After defeating his former team, G2 Esports, at the Red Bull League of Its Own 2024, Martin "Yike" Sundelin is now heralding change at Karmine Corp, signaling a bright future in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). After a challenging first year in the league, the Blue Wall has rebuilt itself brick by brick, now boasting a more promising lineup than ever and poised to make a serious impact. In an exclusive interview, Yike opens up about the circumstances surrounding his departure from G2, his goals and aspirations for the year, and the beginning of his new journey with KC.

It's been a while since we last saw you. How have you been? It’s been a very hectic few weeks with everything happening so quickly, right?

Martin "Yike" Sundelin: "Since we lost at Worlds, things have been very stressful and scary. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Then came the announcement about me leaving G2, which was, of course, hard for me. But I found my new home, and I’m very happy to be here.

I dig your new jersey—it looks great on you. But it still feels a bit strange not seeing you in a G2 jersey. Did you ever expect, at any point last year, like during summer or Worlds, that you might end up on another team?

Yike: It was very out of nowhere. I never want to expect that I’m going to leave a team or anything like that. But yeah, maybe I felt something—especially if you underperform, it’s always something you get scared of. But I didn’t want to think about it. At Worlds, we lost, but we lost to the strongest team. It was very close. I could have played slightly better, but I don’t think I played that badly at Worlds. So, I’m still happy with my performance.

We saw on social media that GIANTX made a very public offseason push for you. So, why did you choose KC over GX?

Yike: I think that KC—when I looked at the lineups, I saw a lot of individual skill in all of the players here. I think Canna is very insane. I think Vladi is very insane. I think the Caliste-Targamas duo is also very good because they’ve played together for a long time. And yeah, I think everyone here can carry games, and I really like to see that.

You got your first win against G2. What are your expectations for your upcoming LEC match against them in January? Do you think today’s result is a sign of what's to come?

Yike: It was a showmatch, so it’s hard to say, you know? Hard to know if they were fully prepared or just playing for fun. But I think we’re going to beat them again—that’s the goal. We’ll be the best team in the LEC next year. Our goal is to qualify for Worlds.

In the last two years, you've competed in every international event there was to qualify for. Do you aim to keep that streak going?

Yike: I want to go to all the international tournaments. There’s gonna be one in Korea, one in Canada, and one in China. I’m excited for all of them, and I think we can qualify for all of them—that’s the goal. I want to keep playing internationally, and I want to bring my team there.

In G2, people often dismissed your contributions. Do you feel like you have more to prove this year on your new team, especially as your first LEC experience outside of G2?

Yike: I think I have a lot to prove. I never liked the narrative of me getting carried by my solo laners—it’s a stupid narrative. This year, I have the chance to prove it, and I’m gonna do it. I think we are very strong, and we’ll show it in the LEC.

Back in 2022, you were on the other side of the rift with LDLC, playing against KCorp. Now, you’ve joined them and the Blue Wall. How has it been reconnecting with the French fan base and being here at the Accor Arena?

Yike: Yeah, it was nice. I remember always playing against KCorp. It was always the most hype match. We beat them in LFL, and they beat us in EU Masters, so it’s even, you know? It’s fun to join them now. I’ve always thought their fan base was insane, even back in the LFL days. So, it’s nice to be a part of it now.

How has the adaptation to KCorp been for you, especially meeting new teammates? How have scrims been going so far?

Yike: Scrims are going well! I’m happy with how they’re going. For sure, I was a bit nervous—not really scared, but it was a lot of new people to meet. I’d never met any of them before, so it was all new for me. But I was also excited because it was a new opportunity, and so far, it looks very good.

Are you a bit sad that Keria is not here?

Yike: Yeah, I’m sad. It would have been fun to play against Keria because we had some memes together before, so it would’ve been fun to type to him in the lobby chat."