LoL First Stand has locked in the first matches on Day 1: which Western team is stronger between TL and KC? Find out in our match preview who has the higher odds.
TL vs KC – First Stand 2025 Preview
After beating G2 in a dominant grand final, Karmine Corp have locked their qualification to the first international tournament of the year, First Stand. Representing the LEC, the French team will go up against LTA’s Team Liquid on the opening day in the first EU vs America showdown of the 2025 season.
Last time during Worlds 2024, the North American teams did better than their European counterparts with FlyQuest qualifying in the top eight and almost beating Gen.G. While the new season means values are mixed once again, we should be able to witness a closer series, especially given the presence of the Fearless Draft mode. With lots of uncertainty ahead, let’s see what we might expect going into the series.
Match Breakdown – Can the rookies withstand the pressure?
Karmine Corp has shown promising performances throughout the winter split, with all players stepping up in different moments of the tournament. Vladi was exceptional in the final against G2, earning his MVP, but KC’s success ultimately comes down to a team effort, with Yike and Targamas leading the way.
Both of them have been personally the difference maker and how the team plays the macro game. I don’t think they are individually the best players in their respective roles, but KC has found a great balance across all roles since each player can be a carry if put into the correct situation or draft. This will be a great advantage at a tournament like First Stand where draft diversity will be omnipresent.
On the other hand, Team Liquid maintained the same roster as last year, meaning that all players had already been used to playing on the international stage and should have great synergy. This can be a great advantage early on, but I don’t expect them to have enough firepower to take down KC.
There is one particular reason and it’s related to the recent lane swap changes: Impact has been notoriously a solid player but he rarely can put up carry performances — now that lane swap should no longer be a thing, he might not be able to match other top laners when it comes to take a carry role, especially compared to Canna.
On top of that, TL has played fewer matches leading up to the tournament, which I think might be a factor going against them. Most of the top teams that have qualified have played more games than TL, including KC. Overall, the expected score should be a 2-1 for KC.