Hanwha Life Esports continues their streak of dominance at the
First Stand 2025 tournament as they take down CTBC Flying Oyster and remain undefeated. In two separate press conferences, toplaner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je and support Yu "Delight" Hwan-jung discuss their strategies for today's match along with their unorthodox picks, while the botlane duo Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-chuan and Ling "Kaiwing" Kai-wing talk about their upcoming matches and the evolution of the LCP.
Hanwha Life Esports Press Conference
Zeus, there were a lot of unexpected picks today—Karma top, Vladimir, Zed. What are your thoughts on those picks?
Choi "Zeus" Woo-je: I kind of expected the top Karma pick when the enemy hesitated with their fourth pick. We had discussed that possibility with our coaches. As for Vladimir, we saw good results in practice, so I picked it without hesitation.
You picked Vladimir, and Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo picked Zed. What were the reasons behind those picks? What did the comms sound like?
Zeus: Everyone on the team was confident in those picks.
Zeka is really good on any champion, but he shines even brighter on assassins. We all had faith in his Zed.
Zeus: Yeah, I noticed they alternated between games in the last match. I tried to break down their characteristics, but they have similar champion pools. In the end, I just told myself I had to play against them to learn more. I played against Rest (Hsu Shih-chieh) at the Asian Games before—he tends to play much safer. I prefer Driver (Shen Tsung-hua) since he plays more aggressively.
Delight, considering you already dominated TES, what do the next FST games mean for you?
Yu "Delight" Hwan-jung: We always have to remember that no matter who we face, there's always a chance we could lose. In esports, there are no fixed outcomes, so we have to stay on guard, and I have to keep my head in the game.
You faced your former teammate Eom "UmTi" Seong-hyeon internationally. Did you get a chance to chat with him?
Delight: Yeah, I did. We just bantered a bit and said, "Fighting!" I didn’t really get a chance to see him after that.
CTBC Flying Oyster Press Conference
Doggo, what are the main differences in individual skill levels between First Stand and the LCP?
Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-chuan: Since this game has been around for a long time, there's a noticeable gap in strength between us and the LCK. But I don't see big differences compared to other regions.
You beat the LEC. What do you think it will take for people to see LCP as a major region and stop disrespecting you?
Doggo: We’ll have to beat TES and TL for everyone to respect us.
After spending time in the LPL, you're back in APAC and competing internationally. How does it feel to be back on the international stage?
Doggo: I’m really happy to be back in the LCP and to play such a big tournament in Korea in my first year back.
Kaiwing, going into your matchup against Team Liquid, how confident are you? Any players you're keeping an eye on?
Ling "Kaiwing" Kai-wing: First of all, we need to stay positive and execute what we practiced to beat TL tomorrow. They have a lot of very experienced players. Instead of focusing too much on macro, we just need to have strong individual performances—that's how we'll beat them.
You mentioned you wanted to play against Delight. How was it? What do you think your team can improve on?
Kaiwing: After playing against him, I’m really happy to have had that experience. I feel like we learned from each other, and mostly, I learned from him. I think we performed decently."
Header Photo Credit: Christina Oh/Riot Games
