LoL - Worlds 2025: 100 Thieves, one more for the road (3/17)

The League of Legends 2025 World Championship kicks off in Beijing on the 14th of October. A total of 17 teams will compete to, again, succeed T1 at the top of the Riot Games MOBA world hierarchy. On this occasion, Sheep Esports brings you a daily feature on one of the teams taking part. On October 2st, the third episode of our series focuses on 100 Thieves.

The third seed from the Americas region is also a clear underdog, but with a very particular status. Back in July, 100T announced that they would leave the LTA North 2025 at the end of the year. Since then, the club seems to have risen from the ashes and now finds itself competing in the fifth and final Worlds of its history.

100 Thieves secured their qualification for Worlds 2025 after a strong run in Split 3 of the LTA. Their campaign was highly unexpected. The team announced its departure from the league after the 2025 season in July, just before Split 3, and then went through a disastrous regular season with three losses in three matches. They then added Niship "Dhokla" Doshi on the toplane, turning their roster into a six-man squad alongside Rayan "Sniper" Shoura. However, Sniper ultimately did not play a single game during the split.

With Dhokla’s arrival, the team found a new spark, and from that point forward, they only played best-of-five elimination matches in the playoffs, fully prepared to finish at the bottom of the standings given their early season performance. Yet, they did not lose another match, making an incredible run to the grand finals of the split. The team was transformed by the addition of their new toplaner, defeating LYON, Team Liquid, Cloud9, and Shopify Rebellion before finally falling to FlyQuest.

They then qualified for the 2025 LTA Championship, where they continued their impressive streak, securing the third and final ticket to Worlds by first sweeping paiN Gaming 3-0, then knocking out RED Canids by the same score. 100 Thieves will now go out on a high note with one of their strongest showings in recent years, delivering one of the most beautiful swan songs they could have hoped for.

Central to 100 Thieves’ success in 2025 are their standout veterans Kim "River" Dong-woo and midlaner Lim "Quid" Hyeon-seung, whose synergy and aggressive playstyle have made them one of the most formidable duos in the LTA for the second year in a row. At 26, River carved a steady path through various competitive regions before joining 100 Thieves in late 2023. River began in the Japanese and Southeast Asian scenes before stepping into the North American LCS with teams like Dignitas and Golden Guardians. His rich experience across multiple leagues has shaped him into a versatile player with an extensive champion pool. A perfect example of this was River's Wukong, Pantheon and Lee Sin in the recent 3-0 victory over RED Canids, which showcased his excellent game control and playmaking talent.

Quid completes him very well. At 21, the younger midlaner is the dynamic and explosive force in the jungle-mid duo. Starting League of Legends at age 10, he emerged through the competitive ranks in South Korea among the Gen.G Academy and Challengers teams before joining 100 Thieves in late 2023. His aggressive playstyle and excellent mechanics earned him a spot on the LTA North All-Pro Team in 2025, underscoring his reputation as the squad's rising star and key playmaker. He is the main carry of the team, with an incredible sense of the game, able to take over teamfights almost by himself on his Aurora, Sylas or Yone. His synergy with River is palpable, as both cumulate an around 75% Kill Participation on average throughout the whole split 3.

Together, River and Quid combine experience and youth, forging one of the most aggressive and cohesive mid-jungle duo in the past two years. Quid already shared at Worlds last year that playing alongside River taught him how to better manage his aggression, making him a more complete player. With River's leadership and Quid's fiery presence, the duo exemplifies how 100 Thieves have evolved from hopeful underdogs to serious contenders on the international stage, securing their second consecutive trip to Worlds.

Quid explained in a post-match interview at the beginning of the year that the team was sparked early in the year by the arrival of Ian Victor "FBI" Huang on the botlane. This addition changed how the team managed their emotions after scrims compared to 2024 and changed the way they worked all together, bringing new stability. This awakening comes just in time, as 100 Thieves are currently delivering their most beautiful swan song, making the dream of a deep run at the Worlds Swiss Stage a tangible possibility.