LYON are still unbeaten. The team edged Karmine Corp in a tight Swiss stage Bo1 at Worlds on October 24, adding to their earlier win over TSW and leaving KC to regroup at 1-1.

On paper, there was very little between the two sides. Kills finished 15-15, dragons were split three apiece, and LYON's gold advantage at the end of 37:32 was a modest 2,324. The difference showed up in the structures: LYON took eight towers to KC's five and claimed the game's only Baron, enough to turn an even scoreline into a win on the red side.

Berserker does the heavy lifting

If one number explains the result, it is Berserker's damage. The ADC dealt 41,558 on Yunara, by far the most in the game and roughly 16,600 more than Caliste managed on the other side. He also finished with 406 CS and a 5/4/8 line, and he had support around him. Saint added 26,329 damage on Syndra with a clean 6/2/6, while Dhokla's Galio went 2/1/12 with a 93% kill participation, the highest on his team.

Inspired's Wukong was involved in 87% of LYON's kills, and Isles' Lulu, despite five deaths, collected 13 assists. All five LYON players had a part in at least 80% of the team's kills, which suggests a side that moved as a unit rather than relying on one carry.

Not much separating them for KC

Karmine Corp had their bright spots. Caliste was the team's top scorer on Kalista at 6/4/8, Canna put out 22,512 damage on Rumble, and Busio's Renata Glasc was involved in every one of the team's 15 kills. The gap was elsewhere: Yike's Lee Sin had a 47% kill participation, and kyeahoo's Cassiopeia finished on a 1/3/9 line. KC kept pace in kills and dragons but could not match LYON on objectives.

This is still a team that has had a long road to this point. KC came through the Play-Ins with a 3-2 win over C9 and two 3-0 sweeps of MVK, then opened the Swiss stage by beating AL. A first loss at the event is a setback rather than a disaster, and they are not eliminated.

For LYON, a 2-0 start puts them in a strong position as the Swiss stage continues, with their next opponent yet to be decided. For KC, the question is whether they can turn a close game like this one into a win when the next Bo1 comes around.