Meanwhile, Karmine Corp bow out of their first international tournament appearance in second place.
South Korean League of Legends (LoL) powerhouse 
Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) have made history by winning their first international tournament as an organisation at the 2025 LoL First Stand after defeating 
Karmine Corp (KC), 3-1, and winning US$300,000.
HLE had a dominant run throughout the tournament, winning against all four teams in the Group Stage. They swept both 
Top Esports and 
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO) and defeated Karmine Corp and 
Team Liquid 2-1 to qualify for the Playoffs.
Karmine Corp struggled in the first half of the Group Stage, losing 1-2 against Liquid, followed by a 0-2 sweep against CFO. However, they pulled off a 2-0 upset against Top Esports before falling to HLE, though they managed to take one game off them in a 1-2 loss.
In the semifinals, Karmine Corp outlasted CFO, 3-2, while HLE took down Top Esports to make it to the Grand Finals.
HLE rout Karmine Corp 3-1 to win LoL First Stand
In the laning phase of the first game, both teams were able to keep up with each other and traded blows evenly. However, KC went for scrappy plays and side lane skirmishes, punishing HLE for their mistakes.
KC continued to increase their gold lead and oppress the South Korean team on the Rift. A crucial team fight erupted in the river that continued to go KC’s way, as they cleaned up the river and rushed toward the mid lane. After a 36-minute encounter and a 22-17 kill lead, KC destroyed HLE’s Nexus to win the first game.
In the second game, HLE slowed down the pace of the game and focused on map objectives. Gaining a moderate gold lead, HLE shut down KC’s attempts to even win a bounty, after a Rift Herald steal in the mid-game. The South Korean team continued to dominate the map, taking Dragon Soul and slowly taking down KC’s turrets, while KC were still unable to take turrets so late in the game. After a dominant 29-minute game with a 10-2 kill lead and a 13,000 gold lead, HLE destroyed KC’s Nexus to win the second game.
As HLE continued to get stronger, they continued to choke the European team on the Rift. And after a 26-minute encounter and a 28-11 kill lead, HLE took down KC’s Nexus to win the third game.
The pace of the laning phase was pretty slow, however, HLE were more disciplined and easily gained an early game advantage, and snowballed their lead easy as they kept disciplined throughout the game. The South Korean team crushed the European team, not allowing any kills or turrets until the late game. And after a 35-minute siege with a 22-10 kill lead, Hanwha Life destroyed KC’s Nexus to win the fourth game and the series, to become the first-ever First Stand Champions.
Meanwhile, KC bow out of the competition in second place, taking home US$225,000 in consolation.
