KCorp commits to big coaching shakeup after flop in 1st LEC split

Kcorp has appointed Rehareha “Reha” Ramanana as the new head coach for the team, landing Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi on the bench.

Karmine Corp’s debut in the LEC is not what the team or its fans were expecting. After making waves in the LFL and winning European Masters multiple times, Kcorp looked the part of a promising contender. The newcomers could challenge the status quo in the LEC but after three weeks of competing at the highest level, Kcorp proved to be all drama-stirring bark and no game-winning bite.

The LEC 2024 Winter Split doesn’t have the easiest of formats for a team that is just getting used to a new level. There are three weeks of regular season play and each team plays nine matches. After that, the top eight teams advance to the playoffs. The competition is fast and as Kcorp quickly found out, there is no room for mistakes. By the end of week two, Kcorp was at the bottom of the standings with six losses and no wins, the writing was on the wall that a change was coming. Kcorp won just two matches, which wasn’t enough to move on to the next stage.

Fans were disappointed but are seemingly patient, understanding the team needed more time to adjust. Kcorp was seemingly less patient, and surprised its fans by announcing the promotion of Reha, demoting YamatoCannon.

YamatoCannon benched by Kcorp before LEC Spring Split

YamatoCannon will be on Kcorp’s bench at the start of the LEC Spring Split after the team finished last place in the prior split.

Reha, who stepped down from his role as head coach when the team transitioned from the LFL to the LEC, is back in charge. After the announcement, YamatoCannon said he would be taking time to process the news. The decision garnered mostly negative reactions.

According to fans, the team’s drafts were the one saving grace of the split. When the team’s comms were shared, it became evident that their issues ran deeper than coaching. Support Raphael “Targamas” Crabbe said little throughout the games, when traditionally support players are vocal and are the in-game shot-callers. A support that doesn’t communicate is simply not doing their job correctly, unless the team is taking a generally unorthodox approach.

Fans speculate that YamatoCannon’s benching stems from him pushing for roster changes, though it’s unclear whether this is the case. Kcorp is seemingly adamant about keeping its starting five for the next season and ultimately, there’s nowhere to go but up.