MSI 2026 Match Review – T1 Versus Karmine Corp: T1 Shut Out Another Team Despite Struggles

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By:Devin Morris
The MSI 2026 Logo

T1 and Karmine Corp won their first series at MSI. As a result, they met each other in the Upper Bracket of the Play-Ins. KC had moments where they should have won, especially in the second game. Ultimately, T1 had the clutch factor to recover and win the series 3-0. KC will need to beat Team Liquid Alienware to get a rematch against T1.

MSI 2026: Game One Review

T1 beating KC to reach the Qualification match at MSI 2026
Image of T1 beating KC at MSI, courtesy of LoL Esports

Draft

T1 – Blue Side

  • Jayce
  • Nocturne
  • Akali
  • Mel
  • Pyke

Karmine Corp – First Pick

  • Sion
  • Naafiri
  • Orianna
  • Ashe
  • Seraphine

Explodes Through Bot Lane

Yike goes for an early invade with lane priority. He loses the Smite battle to Oner. It gets worse for KC as T1 wins the 3v3 with two kills to one. Bot Lane continues to snowball with Peyz and Keria dominating. T1 has a 3.5k gold lead at 9 minutes.

Pandemonium Continues

T1 keeps up the aggression throughout the map. Busio and Caliste can not comfortably play the game. KC does fight back with T1, giving over a couple of kills for no reason. Kyeahoo is the only person with a gold lead on KC, while T1 secures every objective.

Overloading Through Side Lanes

KC attempts to overload side lanes to keep the game from snowballing. They get a handful of kills, but T1 always gets more on the rest of the map. T1 wins the Cloud Soul fight and secures Baron, even with Faker dead. T1 draws KC towards the Elder Drake, and everyone explodes.

Player Ratings

T1

  • Doran – 8
  • Oner – 9
  • Faker – 7
  • Peyz – 8
  • Keria – 8

KC

  • Canna- 5
  • Yike – 3
  • Kyeahoo – 4
  • Caliste – 2
  • Busio – 4

Player of the Game – Oner

MSI 2026: Game Two Review

T1 – Blue Side

  • Gragas
  • Wukong
  • Syndra
  • Caitlyn
  • Bard

Karmine Corp – First Pick

  • Renekton
  • Qiyana
  • Cassiopeia
  • Ezreal
  • Camille

More Trades in Bot Lane

Oner sneaks into Yike’s bot side. He ganks the lane early, and it ends up in a 2-for-2 trade. Yike goes for a repeat gank, but Oner is in position to respond. Busio and Yike die. KC stabilizes the game with a dive on Keria and Peyz while Oner ganks Canna.

KC Keeps a Lead

Most of the time, T1 gets a kill, KC responds in kind. Faker gets a lot of time alone to recover in the game. KC collapses on T1 in the Soul fight, and they win the fight. Kyeahoo solo kills Faker, and the tides turn towards T1.

T1 Pulls the Trigger

Even with Faker dead, T1 pulls the trigger in the four versus four and crushes KC before Kyeahoo arrives. They get the Baron as well, and the KC gold lead disappears. KC tries to send onto T1 for the Soul fight, but is too far. Busio, Canna, and Caliste die, while T1 denies the Soul.

Messy Late Game

T1 gets the Baron, but loses Doran. Canna goes in and dies. However, T1 is off pace and has to give up the Mountain Soul. Busio goes on a flank. He has the angle on Peyz, but Keria buys enough time. Peyz survives, and the entire KC team falls.

Player Ratings

T1

  • Doran – 7
  • Oner- 8
  • Faker – 7
  • Peyz – 7
  • Keria – 8

Karmine Corp

  • Canna – 7
  • Yike – 7
  • Kyeahoo – 8
  • Caliste – 5
  • Busio – 8

Player of the Game – Keria

MSI 2026: Game Three Review

Draft

T1 – Second Pick

  • Yorick
  • Jarvan IV
  • Ryze
  • Lucian
  • Milio

Karmine Corp – Blue Side

  • Gnar
  • Xin Zhao
  • Anivia
  • Varus
  • Neeko

More Fighting in Bot Lane

Peyz and Keria force both Summoner Spells from Caliste in the early game. Oner visits with a gank, which Yike reads. Oner gets both kills, but Caliste is behind. Faker shows up shortly after, and the KC bot lane dies again. Canna is the only point of strength for KC. Canna teleports towards the bot lane to save his team, but he arrives too late. Peyz gets two kills, and everyone on T1 lives. KC targets Doran as the only weak point. They can not play wherever Peyz is.

T1 Get Cocky

T1 catches Busio and thinks they are too far ahead. They Realm Warp into four, and everyone but Keria and Doran dies. KC gets the Baron to neutralize the gold.

Canna Versus Peyz

Canna dies twice within minutes to Peyz, and the game stabilizes for T1. Peyz dashes forward and dares Yike to go in. He takes the bait, and T1 slams the fight to end the series.

Player Ratings

T1

  • Doran – 3
  • Oner – 6
  • Faker – 7
  • Peyz – 9
  • Keria – 9

Karmine Corp

  • Canna – 8
  • Yike – 5
  • Kyeahoo – 5
  • Calsite – 3
  • Busio – 3

Player of the Game – Peyz

MSI 2026: Series Ratings

Keria's quote during a post match interview at MSI
Image of Keria’s quote in the post match interview after beating KC at MSI, courtesy of LoL Esports

T1

Doran – 5.0

Doran’s team fighting in the second game was impressive. His ability to find and isolate the vital targets is better than most. He was the target for KC in game three and had nothing to do.

Oner – 7.0

Oner ran the show in game one after the Smite win against Yike. He was also pivotal in giving his bot lane a lead in the final game. A couple of mistakes in that game lowered his overall score.

Faker – 7.0

Faker had a solid series. Most of the time, the games happened around him, instead of with him. He delivered when T1 needed him.

Peyz – 8.0

Peyz had a better performance in the series. He had a couple of unnecessary deaths, but overall was the focal point for T1. He took control of the final game and never let go.

Keria – 8.5 (Total Apex Player of the Series)

Keria is a magician at times. He fashions plays out of nothing. The Pyke was incredible as usual. His Bard was clutch to keep Peyz alive in the final fight, and he enabled his bot lane partner on the Milio.

Karmine Corp

Canna – 6.7

Canna was by far the best player for KC in the series. They put all the eggs into his basket, and he nearly delivered the win against a fed Peyz.

Yike – 5.0

Yike rebounded after a difficult game one. He combined well with Busio in the second game, but the team dropped the ball.

Kyeahoo – 5.7

Kyeahoo was never the reason for KC’s loss. Much like Faker, the game was played away from him. When KC needed him, he delivered, but it was not enough.

Caliste – 3.3

Caliste at First Stand last year seems like a different player in this series. He was put to the test by T1’s bot lane, and he failed.

Busio – 5.0

Busio’s most impressive game was on Camille. Despite dying early, he kept going and was the reason why KC had a lead. He also failed the test against T1’s bot lane.

More LoL Esports Content

Below is all the previous MSI content on Total Apex. You can expect more MSI articles in the following weeks.

Devin Morris is a Gaming Writer and Esports Editor for Total Apex Media. Devin is a gaming fanatic from little old South Africa. Devin has had a passion for gaming and writing from a young age. Devin's early favorites were Age of Empires, FIFA and Need for Speed games. As Devin grew older he moved into more competitive gaming, focusing on Overwatch, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. Devin also sinks way too many hours into Destiny 2!

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