This was the most contested series of the tournament.
Karmine Corp secured a 3-2 victory against
CTBC Flying Oyster in a thrilling semifinal. The Blue Wall qualifies for the first international final in its history, adding another chapter to its already impressive European legacy in 2025. They now earn the right to face the winner of Hanwha Life Esports vs. Top Esports, the match immediately following KC's semifinal bout against CFO.
As for CFO, they may have some regrets. After an impressive run throughout the week, taking down the champions of the LTA, LEC, and LPL with convincing 2-0 victories each time, they finally met their match and saw their run come to an end. However, their impressive performance should not be overlooked. Coming into the tournament as clear underdogs, they leave with a newfound reputation, turning the spotlight on the LCP — a region to watch closely in the coming months ahead of MSI and Worlds.
One more for History
Many doubted Karmine Corp’s ability to bounce back in the tournament after losing their two most important opening series — they fell to the two ostensibly weakest teams at the tournament: Team Liquid and CFO. But their journey proves two things: teams improve throughout a tournament, and the First Stand 2025 format forgives early stumbles. While reaching the grand final is a testament to their solid level of play, it's worth noting that Karmine Corp made it there with only two match wins ahead of the bracket stage, raising questions about the competitive value of the tournament.
In Game 1, Karmine played around Drake scaling and never lost control, securing an early Infernal Soul that allowed them to snowball every subsequent fight. Game 2 was a complete outdraft. Vladimiros "
Vladi" Kourtidis locked in Taliyah, which dismantled CFO’s entire composition from the first teamfights, enabling strong map control alongside Pantheon. KC played a style they hadn’t used much this year but executed it flawlessly, relentlessly punishing Shen "
Driver" Tsung-Hua's Gragas. It was nearly a perfect game, with KC conceding only a single kill and one turret.
Overconfidence cost Karmine in Game 3, as they lost multiple 2v2 and 3v3 skirmishes early on. CFO took a breath of fresh air and had Tsai "
HongQ" Ming-Hong to thank as he finally delivered his first strong performance of the series on Tristana. He shone once again in Game 4, this time in a much easier-to-execute composition, stunning the world with his Akali at just 17 years old. Despite Caliste "
Caliste" Henry-Hennebert and Raphaël "
Targamas" Crabbé dominating the bot lane, they couldn't translate that advantage into control over the rest of the game.
Game 5 could have gone either way, with both teams playing for scaling, but it took several miracle teamfights — starting with Kim "
Canna" Chang-dong's brilliant Jax flank in the second Drake pit. In the end, history was written once again for KC, who secured at least a top 2 finish in the tournament. They will face the winner of HLE vs. TES, which takes place today.
Header Photo Credit: Christina Oh/Riot Games
