Former Excel players get revenge for NLC as GameWard smash KC to prevent them from reaching EU Masters
Dom Sacco, Senior Editor
Last Updated: 07/08/2022
French League of Legends organisation GameWard caused an upset in France’s LFL Summer 2022 playoffs a few days ago.
They beat back-to-back-to-back Amazon European (EU) Masters champions Karmine Corp (KC) 3-1 in round one of the playoffs, preventing them from reaching the Summer 2022 EU Masters.
For some in the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), the European Regional League for the UK, Ireland and Nordics, it was sweet revenge – and could spark hope for an NLC team to finally win the EU Masters this summer, especially after the NLC gained a third EUM seed recently.
This comes after KC beat two NLC teams in the 2021 EU Masters grand finals – BT Excel in the Spring 2021 EUM final and Fnatic Rising (who are now in the Spanish league) in the Summer 2021 EUM final. And KC beat LDLC in the Spring 2022 EUM final, after NLC sides X7 and Bifrost reached the top eight in the EUM Spring 2022 tournament.
But not only were KC prevented from qualifying for the upcoming EU Masters, it was former Excel players who helped do it: ADC Innaxe and mid-laner Czekolad, who now play for GameWard.
Excel, of course, are an LEC team that have their JD XL academy team in the NLC, who recently reached the NLC Summer 2022 playoffs. They’re currently on a four-game loss-streak in the LEC following a strong start in the competition.
Innaxe played for Excel in 2017, and then also another stint in 2018 to 2019.
And he helped GameWard beat KC in emphatic fashion, securing a pentakill along the way:
PENTAKILL FOR @INNAXE! pic.twitter.com/m4Sib1AMos
— EMEA Masters (@EMEAmasters) August 4, 2022
Innaxe said after the game, ‘what a way’ for him to finally make it to EU Masters, and that he knows he can be one of the best ADCs out there:
Finally made it to EUM and what a way to do it
— Nihat (@Innaxe) August 4, 2022
I'm not happy with how i've been playing the last few games but I know that I can be one of the best in my role
GGs to @KarmineCorp for this banger bo5
Time to full focus on the next games now #LFL
LPL2023?
Other players on GameWard include Melonik, Akabane and Kamilius, who played the series following an extremely traumatic and sad situation, after his mother took her own life.
respect to this king 👑 https://t.co/57YWf89c3j
— Czekolad (@CzekoladLol) August 4, 2022
KC of course have former Fnatic and G2 bot laner Rekkles, who will be disappointed not to reach EUM.
We’ve collated some other tweets from people in the UK/Ireland/Nordics scene reacting to the news.
Coming out of a meeting an seeing KC not making it to EUM sucks way more than I expected…
— Viperoon (@eViperoon) August 4, 2022
Their fans were a massive part of the atmosphere, looks like we need some new blood to step up.
Karmine Corp down for the count. Massive shift in the LFL and EUM landscape. Big chance for one of the other LFL teams to carry on the torch…
— Sam ‘Initialise’ Hapgood (@InitialiseCasts) August 4, 2022
… or see an NLC team win? 👀 #EUMasters
I would have loved to have seen KCorp defend their title at EUM, to really expose that story to the largest audience. Not all stories work out to great and grand endings however, and if KC aren’t even at the top of their region that makes the LFL as scary as ever. #EUMasters
— Alex ‘Nymaera’ Hapgood (@Nymaera) August 4, 2022
KC not at EUM… Fkin sucks :/ #EUMasters
— Troubleinc. (@g_troubleinc) August 4, 2022
After their loss against @GameWardTeam, the back-to-back-to-back Champion @KarmineCorp are eliminated from Summer Amazon #EUMasters contention. pic.twitter.com/KgOE3PtoLT
— EMEA Masters (@EMEAmasters) August 4, 2022
Related article: When X7 Esports stunned reigning EU Masters champions Karmine Corp in a 28-minute stomp
Dom Sacco, Senior Editor
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He has almost two decades of experience in journalism, and left Esports News UK in June 2025. As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late '80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He also previously worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation.
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