Get Premium
The Worlds 2026 Play-Ins are over, and Karmine Corp are heading to the Swiss Stage after three best-of-fives in Los Angeles. Before the tournament moves to Texas, here is our team of the stage, with one rule: no more than two players per team, so that the lineup also rewards standout performances from teams that did not win everything.
Top: Ngô "Kratos" Đức Khánh (MVK Esports)
No toplaner killed more than Kratos in the Play-Ins. The 21-year-old top laner, playing his first Worlds, finished the stage with 32 kills and nine solo kills, the best marks in both categories. Mechanics were his calling card. He won duel after duel against FURIA and kept looking for them even when MVK were struggling, as in game three of the final against KC, where he took a one-on-one off Canna. MVK went out in the end, but Kratos left Los Angeles as one of the revelations of the stage.
Jungle: Lương "Gury" Hải Long (MVK Esports)
Gury set the tempo for MVK's whole run. He averaged +451 XP and +257 gold at 15 minutes along with 463 damage per minute, all the best figures among the Play-In junglers. Behind those numbers sat a relentlessly aggressive style that made life miserable for Pedro "Tatu" Seixas over two series against FURIA. His Flash-kick on Lee Sin into a quadra kill at dragon remains one of the plays of the stage.
Mid: Kang "kyeahoo" Ye-hoo (Karmine Corp)
kyeahoo was the best mid laner in the Play-Ins, and the numbers leave little room for debate. He led the stage in gold, CS and XP difference at 15 minutes (+775, +20 and +620), added three solo kills and posted a DPM Rating of 76.1. His value showed most when KC were at their worst. Against Cloud9, the series where his team struggled the most, he was one of the steadiest players on stage, and his Ahri in the deciding game settled it. Against MVK, he cruised.
AD Carry: Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert (Karmine Corp)
Take away the first two games against Cloud9 and Caliste was untouchable in lane. He topped the AD carries in gold and XP difference at 15 minutes (+310 and +301), led them in KDA and posted the best DPM Rating in his role at 68.7, with four solo kills on top. His Xayah performances against C9 turned the series and set the tone for everything that followed, as KC's bot lane went from liability to their main weapon.
Support: Philippe "Vulcan" Laflamme (Cloud9)
This is the most debatable pick of the lineup. Cloud9 did not win a single series, but Vulcan was often the one keeping them afloat. He led the Play-In supports in first blood participation (44%), XP difference at 15 minutes (+320) and gold difference at 15 (+119), and finished second in KDA at 4.3. His Alistar and Karma games against KC were among the best support performances of the stage, and he found real impact in fights despite a bot lane partner who struggled badly. In a losing team, few players did more to change that outcome.
The community's verdict
Our readers' ratings come without the two-player rule. On the Play-In match pages, the community ratings went entirely to Karmine Corp, with Canna, Yike, kyeahoo, Caliste and Busio forming the highest-rated five of the stage. Hardly a surprise for the team that won the Play-Ins.
Want your vote to count towards the next Community Team? Rate the players on each match page after every series. The Swiss Stage starts on 23 October, and the next lineup is in your hands.
