Last year, the first split was won by Karmine Corp. Credit: Riot Games by Kirill Bashkirov
This LEC Versus will be played with twelve teams, including Karmine Corp Blue and Los Ratones
Hostilities will kick off on Saturday, January 17, at the LEC Versus and run until March 1 among the twelve participating teams. Many roster changes have taken place, with only G2 Esports and Movistar KOI opting for continuity in their lineups. Los Ratones will also arrive with the same roster.
At stake in this LEC Versus is a ticket to São Paulo, Brazil, where the winner will face the best teams in the world at the second edition of First Stand, set to take place from March 16 to 22. The Sheep Esports editorial team has produced a power ranking of the participating teams, which we present below:
LEC Versus Power Rankings. Credit: Sheep Esports
1. G2 Esports (1.10)
The Samurai rightfully claim the top spot. Unlike other LEC heavyweights like MKOI or KC, G2 delivered unmatched consistency across 2025, reaching three finals in three splits while finishing strongest with an LEC Summer title and the only Western Worlds quarterfinal appearance. Retaining their entire roster intact, they enter 2026 hungrier than ever to qualify for First Stand for the first time in the club’s history.
2. Movistar KOI (2.30)
One of the two LEC teams that made no roster changes for the 2026 season, Movistar KOI come in with the synergy of a lineup that has been playing together for several years now, and that should be strongly felt at the start of the year. Captain Javier “Elyoya” Prades remains at the helm of his squad and could very well lay claim to the throne early in the season. However, they remain behind G2 in our Power Ranking, as G2 had a stronger end to the year than KOI, both in the LEC and at Worlds.
3. Karmine Corp (2.60)
Karmine Corp appear fully equipped to defend their Winter Split title. The contract extension of Kim “Canna” Chang-dong and the arrival of Alan “Busio” Cwalina have allowed the Blue Wall to remain among the LEC’s leading contenders, while Martin “Yike” Sundelin still ranks among the league’s top junglers after a highly accomplished first season at the highest level. The only remaining question mark concerns the integration of the new midlaner, Kang “kyeahoo” Yea-hoo, who arrives directly from the LCK. Should KC manage to establish the right synergies quickly, the team could reasonably aim higher than a third-place finish. For this winter, however, the continuity at G2 Esports and Movistar KOI seems more likely to translate into immediate results.
4. Fnatic (4.50)
The Black and Orange land fourth in the power ranking, trailing the elite top 3 after a troubled 2025 that left them well behind the league’s best despite a Worlds qualification. Betting big on developing rookies Panagiotis “Empyros” Tantis and Park “Lospa” Joon-hyeong, and handing midlane to Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis, one of Europe’s most hyped prospects but also a player whose 2025 tenure at Karmine Corp was marked by well‑documented management and temperament concerns rather than on‑stage inconsistency alone. Around them, they double down on Iván “Razork” Martín and Elias “Upset” Lipp—still among the strongest at their positions but a duo whose relationship required delicate handling last year and will now be stress‑tested in a far more vocal environment.
5. GIANTX (5.70)
GIANTX are the third team to have made no changes during this offseason. Despite showing encouraging signs, the roster failed to break through its ceiling last year and did not manage to enter the top four, finishing all three splits in fifth place—a position it once again occupies in our Power Rankings. To improve on that outcome, the team will likely need more from Adam “Jackies” Jeřábek, who was more subdued last year than during his arrival in 2024. The Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek–Yoon “Jun” Se-jun botlane, now entering its third season together, should remain the Spanish squad’s primary offensive threat.
6. Team Vitality (6.50)
Last year, Team Vitality finished seventh twice and then sixth in Summer, yet they only made a single roster change, so a similar placing is what we expect from them. The arrival of Marek “Humanoid” Brázda in the midlane could reshuffle the deck and lift Vitality up a notch, but breaking into the already well-established top five of the LEC seems like a difficult hurdle for the French organization to overcome.
7. NAVI (6.60)
In what is shaping up to be a tightly contested mid-table, Natus Vincere could very well hold their ground. The Ukrainian organization’s roster is rich in promise, particularly in the toplane, where Volodymyr “Maynter” Sorokin stands out as one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from the ERLs this year. In the botlane, Lee “SamD” Jae-hoon will have additional time to demonstrate why he was once considered among the very best at his position in the LFL, while Polat “Parus” Çiçek will have an opportunity to rebound and rediscover the level he displayed with BDS Academy in 2024. On paper, the lineup is undeniably appealing.
8. Shifters (8.20)
A complete rebrand sees Team BDS become Shifters, and with it come two roster changes in the botlane. Park “Paduck” Seok-hyeon arrives from the LCK CL, while Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus makes his return to Europe. Last year, the team finished eighth in both Spring and Summer, and the changes made could take time to settle and properly fit into the Shifters puzzle.
9. Team Heretics (8.60)
In 2025, Team Heretics took a gamble on a particularly inexperienced roster, fielding three rookies. The Spanish organization has slightly adjusted its approach while remaining true to its core principles, retaining two players—the French duo Théo “Sheo” Borile and Paul “Stend” Lardin—and hiring two players who have never competed in the LEC, Sebastian “Tracyn” Wojtoń and Tolga “Serin” Ölmez. TH completed their lineup with Yoon “Ice” Sang-hoon, who continues to establish himself as a reliable AD carry within the EMEA ecosystem. The LEC Versus stage will likely serve as a period of acclimation for this roster, which could nevertheless harbor greater ambitions for the remainder of the year, given a lineup that is far from lacking in talent.
10. SK Gaming (9.20)
SK Gaming, built by and around Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle, is expected to take time to get going. Made up of players who have not competed in the LEC — or even in competitive play at all — for a while, they will likely need several weeks, if not months, to find their rhythm. Adam “LIDER” Ilyasov has not played in the LEC since 2023 and has only featured in a single split in the NLC at the start of 2025. As for Martin “Wunder” Nordahl, the toplaner barely played competitively in 2025 and returns to the LEC after a mixed last stint with Team Heretics in 2024.
11. Los Ratones (11.30)
After a near-flawless year in the ERLs, Los Ratones demonstrated that its roster possesses the tools to compete at the next level. The team has opted for continuity and will field a lineup featuring several high-profile names, starting with European legend Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and his former Fnatic teammate Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek. While both veterans will need to prove that they can still perform at the required standard, their three teammates are also likely to face significant challenges. Veljko “Velja” Čamdžić will be discovering Europe’s top tier for the first time, while Juš “Crownie” Marušič has never managed to establish himself there on a lasting basis. It also remains to be seen whether the unconventional playstyle of Simon “Thebausffs” Hofverberg—effective in the NLC and at EMEA Masters—can enable Los Ratones to spring an upset. On paper, however, the team naturally appears a step behind the established LEC contenders.
12. Karmine Corp Blue (11.40)
Last in our Power Ranking, we do not really see them performing at an optimal level — and for good reason, as that is not truly what either the audience or the organization expects from them. Karmine Corp Blue’s roster will feature two players who were still competing in LFL Division 2 just a few months ago: Xu “Tao” Hongtao Alessandro and Costin “Hazel” Pestrițu. The team will nonetheless be able to gain valuable experience before returning to the ERLs.For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub and Offseason Live Tracker.
