by The League of Legends First Stand Tournament delivered yet another day of thrilling action, with CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) upsetting Team Liquid and Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) strengthening their dominance by dismantling Karmine Corp (KC).
Team Liquid had a prime opportunity to secure a semifinal spot but fell short against an inspired CFO lineup.
The Taiwanese League of Legends squad bounced back from a tough loss to HLE by delivering a dominant 2-0 sweep against the North American hopefuls.
2-0 win for @CTBC_cfo against @TeamLiquidLoL! #FST2025 pic.twitter.com/wwcaiv6IBL
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) March 13, 2025
Mid laner Tsai “HongQ” Ming-Hong and jungler Yu “JunJia” Chun-Chia shone in the opener, maintaining flawless KDAs while dismantling Liquid’s early aggression.
CFO played a textbook opening game, executing their fundamentals well and turning an even early game into a one-sided affair.
Liquid attempted to shake things up in game two with a Ziggs pick, but CFO had all the answers.
Despite Liquid’s strong start, Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-chuan’s Tristana and Shen “Driver” Tsung-hua’s Gangplank nullified Jeong “Impact” Eon-young’s Jax, swinging momentum in CFO’s favour.
Overconfidence cost Liquid dearly, as they overextended multiple times, allowing CFO to capitalise, secure key objectives, and claim a resounding victory.
The win pushes CFO to a 2-1 record and secures their playoff spot, leaving Liquid’s qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
They must now face the tournament’s frontrunner, HLE, in a high-stakes final group-stage match.
HLE reaffirmed why they are the favourites with GG Bet after another commanding performance, this time against Karmine Corp.
The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) representatives secured a 2-1 victory, extinguishing KC’s chances of directly qualifying for the playoffs while extending their own unbeaten streak.
#HLEWIN @HLEofficial win the series against @KarmineCorp and are now 3-0 at First Stand! #FSRT2025 pic.twitter.com/gvTHchZigP
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) March 13, 2025
Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo’s Sylas drew first blood in the opening game, but KC responded well in the early stages.
Despite securing two Dragons and four Voidgrubs, KC struggled to convert their lead into a tangible advantage.
HLE, on the other hand, leveraged their superior rotations, claiming Atakhan and key neutral objectives to tilt the game in their favour.
Game two saw KC put up a stronger fight, with Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert’s triple kill energising the team and earning them a brief lead.
However, a pivotal moment came when HLE secured an Ocean Soul, only for KC to respond with a Baron.
The game reached a chaotic climax when KC claimed the Elder Dragon but lost almost their entire team in the process.
KC went on to take Baron and control of the game before pushing their opponents base to claim victory and level the series at one-apiece.
The decisive third game saw both teams trading early objectives, with KC securing two Dragons while HLE collected five Voidgrubs.
However, HLE’s team coordination once again proved too much, as they controlled the critical third Dragon fight and methodically dismantled KC’s defences.
With Atakhan, Baron, and Dragon advantages in their pocket, HLE left no openings and marched towards a dominant victory.
With CFO and HLE securing playoff spots, the battle for the final semifinal berths intensifies.
Team Liquid must defeat the undefeated HLE to have a shot at advancing, while KC’s fate now rests on other results.
If CFO defeat Top Esports, KC will qualify over TL, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the tournament’s closing group-stage matches.
Top Esports, coming off a loss to KC, will be determined to avoid another setback against CFO.
Their performance will not only decide their own fate but could also dramatically impact the playoff seeding.
Friday’s First Stand matches
- CTBC Flying Oyster ($4.50) vs Top Esports ($1.16) @ 5pm KST
- Team Liquid ($10.00) vs Hanwha Life Esports ($1.03) @ 8pm KST
