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LEC Spring Match of the Week: Karmine Corp take on Fnatic in a Winter banger rematch
The 2025 LEC Spring returns for Week 2 as teams continue their pursuit of Playoffs spots. This time around, our match of the week sees Karmine Corp take on Fnatic in a clash of titans that has 'grudge match' written all over it.
With the reigning LEC Champions eager to defend their crown, Fnatic vs Karmine Corp promises to deliver some of the highest League of Legends in Europe when the two teams take the stage on Sunday, April 6th.
Fnatic Spring for Revenge
The last time Fnatic faced off against Karmine Corp was during the Lower Bracket Finals of the 2025 LEC Winter Playoffs. After securing the first two games in the Bo5 series, KC took their eyes off the ball just long enough for Fnatic to bounce back and even out the series after outdrafting their opponents in consecutive games.
Karmine Corp, in true champions' fashion, locked in at the right time to utterly demolish their rivals in the final game of the series, taking down Fnatic in just 25 minutes of play. After falling just short of completing the reverse sweep and securing a spot in the Grand Finals, Fnatic will now come into this Spring Split matchup hungry to score revenge on Karmine Corp.
The Varus Conundrum
Over the course of Week 1, Varus put up a whopping 71.4% win rate while also sharing the top spot for the most picked champions of the week. Facing off against a player of Caliste's caliber, Fnatic will not want to head into this match without an answer for the pick.
Now, the team will have to make a choice between banning Varus straight up, first-picking it for Upset if given the chance to do so, or risk being on the receiving end of yet another oppressive display by Caliste on the pick.
Make no mistake, Upset is no slouch, but the truth is Caliste has feels extremely comfortable on the pick, something which has allowed him to seamlessly create space for himself as well as his teammates in fights in the past.
With Kalista already being a near perma-ban at the LEC, Fnatic will have to spend not one but two ADC bans on shutting down the young French star, and might be forced to find a compromise.
Momentum or Fatigue?
After Fnatic's shock loss to SK Gaming to close out Week 1, there's no doubt momentum should be on the side of Karmine Corp coming into our match of the week. And yet, the truth is Karmine Corp have hardly had a chance to catch their breath since the 2025 season started.
Following their victory at the LEC Winter Season, KC immediately flew to First Stand to represent the region at the first international tournament of the year. There, the team once more made it all the way to the Grand Finals after a grueling week of non-stop matches at the highest level.
To start their Spring journey, Karmine Corp took down Movistar KOI in a match they frankly had no business winning. The LEC Champions looked in need of a break as they fell behind to the Spanish side on the final game of their match before MKOI's indecisiveness effectively handed KC the win in the end.
With an unrelenting schedule ahead, Karmine Corp's winning ways are proving to be both a blessing and a curse. Can they keep up the pace, or will Fnatic manage to knock what little wind is left in the boys in blue?
Prediction: Settling Things in the Jungle
The match between Fnatic and Karmine Corp in Week 2 will pit what may well be the two best junglers in the LEC against one another once more. With Yike lifiting an incredible 7 consecutive LEC titles, Razork has long remained in the Swedish star's shadow despite often being the driving force behind everything Fnatic do well on the rift.
For now, Yike continues to look for more in sync with the rest of his team than his opposing jungler on Fnatic, and will look to come out and dictate how and when Karmine Corp execute the plays that will push them towards success.
Expect a messy and hectic match this time around while both squads continue to figure out how best to navigate Fearless Draft at the LEC Spring Split. In the end, though, Karmine Corp should manage to come away with the 2-0 win when they take Fnatic on in this battle of LEC powerhouses.
Our voters also agree with the pick, with an overwhelming 63% of the Strafe fan votes choosing Karmine Corp to win the match, with that number expected to continue to rise before the start of the match on Sunday, April 6th, at 7 pm CET.
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Featured image credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games
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