LEC Versus 2026: Team Heretics Upset Karmine Corp to Clinch Playoff Spot

The fifth match features Team Heretics vs Karmine Corp. For Karmine Corp, this match holds absolutely no weight, as they have already locked in first place in the group with an 8-2 record. Team Heretics, however, sit at 5-5, and a victory here sends them to the playoffs.

Game 1 Picks:

• Team Heretics: Ambessa, Rumble, Aurora, Jhin, Nautilus
• Karmine Corp: KSante, Jayce, LeBlanc, Varus, Neeko

An unexpected pick from Team Heretics: Jungle Rumble, a very interesting experiment right at the end of the regular season. The first execution of this jungle Rumble happened at the 6-minute mark with a dive under the T1 bot tower, resulting in a double kill for Jhin. This created a full 1,000 gold lead between Jhin and Varus.

Immediately after, Karmine Corp attempted a counter-gank in the bot lane, which went poorly for them yet again. Having taken heavy damage, Varus and Neeko began to retreat, but Jhin opened up his ultimate behind them, dealing critical damage. Just in time, Aurora arrived from the mid lane and secured a double kill.

By the 12th minute, Team Heretics began applying pressure across all lanes very successfully, bringing the kill score to 8-1 in their favor. The gold advantage stood at 2,000 for TH. The only uncomfortable aspect for them was that they hadn't secured a single dragon at this stage.

After a brief lull, a full team fight broke out for the Mountain Dragon. Excellent ultimate usage from Team Heretics helped them win the fight, take the dragon, and secure Baron. Despite this, Team Heretics still didn't have a massive gold lead. However, they possessed two Mountain Dragons, which significantly hindered Karmine Corp's composition.

At the 30-minute mark, Team Heretics started Baron. It wasn't clear if Karmine Corp knew about it, but they rotated toward the objective. However, a single burst combo from Aurora deleted LeBlanc.

The final fight took place over Soul Point; Karmine Corp managed to steal the dragon but lost the fight, allowing Team Heretics to end the game. Team Heretics finish 6-5 and qualify for the playoffs.

This year, the LEC Versus 2026 does not provide a cash prize for winning the tournament. Instead, teams are competing for the opportunity to qualify for the international tournament, First Stand 2026. The Regular Season will be held in a Bo1 format where every team faces each other. In total, teams will play 11 matches each, and those with the best results will advance to the playoffs.