G2 Esports took home the LEC 2026 Versus Playoffs championship after defeating Karmine Corp 3-2 in a grand final that went the distance.
The series looked like a quick finish when G2 raced to a 2-0 lead. But Karmine Corp refused to fold, winning Games three and four to force a deciding fifth map.
Game five turned into a late-game mess with multiple inhibitors down and both teams struggling to land the finishing blow. The turning point came during a fight around Elder Dragon.
Caps entered the Elder pit outnumbered and without Flash available. He dodged critical abilities from KC’s Aurora that would’ve killed him and likely handed KC the series. Labrov followed up with a perfectly-timed Neeko ultimate that caught multiple KC players and swung the fight in G2’s favor.
The community erupted over Caps’ positioning and Labrov’s execution. That single sequence broke open the game and let G2 close out the series.
KC’s jungler Yike drew heavy criticism for his Maokai play throughout the series, particularly his AP build choice and objective setups. Meanwhile, G2’s SkewMond received praise for his jungle performance across all five games.
The victory sends G2 to First Stand as the LEC’s representative. They clinched the title on the back of clutch late-game decision-making, though their shaky mid-games nearly cost them the trophy.
