GIANTX suffered a defeat against Karmine Corp in the first round of the upper bracket of the LEC 2026 Summer Playoffs, securing only one win in the series. The team has fallen to the lower bracket of the tournament, where they will fight for a ticket to the World Championship in Nice. From now on, every game for the squad is a do-or-die match, and their first test will be a confrontation with Natus Vincere.
The team's midlaner, Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek, acknowledged the strength of Karmine Corp, noting that all five opposing players made the first All-Pro team. Despite having the right mindset, GIANTX could not capitalize on their opponents' weaknesses. An additional challenge was the unexpected Vel'Koz support pick by Busio, which the team was not prepared for during the draft stage.
Performing in front of the Spanish crowd in Madrid did not cause the team excessive nervousness. According to Jackies, it was Karmine Corp who felt the most psychological pressure, as losing their Worlds spot would have been a major failure for them. GIANTX's difficulties on stage were limited to minor technical aspects, such as adjusting to new gaming headsets.
Roster changes have significantly strengthened the team psychologically. The addition of Víctor "Flakked" Lirola Tortosa and Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz Jiménez, replacing Noah and Lot, has increased the squad's resilience and their ability to turn around bad games. Although Jackies admits that Noah was stronger in the laning phase, the psychological endurance of the updated roster has become a critically necessary component for the team.
GIANTX's next opponent is team NAVI. Historically, GIANTX often lose to them in the regular season but secure victories in the playoffs. The team plans to maintain this trend by carefully analyzing their mistakes and studying NAVI's strategies. Jackies highly evaluates his squad's chances, not even ruling out a dominant 3-0 victory in the upcoming series.
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