LCK was one of the first regions to determine its representative for the First Stand, the first international tournament of the season, where one team from each region will compete. South Korea will be represented by Hanwha Life Esports, who claimed the final victory in the LCK Cup 2025.

Zeus was right HLE wins LCK Cup 2025Image: liquipedia.net

You could say Zeus was right when he decided to switch teams. After all, HLE knocked T1 out of the tournament in their direct encounter. However, there are a few points to consider: first, T1 rested their main carry, Gumayusi, and gave young Smash a chance to play. Second, even though HLE advanced to the grand final through the upper bracket, all of their matches went to Silver Scrapes.

It’s also worth mentioning the tournament format, which received widespread criticism. The issue was that HLE and T1 were forced to play each other in the first round of the playoffs, essentially through no fault of their own. They played against each other as the two best teams from a group that ended up being overall weaker than the other group. The idea that you can win all your matches but still end up with a worse seed due to the results of others is flawed in any sport. On the other hand, the Fearless Draft seems to have been well-received by many.

First Stand will occur in South Korea on March 10-16. Besides HLE, CTBC Flying Oyster will also be there as the representative of LCP.

Main image: x.com

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