Team Liquid and Hanwha Life Esports will meet on the last day of the debut First Stand’s round robin stage. HLE is the clear favorite to win the match, but does Liquid have a shot at producing an upset?
After four days of back-to-back matches, the final day of the 2025 First Stand tournament’s round robin stage is on the horizon. One of the remaining two matches is between Team Liquid, who have performed shakily so far, and the still-undefeated Hanwha Life Esports. While HLE’s place in the playoffs is guaranteed, Liquid is still in trouble.
Top Esports, Team Liquid, and Karmine Corp are both competing for a spot in the top four. But the primary cause of concern for Team Liquid is the fact that Hanwha Life Esports only lost a single game, versus Karmine Corp, and hasn’t lost a single match since February began.
Team Liquid showcased excellent skill against Karmine Corp, likely surprising many by how well the team coordinated towards victory. However, it hasn’t been able to recapture that form in any match since. Going against Top Esports and CTBC Flying Oysters, Liquid wasn’t able to win a single game, and it’s tough to believe that’ll change against the strongest team in the tournament.
Hanwha Life Esports was already considered the strongest team in the First Stand tournament, and its performance so far hasn’t changed anyone’s mind. In particular, the team’s jungler Peanut and mid laner Zeka have showcased great skill, with Zeka even getting the MVP award in the match against KC. Team Liquid will likely give it their all to potentially stay in the tournament, and though the team’s bot laner Yeon has displayed carry potential before, HLE’s aggressive playing style may be too much for them to handle.
Below are the rosters of both teams.
Team Liquid
Hanwha Life Esports
Thanks to the fearless draft system, neither team can select the same set of champions in every game. However, both teams have a handful of champions fans may see based on their picks in the current tournament. For example, Team Liquid has picked champions like K’Sante, Maokai, Tristana, Taliyah, Nautilus, and Rakan, though its wide selection of champions means fans may potentially see other picks as well. After all, Team Liquid will want to change some things up since its recent matches haven’t gone well.
On the other hand, Hanwha Life Esports’ common picks include Vladimir, Nidalee, Vi, Varus, Ashe, Poppy, and Rell. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team’s jungler opts to go for Skarner instead since that champion has been proven quite effective against Liquid.
Hanwha Life Esports is by far the favorite to win the upcoming match. HLE’s 1.04 compared to Liquid’s 10.00 odds would make anyone think twice before siding with Team Liquid, especially considering the teams’ recent matches.
Karmine Corp may have successfully won a game against Hanwha Life Esports, but that doesn’t mean Liquid will do the same, even if Liquid defeated KC on the first day of the tournament. Liquid’s primary weakness has proven to be team fights and trying to counter aggressive pushes under its towers, and HLE knows exactly how to use these two things to its advantage.
Team Liquid’s experience on the international stages may mean it performs well in both games, though it’s unlikely to win even once. Arguably the biggest cause of concern for Liquid’s fans is how the team continues to switch around its champion picks, suggesting it hasn’t found its footing yet. Unfortunately, the best time to try new champion combinations isn’t against the strongest team in the tournament.
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