Meanwhile, CBTC Flying Oyster and Top Esports have been eliminated.
The first-ever League of Legends (LoL) First Stand is nearing its conclusion, with the four remaining teams clashing in the semifinals on Saturday (15 March) for the two spots in the Grand Finals.
In the end, it was LoL Champions Korea (LCK) representatives 
Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and the LoL European Championship's
Karmine Corp (KC) who came out on top, with Karmine Corp outlasting 
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), 3-2, while HLE dominated 
Top Esports in a 3-0 sweep.
This marks both HLE’s and Karmine Corp’s first time qualifying for the grand finals on the international stage, with Karmine Corp also doing so in their debut international tournament.
All four teams had very different journeys leading up to the Knockout Stage. HLE were dominant, winning against all four teams in the Group Stage. They swept Top Esports on the first day, trounced CFO 2-0 on the third day, and then defeated Karmine Corp on the fourth day, before finally taking down Team Liquid 2-1 on the final day of the competition.
CFO also finished the Group Stage strong with a 3-1 standing. The Oysters performed well throughout, only losing to HLE in a 2-0 sweep but securing wins against Karmine Corp, the LoL Championship Series' (LCS) 
Team Liquid, and even Top Esports.
Tied for last place were Top Esports, Karmine Corp, and Liquid at 1-3. Karmine Corp struggled in their opening game, losing 1-2 against Liquid, followed by a 0-2 sweep against CFO. However, they pulled off a 2-0 upset against LPL’s Top Esports before falling to HLE, though they managed to take one game off them in a 1-2 loss.
Meanwhile, Top Esports were swept 2-0 by HLE, CFO, and Karmine Corp but managed to defeat Team Liquid 2-1. Due to Liquid's total games win/loss percentage among the tied teams being only 40% compared to TES’s 50%, Liquid ended up in last place and was eliminated.
Here’s how the semifinals went:
Karmine Corp outlast CBTC Flying Oysters
The Oysters drew first blood within the first five minutes of the first game, setting a cautious pace as both teams prioritised map control over skirmishes. The game remained tense until a pivotal team fight at the Dragon pit saw KC turn the tables, securing the Dragon Soul and executing a clean ace. With the buff in their favour, they systematically shut CFO out from the Baron and Elder Dragon, closing out the 35-minute game with a dominant 13-2 kill lead.
Karmine Corp came out swinging in the second game, dismantling CFO in one of the most one-sided games of the series. With relentless aggression, they secured 22 kills while conceding just one, maintaining an almost 15,000 gold lead before storming the Nexus at 28 minutes to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Refusing to go down without a fight, CFO came back with a vengeance, pushing for early kills and keeping the European squad on edge. While KC initially held their ground, the Oysters capitalised on crucial mid-game skirmishes and objective control to claw back the advantage. With a 22-12 kill lead, they secured the win after a gruelling 31-minute battle, keeping their tournament hopes alive.
In the fourth game, both teams were more or less on equal footing, with CFO slightly ahead in terms of gold and kill lead. In the mid-game, the Oysters found a way to steal the Baron from KC, allowing the team to accelerate the game and widen their gap from the European team. However, KC were unable to a defend their base as CFO closed in on them. And after a 31-minute encounter and a 14-5 kill lead, CFO destroyed KC’s base to extend the game to Silver Scrapes.
Although the fifth game decider started on a slow burn, it eventually turned into a bloody encounter in the late game, with both teams giving all they’ve got, with 25 kills across the board.
However, the LEC champions found a fight in the mid lane that caught the Pacific champs off guard. KC cleaned up the Oysters in the mid lane and marched their way toward the Nexus. And after a 39-minute encounter and an 18-13 kill lead, Karmine Corp destroyed CFO’s base to win the fifth game and the series.
Karmine Corp’s victory marks their first-ever Grand Finals appearance on the international stage in their debut on an international LoL Esports tournament. It’s also the first time in six years that a Western team—and an LEC squad—has reached the finals of an international event.
HLE crush Top Esports
In the first game, both HLE and Top Esports were on equal footing during the laning phase. But the South Korean team executed an explosive play at the Baron pit that allowed them to crank up their lead against the LPL champs. Top Esports tried to make plays against HLE but failed to overtake them, with the LCK team ready to defend or even turn team fights around. And after a 29-minute encounter with a 17-6 kill lead, HLE marched down the TES base to destroy the Nexus and win the first game.
The second game was similar to the first, with both teams able to hold their ground from the early to mid game, with Top Esports able to secure more kills this time around. However, HLE kept finding ways to outsmart them and eventually overtook their opponents in the mid to late game. TES were able to successfully defend their base when HLE used the Baron buff to open up the base. However, with the South Korean’s lead mounting, TES were unable to survive the second siege from HLE on a Baron buff. And after a 28-minute encounter and a 34-14 kill lead, HLE destroyed the TES Nexus to win the second game.
TES fought back in the third game, with back and forth wins throughout the early game to late game. And although HLE were able to keep up, preventing TES from gaining a significant gold lead, TES were able to claim a slight gold lead and hold on for a while. However, in a fight for Dragon Soul HLE turned things around and decimated the Chinese team, leaving only their jungler running for the hills, and allowing them to reclaim the gold lead. And after a 33-minute encounter and a 22-12 kill lead, HLE destroyed the TES Nexus to win the third game and the series.
With their win both Karmine Corp and Hanwha Life Esports will meet at the Grand Finals of the first-ever LoL First Stand on Sunday (16 March). Meanwhile, CBTC Flying Oyster and Top Esports bow out of the competition in third to fourth place, taking home US$172,500 in consolation.
