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In 2024, KC top laner Canna made a bold move on moving to the west, winning his first ever LEC title in less than a year.
Karmine Corp (KC) has been in the spotlight of the League of Legends (LoL) community in recent months. After defeating the reigning League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) powerhouse G2 Esports and claiming the title of LEC champion, the French team is making historical debut in the First Stand 2025. While all five players on the team are indeed exceptional, one player has been particularly captivating the spotlight — Kim “Canna” Chang-dong.
T1 top laner from 2019-2021
Born on Jul 03, 2025, Canna’s professional career can be traced back to November 2019 when he debuted as the top laner for T1. At the time, T1 was experimenting with a 10-player roster, and Canna was set to compete for the main spot with Kim “Roach” Kang-hui.
With T1, Canna achieved significant milestones that helped build his early career, including winning the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring 2020 and reaching the 3rd-4th place finish at the Worlds 2021. However, in November 2021, a contract dispute with T1 found him moving to Nongshim RedForce, while his previous role in T1 was then filled by Choi “Zeus” Woo-je.
Unfortunately, Canna’s time with Nongshim RedForce (NS) was not fruitful as the team finished in last place in both 2022 LCK seasons. He remained with the team for only a year before transferring to Dplus KIA (DK), where he once again qualified for Worlds 2023. However, the team exited early, finishing in 9th-11th place.
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Journey to the west
After one year with DK, Canna made one of the boldest moves of his esports career by joining Karmine Corp and playing overseas. While it is not rare for an LCK player to compete in another region, it remains a risky endeavor for the young player to move far from his hometown and loved ones. Additionally, he also has to learn new languages to communicate well with his teammates.
Interestingly, Canna is not the first T1 player to play overseas. Historically, nearly all T1 top laners have transitioned to international teams:
Karmine Corp had been struggling in the LEC after migrating from the Ligue Française de League of Legends (LFL). They finished in last place during both the Winter and Spring splits of 2024. However, since Canna joined in May 2024, the team has shown significant improvement, finishing 4th in the Summer season and eventually winning the LEC Winter 2025, setting them for theFirst Stand 2025.
KC has also demonstrated excellent performance in their first international tournament, defeating LPL’s Top Esports 2-0 in the Round Robin Stage and overcoming LCP’s CTBC Flying Oyster 3-2 in theSemifinals. They secured a matchup against HLE’s Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) in the Grand Finals and guaranteed at least a runner-up finish.
Loved by the community
Canna’s bright personality and performance have been well-received by KC fans and the LEC community. He ranked among thetop 20 most popular LoL players in 2024, according to Liquipedia, in the same year after he joined KC. His personal Instagram,@canna_00, is inundated with messages of support from fans, with comments predominantly written in Korean, English, and French.
Canna’s contract with KC is set to last until Jun 23, 2025, as per theLoL Esports Global Contract Database (GCD). While it is still early to predict his future, his current performances suggest that he will definitely set himself for a bright future. Whether it involves a contract extension with KC, a transfer to another LEC team, or a return to the LCK, the possibilities for this young top laner are endless.
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