After the five-day Round Robin stage, the knockout stage of First Stand 2025 kicks off on March 15! Pinnacle is here to preview the four playoff teams and their opening matches in the semifinals.
CTBC Flying Oyster (-137*) vs. Karmine Corp (+113*) Best Bets
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) is the winner of the LCP (Pacific Region) Split 1. They entered the tournament as underdogs but quickly proved themselves by defeating Karmine Corp (KC), Team Liquid (TL), and even pulling off a stunning upset against Top Esports (TES). CFO won all their series with a clean 2-0 score and advanced to the knockout stage as the second seed with a 3-1 match record. CFO’s roster features two top laners, allowing them to switch their lineup for greater flexibility in drafting—a significant advantage in this Fearless Draft tournament.
Karmine Corp (KC) was on the brink of elimination after Day 2 of the Round Robin stage, suffering unexpected losses to TL and CFO. However, they bounced back with an even more surprising 2-0 upset against TES, keeping their tournament hopes alive. They also managed to take a game off Hanwha Life (HLE), pushing the series to Game 3. Despite their eventual loss, KC showed clear improvement compared to their early tournament form. AD Carry Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert delivered a standout performance in his international debut. In the series against TES, he secured the highest CS per minute (9.2) and damage per minute (989) among all players.
Best bets: CFO Money Line (-137*) and Total Maps Under 4.5 (-215*)
Bet: CTBC Flying Oyster vs. Karmine Corp odds
Hanwha Life (-598*) vs. Top Esports (+433*) Best Bets
Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) is undoubtedly the best team in this tournament, advancing without losing a single match and dropping only two games—one to Karmine Corp (KC) and one to Team Liquid (TL). Top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je continues to prove he’s the best top laner in the world, boasting a deep and skilled champion pool. In his series against TL, he secured the highest damage per minute (831) among all players—a rare feat for a top laner. Jungler Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, despite his struggles on Zyra, has shown versatility by picking Nidalee as a carry option, performing exceptionally well and shifting perceptions of him as a melee-only player.
On the other hand, Top Esports (TES) is facing heavy criticism from Chinese fans after losing to KC on Day 3 and CFO on Day 5. TES barely scraped into the knockout stage, suffering 2-0 losses in both matches. In their series against KC, they even lost both games on their blue side, a rare occurrence. TES would have been eliminated if TL had defeated HLE on Day 5.
TES is currently in a rough spot. Mid laner Lin "Creme" Jian has struggled in the laning phase, and without lane-swapping, AD Carry Wenbo "JackeyLove" Yu is frequently caught out by early-game ganks. Their drafting has also been questionable—for example, picking Karthus and Corki as their jungle-mid duo without banning Ivern. Jungler Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok’s early invade with Karthus put TES at a significant disadvantage. Later in the same game, TES started Baron right after their Atakhan buff expired, highlighting their poor in-game decision-making.
TES has multiple issues to address, and it will be challenging for them to advance further if they can’t resolve them.
Best bets: HLE Handicap –2.5 (+154*) and Total Maps Under 3.5 (+140*)
Bet: Hanwha Life vs. Top Esports odds
*Odds subject to change
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