Written by March 10-16, 2025, was a week filled with much action in the esports community, especially from League of Legends and other major games such as Counter-Strike and Dota 2.
The first-ever First Stand Tournament for League of Legends was at the forefront, which was being hosted at LoL Park in Seoul, South Korea. This global event had the best teams from every region, such as Karmine Corp (LEC), Hanwha Life Esports (LCK), Top Esports (LPL), Team Liquid (LTA), and CTBC Flying Oyster (LCP).
The First Stand Tournament also had a different format, which began with a round-robin phase from March 10-14, with each team facing a best-of-three series with all other teams.
The top four teams progressed to the knockout stage, held on March 15-16. The knockout stage was best-of-five single-elimination bracket that ended with the finals on March 16.
Hanwha Life Esports were expected to take the tournament, but competition was tough with Top Esports also being a top contender.
Aside from the First Stand Tournament, there were other significant esports tournaments happening at this time. The ESL Pro League Season 21 for Counter-Strike was still ongoing, with teams vying for a playoff spot.
The playoffs opened on March 13 and ended with a best-of-five grand final on March 16. The PGL Wallachia Season 3 of Dota 2 was already underway, with 16 teams participating in the Swiss Stage. The PGL Wallachia playoffs began on March 13 with a double-elimination bracket.
Although not happening directly within March 10-16, the overall 2025 VALORANT esports schedule was eventful. The VALORANT Champions Tour was in full swing, with several stages and regional events taking place throughout the year.
Main events were the VALORANT Masters and Challengers series, culminating in the VALORANT Champions Paris in October.
While not directly emphasized within this week, the design of the VCT and upcoming events laid the groundwork for an engaging year of VALORANT esports.
Top 5 Esports News Stories from March 10-16, 2025
1. First Stand Tournament Begins
The First Stand Tournament was a pioneering esports competition held between March 10 and 16, 2025, at LoL Park in Seoul, South Korea.
The first-ever tournament in the League of Legends esports calendar, it was a event that saw leading teams from around the world compete for a sizeable prize pool.
The competition had a wide range of teams, each from their respective regions:
- Hanwha Life Esports (LCK): The Korean region was represented by Hanwha Life Esports, which was a popular choice to emerge victorious in the tournament based on their display in the LCK Cup.
- Top Esports (LPL): Top Esports from the Chinese region had a reputation for playing aggressively and was seen as a strong prospect.
- Team Liquid (LTA): The Latin American region had Team Liquid represent it.
- CTBC Flying Oyster (LCP): As a Pacific Championship Series (PCS) region team, CTBC Flying Oyster was seeking to make their presence felt globally.
- Karmine Corp (LEC): Hailing from the European region, Karmine Corp was recognized for their creative strategy and synergy of the team.
Between March 10 to 14, every team participated in a best-of-three series against all the other teams. This stage of competition provided opportunities for teams to try out strategies and evolve under the pressure of competition.
The last four teams from the round-robin phase qualified for the knockout phase, which was held on March 15-16. The stage was a single-elimination bracket where matches were best-of-five, leading up to the finale on March 16.
The tournament provided a purse of $1,000,000 and was thus an appealing event for teams looking to gain financial rewards as well as worldwide recognition.
Aside from the financial reward, the First Stand Tournament presented a platform where teams had the opportunity to experience valuable exposure playing against varied opponents.
2. Hanwha Life Esports vs. Top Esports Matchup
The game between Hanwha Life Esports and Top Esports on the first day of the First Stand Tournament was among the most awaited matches in the tournament. This battle between two of the top teams in the competition served to showcase the strategic level of both teams.
Hanwha Life Esports is among the best teams representing the Korean region, Hanwha Life Esports came to the tournament full of expectations.
Their display in the LCK Cup had made them likely to take home the First Stand Tournament. They had a mix of veteran players who were good at implementing sophisticated strategies to play various styles.
Top Esports was speaking on behalf of the Chinese region, Top Esports used to have a hyper-aggressive early-game style of play. They used to be very successful in overseas competitions and were viewed as one of the favorite picks for winning the tournament.
