North America brings Europe to its knees in the first BO3 of the First Stand 2025. The NA vs. EU derby that kicked off the tournament saw Karmine Corp (KC) fall 1-2 to Team Liquid (TL), who looked far more composed than their opponents today. A worrying sign, as with the tournament lasting only a week, is that every victory matters to avoid being the team eliminated from the group stage.

EU vs. NA matchups have always been historically exciting. The rivalry is as old as the game itself, but if there is one undeniable truth in recent years, it is that Team Liquid has dominated these clashes. TL has not lost to a European team since MSI 2019, when they were swept 3-0 by G2 Esports in the finals. Karmine Corp was just the latest victim of this overwhelming statistic, adding another chapter to TL’s impressive winning streak.

An entertaining series

Both teams showed clear signs of nervousness throughout the BO3. Game 1 was largely decided in the draft, with KC leaving too many strong picks open—such as Ornn and Maokai—whose ultimates synergized perfectly in teamfights. In contrast, KC themselves drafted a composition that was difficult to execute. Game 2, on the other hand, was a complete stomp in favor of Karmine Corp, with their topside carrying the game. In Game 3, both teams made risky decisions around teamfights and Baron control, but TL ultimately took over once again, completely shutting down Martin "Yike" Sundelin in the jungle and Vladimiros "Vladi" Kourtidis in the midlane, leaving them with no impact on the game. Across the series, Sean "Yeon" Sung and Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in decisively outperformed Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert and Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé in the botlane, proving to be a dominant force.

Despite playing only 17 games during the Winter Split and having no BO5 experience this year, Team Liquid executed a much simpler, more effective game plan that suffocated Karmine Corp, who struggled with a strategy that was too difficult to pull off. Perhaps it's the lack of international experience, but this loss puts enormous pressure on KC heading into their BO3 against CFO tomorrow—considered the weakest team in the tournament. A loss there would force them into an uphill battle against one of the tournament's giants, Top Esports or Hanwha Life Esports, to avoid becoming the first team eliminated from the First Stand.