First Stand 2025 became the first international competition to implement the Fearless Draft system. This introduced new challenges for teams, forcing them to seek new strategies and adapt to various game scenarios. The tournament also marked the emergence of new strong players on the international stage and confirmed the overall increase in competition level in global League of Legends. 

For the first time in the tournament's history, the team Karmine Corp from Europe attended an international tournament and immediately made it to the grand final, while the Korean giant Hanwha Life Esports confirmed their region's dominance by not losing a single match.

Korea's Domination Continues

The tournament winner was Hanwha Life Esports, who did not lose a single match throughout the entire tournament. The Korean team dominated the group stage and easily overcame their opponents in the playoffs. In the final, they faced Karmine Corp and secured a victory with a score of 3:1. This once again confirmed that the Korean region remains the strongest in the world of League of Legends.

Hanwha Life Esports demonstrated perfect preparation, strong macro play, and individual skill of their players. They imposed their playstyle on opponents and capitalized on any mistakes made by their rivals.

The Main Surprise

The main revelation of the tournament was the team Karmine Corp, participating in an international tournament for the first time. Their debut was challenging—they started First Stand 2025 with two losses: first to Team Liquid, then to CTBC Flying Oyster. However, after this, the team made a sensational comeback, defeating Top Esports with a score of 2:0.

In the last match of the group stage, Karmine Corp faced Hanwha Life Esports and lost 2:1. Nevertheless, thanks to favorable results in other matches, they managed to advance to the playoffs. In the first round, they took revenge on CTBC Flying Oyster and then reached the grand final, but the young team lacked the strength to overcome the Korean giant. However, the result was very encouraging, considering that the last time a European team reached the grand final of an international tournament was back in 2019.

The Main Disappointment of the Tournament

The main failure of First Stand 2025 was the team Top Esports. The Chinese giant, once considered one of the world's strongest teams, performed terribly in the tournament. The only match they won was against Team Liquid, after which TES could not win a single map in subsequent encounters. They lost to all their opponents, including Karmine Corp, which was a complete disaster for the Chinese region.

Once the second strongest region in League of Legends, they fell to newcomers from Europe and Asia. Whether this failure was a mere misfortune or indicates a decline of the region, we will find out soon enough.

First Stand 2025 shifted the balance of power in esports League of Legends. Karmine Corp made a breakthrough on the international level, Hanwha Life Esports confirmed Korean dominance, and Chinese teams experienced one of the worst tournaments in their history. Upcoming international tournaments will show whether China and Europe can challenge Korea or if the dominance will continue.