Viper’s Cutting Remark at the First Stand 2025
On March 16, the finals of the First Stand 2025 officially concluded with HLE claiming the championship title. With overwhelming strength against the LEC representatives, HLE decisively defeated their opponents with a score of 3-1. This championship serves as a strong affirmation of Viper and his team’s capability to compete for even greater titles in the future.
Immediately after winning the championship, HLE members quickly became the focus of the media with tricky questions related to their victorious journey. Notably, Viper continuously received inquiries about who he considered the toughest opponent in this tournament. Surprisingly, Viper shared that TES was the most annoying opponent for him, even though HLE had just taken down this team with a 3-0 score just days prior.
“For me, TES is a very strong opponent and the most challenging to face. In fact, JackeyLove and Crisp are both outstanding players, so going up against them in the early game is a big test. Additionally, KC is another name worth mentioning as they were our opponents in the finals. The difficulty in battling KC lies in their draft strategy and approach to the game, which is quite different from ours, making it not simple to counter them,” Viper shared.
Although Viper offered high praise for TES, his comments have been seen as “rubbing salt in the wounds” for LPL fans. This stems from fans noticing a hint of a “smirk” when he mentioned TES, leading them to believe that the player was trying to be diplomatic to not offend the audience. This only intensified LPL fans’ anger towards TES for embarrassing a region often considered the second strongest in the world.
Viper and HLE Ready to Conquer New Heights
At the recent First Stand 2025, HLE convincingly claimed the championship title, losing only 3 games throughout the tournament. This demonstrates the absolute strength of the LCK representative over the rest, and they undoubtedly deserve to lift the championship trophy. Furthermore, HLE also earned the LCK region an automatic spot in the knockout stage of MSI 2025, while other regions will have one team starting from the Play-In stage.
Clearly, with their current high form, it is very likely that HLE will continue to perform well and secure a spot at MSI 2025. They may even be seen as strong contenders for the title right from this moment. Hopefully, Viper and his teammates will maintain their high performance and continue to excel, gathering more titles in the near future.