LoL - First Stand: Flying Oyster, a new king in the Pacific (1/5)

CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) is a Taiwanese team founded in 2022, competing in the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP). Formerly part of the Pacific Championship Series (PCS), they claimed one title before the league's restructuring. As the reigning LCP champions, the team will represent the Pacific region at the First Stand.

From their Summer 2024 roster, CFO have only retained their two top laners, Shen "Driver" Tsung-Hua and veteran Hsu "Rest" Shih-Chieh, who continue to rotate based on the team's draft and needs. Typically, Rest starts the series, with Driver subbing in later. Driver holds an impressive 81% win rate and thrives on picks like Gragas, which he has played five times, as well as Sion. Rest, slightly above 66% win rate, sticks to a more standard champion pool, with 50% of his games on K'Sante. The biggest addition to the revamped lineup is jungler Yu "JunJia" Chun-Chia, joining from rivals Talon. In the midlane, 17-year-old rookie Tsai "HongQ" Ming-Hong has been promoted from CFO Academy after briefly stepping in last summer to cover for Kim "Gori" Tae-woo.

The botlane has also undergone major changes with the arrival of Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-Chuan from the LPL, where he previously played for Bilibili Gaming and Ultra Prime. He reunites with support Ling "Kaiwing" Kai Wing, his former teammate from MSI 2021, where they made a deep run to the semifinals before falling to eventual champions Royal Never Give Up. With a mix of experience and young talent, CFO enter the First Stand looking to prove themselves on the international stage.

The LCP 2025 Season Kickoff went smoothly for CFO, with six wins out of seven Best-of-three series, their only loss against Team Secret Whales. This strong performance secured them a spot in the top two, guaranteeing a comfortable position in the Qualifying Series. They first faced GAM Esports in the playoffs, where JunJia carried both games, playing AP carry champions (Lilia and Zyra). He finished the series with a perfect 7/0/19 score, never once seeing a grey screen.

Next, they overcame Vikings Esports, who, to everyone's surprise, had previously knocked out Talon. The Best-of-five series lasted four games, with Rest playing the first two and Driver taking over for the last two. However, the MVP was Doggo, who dominated his lane, especially in Game 3, where his Kai'Sa went 10/1/2, crushing the Vikings' hopes. In the final, CFO faced Talon, who had fought their way back from the lower bracket.

The series started with a dominant win for Talon and a tough performance from the young HongQ, but the rookie quickly bounced back, outplaying Chu "FoFo" Chun-Lan in the next three games and showing impressive synergy with JunJia. HongQ’s versatile champion pool made CFO even more dangerous, as JunJia could pick AP junglers while HongQ easily transitioned to AD picks, like his standout Tristana in Game 4. At just 17 years old, HongQ was named MVP of the finals and rookie of the split. He is now set to face the world’s best midlaners at the First Stand.

JunJia was, unsurprisingly, named MVP of the split. The Taiwanese jungler has never missed or lost a regional final since his return from the LPL. He can play a wide variety of champions, from those focused on setting up plays to more carry-oriented picks with added responsibility. While CFO may not enter the First Stand as favorites, it would be unwise to underestimate them. They won't be easy to beat and could even surprise Western teams.