LEC Versus 2026 Playoffs: G2 Esports Overcome Karmine Corp 2-0 in a Highly Contested Matchup

For the second matchup of the day, the Upper Bracket Semifinals brought together G2 Esports and Karmine Corp. This series was played in a Best-of-3 format under the Fearless Draft system, with the winner advancing to the Upper Bracket Final and securing a top-4 spot at LEC Versus 2026. Based on the current form of both rosters, Karmine Corp entered the server as the clear favorites in this confrontation. Let's dive into the game review to see how the action unfolded.

Game 1 Picks:

• Karmine Corp: Sion, Zaahen, Azir, Ezreal, Bard
• G2 Esports: Gwen, Vi, Taliyah, KaiSa, Neeko

Game 2 Picks:

• Karmine Corp: Galio, Ambessa, Anivia, Ash, Seraphine
• G2 Esports: Rumble, Jarvan IV, Ryze, Corki, Nami

G2 Esports began this match very actively. They managed to secure First Blood in the top lane, with the kill going to Vi. Furthermore, they successfully claimed the first Infernal Dragon. This consistent pressure across all lanes allowed them to build an early game advantage of 2,500 gold.

G2 Esports also managed to dictate the pace of the mid-game. They secured four dragons in total and increased their gold lead to 6,000. By this point, the kill score had grown to 11-5 in favor of G2 Esports.

Karmine Corp attempted to fight back by finding decent kills and looking for favorable engagement opportunities. However, the four dragons and the substantial gold advantage accumulated by G2 Esports simply prevented KC from executing any successful turnaround. The first map goes to G2 Esports quite confidently and without any real suspense.

On this map, G2 Esports once again demonstrated heavy pressure across all lanes and capitalized effectively on KC's mistakes. It was crucial for Karmine Corp to establish early dominance, but G2 Esports denied them any snowball opportunities and managed to build a 4,000 gold lead by the 15-minute mark.

G2 Esports maintained their momentum, eventually pushing their advantage to 8,000 gold. However, Karmine Corp is a team with extensive experience; they played exceptionally well from behind, repeatedly clawing their way back into the game just when it seemed over.

Ultimately, Karmine Corp managed to secure the Elder Dragon and attempted a mid-lane push, believing they could finish the game while several G2 Esports champions were dead. This led to a dramatic base race rather than a simple teamfight defeat for KC. G2 Esports executed their defense perfectly, but more importantly, their remaining members simply had enough damage output to destroy the enemy Nexus first, leaving Karmine Corp unable to respond due to long respawn timers.

In a very tightly contested matchup, G2 Esports advance to the Upper Bracket Final, while Karmine Corp drop down to the lower bracket.

In 2026, the LEC Versus format does not include a cash prize. Instead of a prize pool, teams are competing for qualification to the international tournament, First Stand 2026. The match format changes during the playoff stage: early rounds are held as Best-of-3 (Bo3) series, while key and final matchups are played in a Best-of-5 (Bo5) format. These matches will determine the team that secures a slot for the international stage.