With his accession to the LEC next year being an open secret, Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert has just become eligible. The young prodigy from Karmine Corp was already expected to join League of Legends' EMEA elite this year, only to be denied the opportunity by a new addition to the Riot Games rulebook: the minimum age of 18 set to join the league. The French AD Carry has just celebrated this Wednesday, after another year rich in individual achievements... but a little less in results.

Off to a flying start

After being recruited by the Karmine Corp in the LFL for summer 2023, the Prestigious had recovered all the trophies within its reach. And while the team had been rebuilt around those who had made it glorious in the past, it was this sixteen-year-old, fresh from Div2, who became its star. First voted MVP of the LFL, he went on to win it with countless personal highlights. Despite his young age, he also proved that he is not intimidated by big audiences at LFL Days, with other memorable plays.

In terms of statistics, Caliste had broken the record for kills in a regular season (116) previously held by Paweł ‘Woolite’ Pruski (103). He was also posting staggering stats in the play-offs, averaging 1,050 damage per minute (DPM) for over 35% of his team's damage. The first regional test came with the EMEA Masters, and once again the prodigy overcame it with flying colours. Even in front of more than 10,000 people in Montpellier for the grand final, the Frenchman made a strong impression in front of his home crowd.

The next step seemed only logical for the AD Carry, who despite his young age seemed to be able to look the biggest names in Europe in the eye. The proof is in the pudding as he had reached rank 1 in SoloQ and had hardly let it go all summer. KC's ambitions also seemed to be aligned with his own, as the club was about to enter the LEC for 2024 and decided to extend its new-comer until 2026. The club's founder, Kamel ‘Kameto’ Kebir, likes to insinuate that he has ‘Pedri's release clause’. However, Caliste's momentum was halted by the announcement that the age limit for joining the league had been raised from 17 to 18.

On his course, without as much trophies

So, in 2024, the Prince willy-nilly returned to the LFL with a completely different status, as he was the only survivor from the previous iteration of the KC roster. With younger and more fragile teammates, the AD Carry discovered himself as a leader alongside Linas ‘Lyncas’ Nauncikas. His statistics were slightly less impressive but nonetheless, the Frenchman still won the competition in a back-to-back. However, after a surprising reverse sweep against Geekay Esports in the quarter-finals, The Prestigious failed to win the EMEA Masters despite taking part in the event for the first time in its history.

A few more changes to the starting five and Caliste was off again for the summer. This time around, more seasoned and with a recovered rank 1 in SoloQ, the prodigy put up better statistics and even set a better record than last year over the regular season, collecting 134 eliminations. In the play-offs, the Blue Wall seemed more confident than ever as they ousted BDSA - regular season champions - from the main draw (3-0). However, the Swiss org came back in the grand final to steal the trophy that Caliste had never let slip since joining the league (3-1).

The rivalry with BDSA came to an end in the quarter-finals of the EMEA Masters. After more than convincing performances, KCB had the opportunity to take revenge and also to revive their past glory in the regional competition, as this match had the appearance of an early final. However, the Pitchounes once again came up against stronger opponents and ended their 2024 year with a trophy and a final in the LFL, as well as two quarter-finals at the EMEA Masters.

On 28 August, Caliste is 18 years old and for many, represent the future of the region. Like the king himself, Rasmus "Caps" Winther, who believes that the potential is there and that it will now be up to him to "step up in front of all the eyes that will be on him" at the highest level, starting next year.