Top Esports’ roster boasted stars such as Kanavi and JackeyLove, who were celebrated for their game sense and mechanics.
Match Analysis
Top Esports specializes in aggressive early-game play, usually prioritizing early kills and objectives to earn a gold and experience lead. In this game, they utilized the same approach, attempting to disrupt Hanwha Life Esports’ early-game composition.
Hanwha Life Esports, expecting Top Esports to be aggressive, prioritized a more defensive early-game strategy. They prioritized getting their own jungle camps and not letting Top Esports take control of important spots such as the river and dragon.
Throughout the game, both teams fought fiercely in team battles. Hanwha Life Esports’ coordination and execution played an important role in these battles since they were able to outmaneuver Top Esports on a number of occasions.
Top Esports were, however, able to remain competitive due to their individual skillset and secure key kills.
During the late game, Hanwha Life Esports’ stronger macro game and control of objectives enabled them to take important objectives such as Baron Nashor and Elder Dragon. This provided them with the gold and buffs needed to mount a win.
Also Read: Top 5 Things to know about Clash of Clans World Championship 2025
3. Team Liquid vs. Top Esports
The game between Top Esports and Team Liquid on March 11, 2025, at the First Stand Tournament was an exciting match that revealed the strength and tactics of both teams.
Being the Latin American region representative and the Chinese region representative, respectively, this match attracted much attention from fans and analysts.
Team Liquid came into the First Stand Tournament with a strong reputation as one of Latin America’s best teams. Praised for their flexibility, they had a team roster full of skilled players with experience in global competition.
The fact that they could function as a well-oiled machine was one of the reasons they succeeded.
Top Esports was known for their hyper-aggressive playstyle and extremely high mechanical capability. Having players such as Kanavi (jungler) and JackeyLove (AD carry), they had a track record for crushing early games and taking objectives quickly. They tended to base their game around setting up early leads to snowball into a win.
Match Analysis
The champion picking phase laid the foundation for the game. Team Liquid chose a balanced team composition that focused on team fights and late-game scaling, while Top Esports picked champions that are popular for their early-game strength and burst damage capability.
As predicted, Top Esports was aggressive in the early game, using their jungling aggressive play to take Team Liquid’s jungle and claim early objectives.
Kanavi’s aggressive ganks assisted in acquiring kills for his laners, and Top Esports took an early gold advantage.
Even though Team Liquid was behind early, they showed determination by emphasizing wave management and objective take.
They stressed farming securely while waiting for opportunities to counter-jank Top Esports’ aggressive maneuvers. Through this patience, they gradually bridged the gold gap.
The mid-game involved a turning point where Team Liquid pulled off a beautifully coordinated team fight close to the Dragon pit.
Through vision control and effective positioning, they managed to catch Top Esports out of position, leading to a good trade that changed momentum in their favor.
As the game went into the later phases, Team Liquid’s formation started to excel. They utilized their scaling champions well, prioritizing taking important objectives such as Baron Nashor and Elder Dragon.
Their cohesiveness in team fights enabled them to obtain crucial picks against Top Esports, gaining them major advantages.
There were a few clutch moments in the match when one player had game-turning plays. For example, Team Liquid’s mid-laner pulled off an impeccable flank in a decisive team fight, which enabled them to take out Top Esports’ damage dealers swiftly.
In the end, Team Liquid won this intense struggle against Top Esports, proving that they are capable of adjusting under duress and applying their plan well.
This match not only proved Team Liquid’s resilience but also demonstrated the volatility of esports, whereby even early setbacks can be reversed with teamwork and strategy.
4. CTBC Flying Oyster vs. Top Esports
The 14th March, 2025, between CTBC Flying Oyster and Top Esports, in the First Stand Tournament, was an important game for both teams.
Representing PCS and the Chinese territory (LPL), respectively, this was a very important game in ranking teams in the round-robin stage.
CTBC Flying Oyster was the dark horse from the PCS region, entering the event. They weren’t as internationally recognized as a few of the other teams but had demonstrated outstanding form in the regional tournaments.
