Esports Weekend Review: Karmine Corp shine at LEC & VCT as BLAST Open Porto Group Stage heats up

Jon Nicholson, Freelance Writer

Last Updated: 31/08/2026

From Karmine Corp’s double success to the surprises unfolding at BLAST Open Porto, the first post-EWC weekend delivered absolutely no shortage of top-level esports action.

The LEC Summer 2026 regular season ended with Karmine Corp completing a flawless 9–0 campaign. The French organisation capped off the weekend by defeating Team Liquid 3–1 to win VCT EMEA Stage 2, while the BLAST Open Porto Group Stage determined the first teams to advance to the playoffs.

As the esports summer continues to wind down, we look back at the most memorable moments from across the world of competitive gaming. 

LoL: Karmine Corp post flawless run at LEC Summer

After excelling in Week 2, Karmine Corp maintained their momentum, posting an incredible run of dominance throughout the remainder of the LEC 2026 regular season. Having already locked in a playoff spot, KC faced SK Gaming with a flawless campaign on the line.

Karmine Corp controlled the opening map from the outset. Even with SK’s strong teamfight composition, the LEC frontrunners eventually broke through thanks to a quadrakill from Caliste ‘Caliste’ Henry-Hennebert’s Ezreal. After game one, it was no surprise to see KC’s odds shorten to as low as 1/10 (1.10).

QUADRA for @CalisteLoL‘s Ezreal! #LEC pic.twitter.com/N48Md5EOiB

— LEC (@LEC) August 29, 2026

Despite being priced as high as 25/4 (7.25) across some bookmakers, SK looked the stronger team in game two. Josip ‘Jopa’ Cancar’s Jhin spearheaded the offence and helped establish an early lead.

The hard-fought contest ultimately came down to fine margins. A pixel-perfect Elder Dragon steal from Martin ‘Yike’ Sundelin set Karmine Corp up for the decisive teamfight, allowing them to complete a 2–0 sweep and finish the regular season undefeated. But can KC go unbeaten across the entire split?

YIKE ABSOLUTE CINEMA #KCORP pic.twitter.com/I0IJdE96y8

— Karmine Corp (@KarmineCorp) August 29, 2026

VALORANT: Karmine Corp victorious in VCT EMEA Stage 2

League of Legends wasn’t the only success for Karmine Corp over the weekend. The organisation also lifted the VCT EMEA Stage 2 trophy in Barcelona. Priced as high as 57/20 (3.85) for outright victory, KC entered the playoffs with a 26% implied probability of victory. 

After topping Group Omega, the international powerhouse defeated Enterprise Esports 2–1 behind an incredible performance from Marshall ‘N4RRATE’ Massey. His phenomenal fragging continued during a 2–0 sweep of FUT Esports, with N4RRATE topping the charts with 46 kills on Chamber and Phoenix.

Karmine Corp then defeated Team Liquid 3–1 in the grand final. Dastan ‘dos9’ Zhumagali’s Omen excelled throughout the best-of-five, producing round-saving plays and perfectly timed utility usage. His 70 kills and 154 ADR earned the Kazakh player the Finals MVP award.

By winning the VCT Stage 2 Finals, Karmine Corp also secured their place at VCT Champions, which begins in late September.

might as well have been a 1v4 the way dos9 single-handedly saved this round 🤯 pic.twitter.com/17PN1pwTXs

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) August 30, 2026

CS2: BLAST Open Porto kicks into high gear

With so many teams capable of contending for the title, BLAST Open Porto 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most electrifying open tournaments of the year. With William ‘Mezii’ Merriman absent for Team Vitality, Justinas ‘jL’ Lekavicius is attempting to keep the once-dominant roster in the mix for another playoff appearance. 

A mixed bag

Priced at 4/1 (5.0), the French organisation remains among the favourites to lift the trophy, carrying a 20% probability of outright victory. However, Group B didn’t start well. A 2–0 defeat to Inner Circle pushed Vitality to the brink of elimination, with Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut recording a 0.78 rating—the lowest of his CS2 career.

A 2–0 sweep of 9z steered Vitality back on track, with a fragging masterclass from jL producing an impressive 1.96 rating across the best-of-three. ZywOo then returned to form against Legacy, demonstrating his prowess with the AWP, rifle, and pistol as Vitality secured a 2-1 victory.

However, the job isn’t finished yet. A lower-bracket clash with EWC runners-up FUT Esports will determine whether the Budapest Major winners can complete their recovery and earn another shot at championship glory.

IT’S ZYWOO TIME 🔔 pic.twitter.com/ZOi0H3ackh

— Team Vitality CS (@TeamVitalityCS) August 30, 2026

Disappointment for NAVI

Having crashed out of EWC just days earlier, all eyes were on an under-pressure NAVI side hoping to rediscover some form. A 2–1 defeat to M80 did little to ease those concerns. However, a 2–0 sweep of PaiN Gaming, led by a 1.28 rating and 34 frags from Drin ‘makazze’ Shaqiri, showed there was still life in the team.

G2 Esports exposed NAVI’s flaws again. A one-versus-three clutch from Nikita ‘HeavyGod’ Martynenko set the tone. Despite ending the series with a 0.92 rating, Guy ‘NertZ’ Iluz made the difference on Ancient, snagging four Dual Elite kills while defending the B site to shut down NAVI’s attempted retake.

Inevitably, NAVI fell 2–0, leaving the team with a disappointing 9th–12th-place finish.

Howdy @NertzCS 🔫🔫🤠 #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/gvo6K1ywzC

— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) August 30, 2026

Team Spirit shines

Priced at 10/3 (4.33) with an implied probability of 23.1% to win outright, Team Spirit opened their BLAST Open Porto 2026 campaign with Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets demonstrating why he’s considered the best CS2 player on the planet. 

Donk immediately took over against Dendele, recording two AK aces and finishing the series with 129.4 ADR and a phenomenal 2.14 rating. 

The kills kept on coming against G2 Esports. Donk produced another ace to halt a comeback attempt on Cache, ending the best-of-three with a 1.45 rating. With donk firing on all cylinders and showing no signs of missing a single shot, is there anyone capable of stopping Team Spirit in the playoffs?

Jon Nicholson, Freelance Writer

Jonno is a veteran esports journalist with over a decade of experience in covering the world of competitive gaming. Since starting in 2014, he’s covered the biggest events for outlets including Esports Insider, GGRecon, Gfinity, and Siege.GG. When he’s not writing, he can be found sim racing with varying degrees of success.

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