“I’ve only just started showing what I can do,” Fnatic Vladi on his move from Karmine Corp

Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis became one of Europe’s most talked-about mid laners after an impressive season with Karmine Corp. His performances quickly caught Fnatic’s (FNC) attention, leading the organization to bring him into their roster. Now, alongside two rookies and two veterans, Vladi and his teammates are aiming to turn the team’s recent struggles into something far more promising.

In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, Vladi reflected on the team's performance against Los Ratones in the first match of the LEC Versus. He also shared his thoughts on the latest League of Legends updates, their real impact on gameplay, and the strongest picks in the meta.

In their first best-of-one (Bo1) of the LEC Versus, Fnatic were confident they could secure a win against Los Ratones, and they delivered. For Vladi, however, his debut in black and orange felt relatively uneventful. “It was a slow game, and eventually we won,” FNC Vladi said.

While he acknowledged that there were still areas to improve, he emphasized that the team feels well-prepared against any opponent.

On the newest updates in League of Legends, FNC Vladi believes the mid lane is not overpowed in this season, especially when top laners can get up to level 20. However, he recognizes that some champions are very strong this season because they can roam a lot and end up snowballing the game for other lanes as well. For him, Ryze is one of the most powerful champs of 2026 due to the new item Actualizer. Azir, Orianna, and Taliyah are other very strong choices for the mid lane.

Much of the recognition Vladi has earned in Europe as one of the most promising mid laners comes from his time with Karmine Corp. For Vladi, the transition to Fnatic was smooth. "I think the team [Fnatic] is going very well," he said. "Obviously, we have some rookies, and we will need some time to adapt. It wouldn't be surprising if we don't win the Winter Split, right?"

However, even with the challenges ahead for this new team with three new integrants, Vladi is confident they can scale well and compete with the top teams. For him, his fellow Greek teammate was one of the biggest surprises. Panagiotis "Empyros" Tantis joined the team in 2026 after a year playing for Gentle Mates. "He wins the lane pretty heavily, and he is a big voice for the team as well."

Vladi believes his talent has started to get recognized by other teams. "I think I showed good results last year with Karmine Corp. I’ve only just started showing what I can do." The mid laner is confident, and one of his goals for the 2026 season is to first prioritize how they are as a team and then think of bigger steps. For him, that is more important than anything else at the moment.

Vladi wants to bring trophies back to the black and orange team. Fnatic has not won a regional tournament since 2019, and Vladi wants to help break that curse. "If we win a trophy, fans will remember it for a long time."

Fnatic has already played to LEC Versus match, losing the last one to SK Gaming. They will be facing NAVI on Jan. 19. The tournament returns the following weekend, and the team will be playing against MKOI, GIANTX, and Team Vitality.