One of the strongest teams from the LPL, Top Esports was known for their gameplay and high mechanical ability. They were a consistent performer in international tournaments and were among the top favorites to win the tournament.
Their roster consisted of skilled players such as Kanavi and JackeyLove, who were known for their prowess in dominating early games.
Match Analysis
The selection of the champion was essential in determining the tempo of the match. CTBC Flying Oyster went with a more defensive setup, aiming to scale up during the late game, while Top Esports went with champions with high early-game power. This difference in approach would affect each team’s style of playing out the early game.
Top Esports pushed forward hard in the early game. They leveraged Kanavi’s jungling skill to intrude into CTBC Flying Oyster’s jungle and get early kills. The strong start enabled Top Esports to get an early gold and experience lead.
In spite of being under pressure early on, CTBC Flying Oyster played defensively. They concentrated on getting their own jungle camps and not letting Top Esports dominate important areas such as the river and dragon.
This defensive strategy helped them remain in the game despite the early disadvantage.
As the game rolled into the mid-game, the two teams both started participating in heavy team fights. CTBC Flying Oyster’s composition finally started to excel as they utilized their scaling champions to pull off perfectly executed team fights.
But Top Esports’ individual skill and aggression sometimes gave them important kills.
During late game, CTBC Flying Oyster’s focus was on taking significant objectives such as Baron Nashor and Elder Dragon.
Top Esports’ stronger macro game and objective control, however, denied them these options and took the win.
5. Knockout Stage Advances
The knockout round of the First Stand Tournament held on March 15-16, 2025. This round was played among the top four teams from the round-robin phase in a best-of-five match single-elimination bracket.
The level of intensity and the strategic complexity brought out at this stage were determinative of the eventual tournament champion.
Teams participating in the Knockout Stage:
- Hanwha Life Esports (LCK): Being one of the best teams from the Korean region, Hanwha Life Esports were expected to qualify based on their good show in the round-robin stage.
- Top Esports (LPL): Being the representative of the Chinese region, Top Esports had played good form in the tournament, utilizing their aggressive playing style to get important victories.
- Team Liquid (LTA): Although they were from the Latin American region, Team Liquid had shown strategic depth, which made them a dark horse in the tournament.
- Karmine Corp (LEC): As the European team, Karmine Corp had a special combination of creative strategies and team cohesion, which had enabled them to qualify for the knockout stage.
Semifinals Analysis:
Hanwha Life Esports vs. Team Liquid, this semifinal game was anticipated because of the differing styles between the two teams.
Hanwha Life Esports addressed a more mechanical strategy, prioritizing objective control and team fights, whereas Team Liquid depended on their capacity to evolve and implement sophisticated strategies.
The series was an intense one, with Hanwha Life Esports taking it in the end because of their stronger macro game and objective control.
The second semifinal pitted Top Esports against Karmine Corp. Top Esports’ aggressive early game was a tough challenge for Karmine Corp, who had a hard time keeping up with the pace of the Chinese team.
Even though Karmine Corp employed unorthodox tactics, Top Esports’ skill and experience paid off, handing them a dominating win.
Finals Analysis:
The last match of the tournament was between Hanwha Life Esports and Top Esports. This was a rematch of their previous encounter in the round-robin stage, but with much higher stakes in the finals.
Both teams had demonstrated unbelievable strategic depth throughout the tournament, and the final series was eagerly awaited.
The last series was dominated by intense team battles and clever tactics. Hanwha Life Esports tried to prioritize objectives such as Baron Nashor and Elder Dragon, while Top Esports banked on their hyper-aggressive early game strategy in an attempt to break Hanwha’s formation.
The series had a number of turning points, one of them being a very important team fight in Game 3 where Hanwha Life Esports outsmarted Top Esports, claiming a decisive win. That shift in momentum helped Hanwha take the series into its hands.
In the end, Hanwha Life Esports were crowned the First Stand Tournament champions, taking down Top Esports in a highly competitive final series.
It was a victory that proved to show their stronger team cooperation, strategic depth, and capacity to stay adaptable amidst pressure.
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