KCorp vs Vitality LEC Winter Playoffs 2025 Preview: The Trap Match

Karmine Corp have qualified for the winter play-offs for the first time in the org’s history. Opposing them this Sunday at 8 PM CET is Vitality. A reminder that for the first time in EMEA, all matches will be played in Hard Fearless Draft mode for the Winter playoffs only. A closer look.

After three weeks of Regular Season, every LEC team has already showcased a glimpse of their shape coming into 2025. For two of them – Rogue and SK Gaming – it’s already time for vacations as we’ll get to see them perform again in 2 months, for the start of the Spring Split. But the players and staffs in the region never stop reminding us: these first 9 games aren’t of much interest if it is for both eliminated teams. For others, it’s now time for the real deal.

Even seeding is not important at all, it is just a matter of winning as many matches as possible to lift the trophy and attend the first edition of First Stand, the new international event with the champions of every major league. Despite a rough last week where they went 1-2, Karmine Corp has been living up to the hype by beating the likes of KOI and G2 in the first, and completing a 3-0 week in the second (2nd place in regular season with a 6-3 overall record). On the other hand, Vitality have exceeded my expectations by winning most of their Regular Season games (5th place in the regular season with a 5-4 overall record).

KCorp vs Vitality – Early Against Mid Game

I didn’t expect that much from such a young and unexperienced roster to be honest. I knew Mac and Pad magic could do the trick, but not that early in 2025. Nothing is set in stone so far, and they could still finish 8th of the split. But even their progression in their path to the play-offs has followed a fairly logical – but impressive – trajectory. They only lost to the top four teams and won against every other – beating the likes of GIANTX and BDS in very convincing fashions. I remember that the match where they impressed me the most was the one against KC. Not only because they were completely crushing KC’s botlane in early game. But also because they did exactly what I expected them to do when they entered the midgame. I told my friends after they had a 2.5k Golds advantage in the botlane: “Now it’s the time for Carzzy (Matyáš Orság) and Hylissang (Zdravets Galabov) to go way too deep, get punished and allow KC to complete the impossible comeback.” Ten seconds later, that’s exactly what was happening.

This single game highlights all the problems and strengths of Vitality coming into the playoffs. They may be the best early game team in the league after Fnatic at the moment. With a 79 gold advantage at 15 minutes in average, VIT did way better than Karmine Corp in this area (-535). But they tend to struggle in the mid to late game. On the contrary, Karmine Corp thrive when it comes to break the mid-game mould, and accelerate the pace of the game, even when they have a slight economic disadvantage. For me, two heads-to-heads will be keys to this match, exactly like when they faced in Week 3. The toplane, where young mechanical prodigy Kaan “Naak Nako” Okan and the league’s undisputed best toplaner, Kim “Canna” Chang-dong, will meet. It was him who got KC out of trouble by finding a catch on Carzzy with his Ambessa, which turned the game in the Blues favor.

At the same time, the clash between the botlanes will be just as important, if not more so. Another young prodigy – on the KC side this time – Caliste “Caliste” Henry-hennebert will be up against another player who has been one of the faces of the league recently: Carzzy.

The Czech ADC is still accompanied by the same support he has had for the past two years, with whom they have experienced the highest peaks as well as the lowest depths. However I have the impression that their duo is working better than ever this year. The two players have finally found each other and aren’t hesitating to take games by the scruff of the neck by playing very aggressively from the early game onwards. For better or for worse. But inconsistencies aside, when they are on a good day they are the most dangerous botlane to face in the league. Whereas for Raphël “Targamas” Crabbé and Caliste, the early game/laning phase has never been their biggest strength, even when they were playing together in the LFL in 2023.

In terms of controlling the mid game in a proper way, they clearly have the edge. I also think the Belgian support will show a much better version of himself playing in Fearless Draft – because of his large champion pool – especially if he reaches BO5s later on.

My Final Thoughts

I logically have to give this BO3 to KC. Not only because the names simply seem more gifted on paper. But also because for a team solving issues in the mid game take much more time than solving the early game – especially in this lane swaps meta. But if there has to be an upset this week-end, this match is the most auspicious occasion. I even think that if VIT botlane is on a good day, they can sweep the Blue Wall (2-0). But the stars have to be aligned, and stars never really showed mercy to the French org in the eight years they spent in the league…