KC Caliste: "As long as the conditions are met, if I can spend my entire career at Karmine, I'll do it"
At just 19 years old, Caliste has extended his journey with Karmine Corp until 2028, securing two additional years under the colors of the French club. The day of this much-anticipated announcement, the ADC sat down with RFT.gg to discuss the behind-the-scenes of his re-signing, the rumors of a potential move to G2, and his ambitions for what's next.
The big moment is finally here: you've just extended your contract with Karmine Corp until 2028. When you arrived at KC, you were barely 16 years old. Did you ever expect that five years later, you'd still be here, with a LEC title to your name, being somewhat the face of the club on LoL?
Not many people could have seen this coming. From my side, it all went by very, very fast: I went through several teams, saw a few players come and go, had new experiences. Everything flew by, and I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it, even today — all that's happening, all the hype around it.
So obviously, when I arrive there at 16, no… and anyway, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. I remember telling my mom: "I have to go, I have to take it, I can't miss this chance." And from there, we'd see — and today, here we are.
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Your mom was a bit hesitant about you moving to Paris. Was it a real step to have to convince her about all of this?
Of course, when your 15-16-year-old kid tells you: "Alright, well, I'm off to Paris, I'll be making trips back and forth like that, from one day to the next and I might not come back, who knows. So obviously, it's a bit strange.
She absolutely didn't hold me back, she always told me to go for it. She'd prefer me to be at home, but she supports me and stands behind me.
In just three years, so much has happened: KC joined the LEC, you became one of the most anticipated prospects in Europe, you lifted a trophy and took part in an international event. Looking back, do you feel like the club has helped you grow too?
You know, as a player, but maybe also as a person, honestly. What's certain is that I've learned a lot — both as a player and as a human being — about how to communicate and be with people, both in-game and out of game.
I've learned an enormous amount over these past two or three years. Obviously, I think those are things I wouldn't have had if I'd gone to another club, or if I hadn't done esports.
So I think I do feel like I've grown, and I think people can see it. First of all, physically, I've changed a bit, because I've grown up. I was a kid… now I'm still a kid, but with two more years. And as a person, I think I've become much more mature too.
Does the fact that you've spent your entire career at the same club give you that feeling of being at home, like real comfort playing for KC?
Yes, of course, I feel at home. As I've already said, the club provides me with great comfort, and obviously, I'm very grateful for that.
Just look at the budget spending between 2025 and 2026: it shows that even if it remains a decent year… well, a decent year isn't enough. The club wants more, I want more too. We match on ideas, on convictions: we both want to win Worlds, sacrificing whatever needs to be sacrificed.
Obviously, when you have a club with this kind of stature that trusts you — and that you trust back — that meets your needs, you can't help but feel good.
Coming back to your signing, you'd told us, as well as L'Équipe, in an interview before the start of the Spring split that the break had been very productive for KC and you. Now that you can say a bit more, what were you hinting at?
Concretely, there were discussions as soon as the Winter Split ended, and the signing happened during the split. So during those interviews, discussions were already in progress, etc.
I think the Winter Split — especially the final weekend — brought a lot and showed a lot of good things about the team. Naturally, that's reassuring. Anyway, my re-signing had been on the cards for some time; there were a lot of discussions.
Then, obviously, I prefer not to discuss things in the middle of the season and to stay focused. So the rare breaks we get — and we don't get many — we took advantage of them to talk.
Photo Credit: Riot Games
Has KC always been your priority?
Yes, it's always been the priority. There's a question of comfort, of performance, and of position within the club too. If tomorrow I joined another club, or moved to another league, that kind of thing, obviously I wouldn't have the same position I have at Karmine today or in the LEC.
So obviously, all those questions need to be taken into account. And it's obviously simpler to go with comfort, rather than going off — in quotation marks — to flip something, to explore other horizons. And most of the time, you'll also be rewarded at your fair value.
I have to ask you the question: with all the rumors about G2's interest in you, was that a path you seriously considered at any point?
Me, I didn't talk to G2 — anyway, I can't. G2 can't talk to me, and vice versa. Just like Fnatic, SK, whichever team: none of them can contact a player directly. So obviously, I didn't have any discussions with them. Now, I can't say I never thought about the G2 option. There are pros and cons, so of course I thought about it. I think they thought about it too.
But there, on this one, Karmine was my priority.
At the end of the year, you would have been freed from your contract and could have looked at all the options you're talking about. Why did you prefer not to wait — was it simply because KC had become the obvious choice?
I just think that at that point, a big question of trust starts to come into play. If I see myself having a long career at Karmine, like I said — if I want to do it based on the results, if they support me the way I want, and if I feel good there — then the question comes up.
Because if I wait to be a free agent, then re-sign for one year, all that kind of thing, and obviously Karmine is going to try to re-sign me while I ignore them, naturally that's going to feel weird to them, and trust is going to break. And I think from that moment on, it would be awkward, because the club would lose trust in me, you see, and something would break.
So I told myself that right now — in any case, and I think for the next six months — I don't see myself moving. So I figured it was better not to take risks and not to break that trust.
