KC vs MKOI, Clash of Champions – LEC Summer 2025 Preview

Week 2 of the LEC Summer Split is looking promising, as this year’s split champions, Karmine Corp (KC) and Movistar KOI (MKOI), will face off this weekend.

The rivalry between the two teams goes beyond the Rift; it is also a competition that extends to all sports and many other areas between Spain and France. In their last two encounters, MKOI prevailed after some thrilling five-game series. And while KC head coach Rehareha “Reha” Ramanana told us that “the real revenge will be played later, in BO5,” this BO3 will offer an initial taste of what’s to come.

It’s High Stakes between KC and MKOI

For KC, it’s about ending the first two weeks of the group stage undefeated. The record would almost certainly secure them a spot in the upper bracket, leaving them just one Bo5 victory away from a spot at Worlds. As for MKOI, the stakes are equally high: they face the two best teams in Group A right from the start of the competition (GIANTX and KC). A slow start could prove fatal in their pursuit of the upper bracket of the LEC Season Finals. Even worse, they would have no room for further error, as another upset against Vitality or NAVI could cost them a spot in playoffs…

But on paper, MKOI are the favorites going into Week 2. As last split’s champions, they are also coming off an international campaign where they undoubtedly learned a lot. Although their performance at MSI left much to be desired, they still managed to take a game against T1 in a Bo3 at EWC. There is still a question mark over their current form, as the team resumed scrims relatively late. In addition, they have repeatedly stated that their hard work was the key to their success in Spring.

Will they return with the same determination as at the start of Summer? Melzhet emphasized this in an interview with Esportmaniacos: “I’m not going to relax, nor will I let anyone else relax. It’s obvious that winning the LEC twice in a row is harder than winning it once.”

Will KC’s mid/jungle survive the early game?

It’s also a clash of styles that should play out this Sunday. On one side, KC’s relatively slow and controlled early game contrasts with their explosive mid-game and team fights around objectives. On the other hand, there is MKOI’s fast and aggressive play, relying on their macro, lane swap expertise, and mechanical prowess to provoke advantageous skirmishes from the start. While both teams seem to be the most talented in the league in terms of raw skills, they each excel in their own areas and at different stages of the game, where they feel most comfortable as a team. Myrwn has proven that he is capable of raising his individual game to an international level, and sometimes even stepping up and taking on more responsibility. So I’m not as worried about him in 1v1 against the best toplaner in the league as I would be for others.

With this in mind, the mid-jungle duo is where I think this match could be decided, much like the two BO5s in Spring. While Jojopyun has had his ups and downs during his international campaign, he has once again proven himself capable of competing with the world’s best on an individual level. Elyoya, on the other hand, struggled much more, but if he can regain his Spring playoffs form, Vladi and Yike have cause for concern. Especially because of their chemistry with Alvaro, who often helps them to find winning plays early.

It was often in skirmishes around the mid lane that Karmine fell behind against MKOI, and last weekend’s matches proved that KC’s snowballing problems around their midlaner and jungler have not been completely resolved. It remains to be seen whether the Spring champion will be able to exploit this weakness again, or whether KC will be able to mitigate it and calmly enter the midgame, where they simply look untouchable in the region.