Only one round remains in the
2025 World Championship's Swiss Stage. The LTA region loses both of its remaining teams in the penultimate round of the Swiss Stage, as
Vivo Keyd Stars and
100 Thieves bow out. Both gave their all against last year’s finalists,
T1 and
Bilibili Gaming—two giants who have struggled to convince this year but survive for now, moving up to 2‑2 with everything on the line.
This marks the end of an era, as this best‑of‑three against T1 will be
100 Thieves’ last appearance in League of Legends, at least as a representative of North America as they leave the LTA at the end of the season.
China number one
It was a tough series for the LPL’s first seed. Their early game left much to be desired, but they eventually took control and closed the series 2‑0 to eliminate Vivo Keyd Stars. Questions can be raised about their draft—just as in last year’s Swiss Stage, BLG stubbornly insist on unconventional pick combinations. This time, it was a first‑pick Neeko to enable ranged backlines, and Zhuo "Knight" Ding on Ziggs into Azir—a risky choice that ultimately worked out.
Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus reflected after the loss: “We felt like we had it in our hands. But BLG had better fundamentals. Even though we were pretty frustrated at Worlds, we stepped up a lot.” Despite their elimination, it’s hard not to respect VKS’s run. A rookie roster with three players barely in their twenties, they made the LTA proud by achieving every goal they set: qualify for Worlds, take a win off an accessible opponent, and fight fiercely against the favorites. Mission accomplished. Two bloody, chaotic games full of punished mistakes send BLG to 2‑2, giving them a final chance to qualify for their third consecutive quarterfinals.
The end of the Thieves
100 Thieves fought hard but were inevitably caught out. Lim "Quid" Hyeon-seung was walking on water at moments, but much like Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong in the LCK this year, he couldn’t lift his team any higher. On Akali in Game 2, the midlaner stood out especially, helping 100T exit the tournament and marking a final point to the team's history on LoL with dignity.
The reigning double world champions, however, looked noticeably sloppy. Less sharp in both draft and execution, they still managed a 2‑0 victory against North America’s second seed thanks to their ability to outfight in messy teamfights and weather 100 Thieves’ relentless attempts to speed up the game—attempts that often backfired. T1 wavered, but never fell.
They’ll face Movistar KOI in the final round, fighting to secure a quarterfinal spot they’ve never missed in 13 years of international competition.
The must-watch plays of the day
Header Photo Credit: Yicun Liu/Riot Games
