Despite a tough 2024 season, Karmine Corp is ready to return to the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) stage with a fresh plan and two new players. Reunited with his long-time bot lane partner Caliste, Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé takes the stage after securing a victory against G2 Esports at the Red Bull League of Its Own, which will hopefully set a precedent for their upcoming rematch in the first week of the LEC. In an exclusive interview, the Belgian support reflects on his personal growth, shares his goals for the year with the new roster, and discusses the current state of the league.

How does it feel to beat G2 today, especially considering they're your ex-team and Yike’s ex-team as well?

Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé: "It feels really good. I think it's the first time we’ve beaten G2 all year. We never were able to beat them in LEC this year, so the whole team was really happy about it. I think Yike felt particularly happy. It was good to win against our old team, especially for him for whom it was all so recent. This is our first win as a team, and it just means so much for momentum. We're going to face them again in the first game in the LEC, so it gives us a confidence boost now.

Last year was tough for you but you've been on an upwards trajectory. Could you tell us about how you've been working through all the mental challenges which were brought upon you in the past year? How do you feel ahead of 2025?

Targamas: I feel way better this year. I’ve grown a lot in terms of how I see social media and myself, and also what I provide to the team. I’ve worked on my routine, just being healthier in general. I think everything is coming together to make me a better player. Yeah, it was really rough with all the criticism—sometimes unfair, sometimes fair. People are free to say whatever they want on social media, that's the point. But it was really important for me to take a step back from that and focus on my team, not mind too much about whatever else is happening outside.

You’ll be reuniting with Caliste this year. What are your expectations for your bot lane this year? Do you think you could be the best bot lane in the LEC by the end of the year?

Targamas: Yeah, we want to be as good as possible, as early as we can, because we want to be a huge asset for the team. I think most bot lanes are changing this year. For example, Hans and Mikyx, who were considered the best, aren’t playing together anymore. I think it will take a while for Hans to find his rhythm with Labrov, considering how long he played with Mikyx. The only bot lane that is the same is Noah and Jun—they played really well this year. So, they might be the best right now on paper since they’ve already been playing together. But our goal is to challenge them as early as possible. And yeah, as I said, just be the best and win.

With all these roster moves, including a few Korean imports, what’s your take on the current level of the support role in the LEC? Do you think it's lower or higher than before?

Targamas: I’d say it’s probably a bit lower because the region has always been driven by Mikyx and Hylissang. They were always considered the best supports in the region, and whenever they went to international events, they were actually considered among the best players of the tournament. I don’t think that’s been the case for a while. Most teams have kind of struggled when they go to Worlds, and we can see the results. I don’t think there’s been an EU team in the quarterfinals for a while. But I think we’ll get back up there. It’s also a matter of having the right duo, the right bot lane, and hopefully, with Caliste, we have that. We’ll be able to show more for Europe.

Yike mentioned that he fully intends to go to all three international events this year. Do you agree, and do you think it's likely that you guys will make it?

Targamas: I think it’s funny— the first tournament has one slot, the second has two, and the third has three, maybe four. It’s like stairs, right? The first one will obviously be the hardest. You have to win to go there, and it’s also the first split. But for sure, that’s the goal of the team. We want to be at Worlds, that’s 100%. The rest will be a bonus, but we will work hard to win as much as we can and be the best team internationally."