We saw the announcement with the goats. Can you explain the lore behind that?
I don't know, you'd have to ask Chapeau (Head of Karmine content). They told me one Sunday: "Monday morning, you wake up, you go over there, and you're going to do a shoot with goats." I said: "Alright, ok."
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Me, I just enjoyed the moment. It was nice, the goats were friendly, I fed them. It was cool, they were super gentle. I fed them, they didn't want to bite my fingers. It was super cool.
The announcement comes at a particular timing because you're playing in the LEC this weekend, so you haven't really had time to celebrate, I imagine, even if the signing was a little while ago.
Yeah, obviously, I haven't had much time to celebrate. But, I don't know, I think for me, anyway, I didn't really celebrate. I think Karmine celebrated more than I did.
I'm focused on my season, so obviously, not much time to celebrate, to think about it, etc. And anyway, like I said, I didn't really see myself leaving: in my head, I was staying there as long as I was playing well.
I think I was playing pretty well, there wasn't anything — whether in-game or behaviorally — that would make Karmine not want to re-sign me. So I told myself that if I didn't do anything stupid, the re-signing should be within reach.
A lot of people regret that there couldn't have been an announcement in front of the crowd. Is that something you regret a bit on your side too?
Of course, I think it would have been super cool to do that in a big stadium, or even at the Arènes, with a nice video, a nice venue, a nice moment, etc. I think everyone would have loved it.
I think it just wasn't the right moment. We were still in discussions at that time. It's unfortunate, but I don't take things lightly: we're talking about a contract re-signing, especially over two years. That's something important.
I would have wanted it to happen, but we were still in discussions. I don't know… if there's a contract, I'd think: "Alright, it's going to be cool to announce it." But if the contract isn't great, I'd be bummed.
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Speaking of the fans, the hype around KC is obviously something quite unique: how much does that weigh in a decision like this? You mentioned trust earlier, but is there also this idea that elsewhere, you wouldn't find the same exposure, nor the same love and support that you have here?
Of course, it plays a huge role. Karmine fans can be aggressive for some, but very nice for others. I've been lucky enough to mostly find that positive side. In any case, every time I meet people or talk with them, it's always very positive, nothing but support. And that pushes me to go further and further.
And also, I think that as a player, I have to keep developing — but I also think I need to start really developing my image properly. I have plans to try to develop this image, not in an influencer way, but really trying to make the most of it, while staying focused on the game.
There's no point trying to influence people when you're going 0/10, you're not going to influence many people. But obviously, it's something I'd like to try to do, because I don't think anyone has really done it enough, etc.
In any case, I always put performance and my work first, so obviously, there will be limits. You're not going to see me tomorrow in influencer videos: it's not possible, I'm in Berlin, my schedule is too packed, it's not happening.
But there you go, we'll start, maybe doing little videos here and there, sponsorships, that kind of thing that could be interesting. And I think obviously, Karmine fans play a huge role in this discussion.
In a world where everything goes well both for you and for KC, would you like to have a career like Elyoya or Faker and spend your entire career at KC?
Yes, I've already said it publicly, and even privately to Kamel in a conversation. I told him:
As long as the conditions are met, if I can spend my entire career at Karmine, I'll do it.
Because as a French player, in a French club, with this kind of position, fans who support you that much, and a club that listens to you, obviously, you don't want to leave if the conditions are respected.
Speaking of the sporting side, it brings me back to our very first interview together, when I asked you how you envisioned your career, and you told me that within two or three years, you wanted to be among the top 10 ADCs in the world, then aim for top 1 the year after. Two years later, do you feel like you're starting to break into that top 10, that you can see yourself there a bit?
The top 10 ADC, it's a very, very hard world to play in. It's mainly decided at MSI and Worlds, on your performances and what you bring to your team.
As a player individually, with my knowledge and what I know I bring to my team, I place myself within that range. You have the individual level, and then it's just about which player ranks where they want. But obviously, the easiest range, I think, is between top 10 and top 15.
Hans has often been in that top 10-15 range. Doggo, last year, was the ADC who was in that top 10-15 range, or even higher at Worlds. These are barriers that are very hard to cross. Over the next ten years, the top 10 is going to be very difficult to shake up, because there have been some huge names, some huge performances.
I consider myself among the top 10. Obviously I know there are ADCs better than me: I try to learn, I try to be the best. And even if one day, I hope, I become top 1, that doesn't mean I'll stop working.
If the public considers that I'm not top 10, I don't care. It's a matter of taste, of personal opinion. My goal for the year is to be in that top 10, top 15 range, because I think it's very hard to go after the top 5 — you really have to put up big performances and have a very good year.
It's just me, what I think of my individual level and what I can bring to my team. The future will tell, especially at international competitions, which will be the big tests to measure yourself at that level.
I still want to give you the chance to say a word to the fans on the eve of these two more years you'll be spending with them.
First of all, a big thank you to the fans for their support. You played a big part in this re-signing, and I can't wait to start these next two years with you, and we'll see what the future has in store.
