
More MSI Content
Below is some of the previous MSI content on Total Apex, for the team reviews.
