by The highly anticipated League of Legends First Stand Tournament kicked off with an electric slate of matches, pitting North America against Europe and Korea against China in early tests of international strength.
Team Liquid made a statement in their opening match against Karmine Corp, while Hanwha Life Esports proved their dominance with a commanding sweep over Top Esports.
Team Liquid, representing the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA), took down the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) powerhouse, Karmine Corp, in a thrilling 2-1 series.
This was the first professional series played under the newly implemented anti-lane swap changes, adding an extra layer of strategy to the contest.
Map one started slowly, but Liquid’s bot lane, paired with an active Eom “UmTi” Seong-hyeon in the jungle, secured early kills to give Yeon a strong advantage.
UmTi continued to make plays across the map, helping Impact secure another kill.
Despite Kim “Canna” Chang-dong taking first tower for KC to even out the Feats of Warfare, Liquid used superior team fighting and objective control to claim Baron and Cloud Soul in quick succession, rolling over Karmine Corp with a dominant 20-2 scoreline.
#TLWIN @TeamLiquidLoL take down @KarmineCorp to kick off First Stand! #FST2025 pic.twitter.com/Y4Rk9gWCqA
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) March 10, 2025
The second map saw a much faster start, with Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis securing a solo kill against Eain “APA” Stearns just five minutes in.
While KC’s solo lanes thrived, their bot lane struggled against Liquid’s relentless pressure.
Canna and Martin “Yike” Sundelin capitalized on a failed Liquid gank to turn the tables with three unanswered kills, and from there, Karmine Corp dominated the map.
Yike, eager to redeem his game-one struggles, led KC to a convincing victory, securing Ruinous Atakhan and repeatedly punishing Liquid’s overextensions.
The one-sided affair ended in just 23 minutes, setting up a decisive third game.
The final game saw first blood picked up even earlier, with KC’s Zeri-Yuumi duo outmaneuvering Liquid’s Lucian-Nami.
Team Liquid attempted a lane swap but were quickly countered, leading to an early 4v4 skirmish in mid that Liquid won decisively.
With map control in their favour, Liquid’s global ultimates from Taliyah and Nocturne kept KC on their toes, securing Ruinous Atakhan uncontested.
A crucial team fight at Cloud Drake saw KC wiped off the map, losing four members and the objective.
Despite multiple Baron attempts being thwarted, Liquid finally secured it at 32 minutes, using the buff and a fed Sean “Yeon” Sung to close out the series.
While Yeon was the obvious star, UmTi’s vast improvement shone through, earning praise even from legendary LCK jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho.
This victory continues the growing narrative of NA’s recent success over Europe, further fueling the rivalry between the two regions.
In a battle of titans, Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) lived up to their billing as tournament favorites, dispatching China’s Top Esports (TES) in a clean 2-0 sweep.
Despite early resistance from TES, HLE’s superior macro and team fighting secured the series in dominant fashion.
The first map saw TES take the initiative early, securing first blood and contesting key objectives.
However, HLE remained composed, keeping pace in the kill and objective count.
A crucial Herald fight turned in TES’s favour, but HLE struck back immediately, picking up two kills and securing Dragon for free.
The turning point came in a mid-game Baron fight, where HLE secured the buff, aced TES, and steamrolled through their base to secure victory.
2-0 for @HLEofficial against @TOP_Esports_! #FST2025 pic.twitter.com/JjTVY8zID5
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) March 10, 2025
Game two followed a similar pattern, with both teams trading early kills and objectives in a tense standoff.
TES held their own in the early fights, but HLE’s teamfight prowess began to shine through.
A perfectly executed mid-lane engagement saw Hanwha Life eliminate every member of TES, shifting momentum entirely in their favour.
Moments later, another decisive team fight led by Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok’s Nocturne resulted in another four-kill sweep.
From there, HLE methodically dismantled TES, securing another Baron and sealing their second win in emphatic fashion.
Support player Yu “Delight” Hwan-jung was a standout performer, delivering masterclass performances on Alistar and Poppy, contributing heavily to HLE’s dominant mid-to-late game transitions.
With this victory, Hanwha Life solidified themselves as the team to beat in First Stand 2025.
Team Liquid’s win over Karmine Corp keeps the “NA>EU” narrative alive, while Hanwha Life’s dismantling of Top Esports reaffirms Korea’s strength on the global stage.
With each team having limited games to make their mark, the pressure intensifies heading into the next round of matches.
Top Esports will look to recover in a crucial match against Team Liquid, while Karmine Corp face a must-win situation against CTBC Flying Oyster.
Meanwhile, Hanwha Life Esports will aim to continue their dominance against the Taiwanese squad, solidifying their path to the playoffs.
With so much on the line, First Stand 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable international tournaments yet.
Read ESB’s free betting preview and predictions of Tuesday’s First Stand Tournament matches.
