First Stand 2026 Match Review: TSW Is The First Team Eliminated

The two bloodiest teams during the domestic seasons faced off. FearX and Team Secret Whales are on the brink of elimination from First Stand. BFX reminded everyone why they qualified for the competition in the first place. Clear is a liability for BFX and will need to improve against the rest of the teams. TSW is the first team eliminated from First Stand.

First Stand 2026: Game One Review

BFX Beat TSW 3-0 to eliminate them from First Stand — Image of BFX beating TSW, courtesy of LoL Esports

Draft

Team Secret Whales – Blue Side

Gwen
Vi
Ahri
Varus
Rakan

FearX – Second Pick

Renekton
Xin Zhao
Annie
Ezreal
Karma

Clear’s Early Weakness

Clear struggles to play the lane on the bounce as he loses most of his health. Hizto shows up to guarantee the First Blood kill. Diable and Kellin outmaneuver Eddie as they dodge every skill shot to get BFX’s first kill of the game.

Grubs Fight in TSW’s Favor

BFX decides to contest the grubs, despite being at a player disadvantage. They only earn one kill in trade for three members dying. When the fight is even, BFX gets three kills compared to two deaths. If it were not for Raptor, the fight could have been horrible for BFX. Pun solo kills Clear to increase his individual gold lead to 1.2k.

BFX Teamfighting

BFX is a strong teamfighting team. They pulled out that card on the third Drake. They turned a chase on VicLa into a dominant fight win. Clear dies in two consecutive teamfights, but BFX uses the time spent killing him to win. The second fight allows them to take Baron and set up on Infernal Soul. Hizto, Dire, and Bie send everything on Diable. The BFX AD Carry dies, but so does most of TSW. Diable picks up his second pentakill of First Stand in TSW’s base.

Total Apex Ratings

FearX

Clear – 4
Raptor – 9
VicLa – 7
Diable – 7
Kellin – 8

Team Secret Whales

Pun – 7
Hizto – 6
Dire – 4
Eddie – 4
Bie – 5

Player of the game – Raptor

First Stand 2026: Game Two Review

Draft

Team Secret Whales – Blue Side

Volibear
Naafiri
Galio
Corki
Nautilus

FearX – First Pick

Ambessa
Nocturne
Orianna
Kalista
Renata Glasc

The Top Laners Trade

Clear kills Pun, despite being in a counter matchup. However, the kill makes him too cocky as he goes for another all-in. It takes a while, but Pun secures the counter kill. Pun’s kill is more important as he denies multiple waves and gets two plates. Pun continues the dominance in the lane, setting up a dive on Clear and another solo kill.

More Trades Ensue

The first teamfight ended up being a 3-for-3 trade in an extended play. BFX’s Orianna and Nocturne ultimate combo missed the mark on Eddie. Clear dies before the second fight for the Hextech Drake. Despite that, TSW has to give up the Drake due to their lack of ultimates and Dire’s presence in the top lane.

BFX’s Map Movements Build a Lead

Clear and Raptor kill Pun before he can sustain long enough. Clear lives on low health. The map movements allow Diable to get the top Tower, while VicLa takes the mid Tower.

Diable Glides

Raptor dies instantly in the third Drake fight. Diable’s mechanics are on point as he shreds through TSW. He ends up dying, but not before he takes multiple members with him. The lead from the Drake fight is too much for TSW to bear. BFX crushes another teamfight to earn the Baron. They end the game with the Baron push.

Total Apex Ratings

FearX

Clear – 5
Raptor – 7
VicLa – 8
Diable – 8
Kellin – 8

Team Secret Whales

Pun – 6
Hizto – 5
Dire – 4
Eddie – 3
Bie – 5

Player of the game – Kellin

First Stand 2026: Game Three Review

Draft

FearX – Blue Side

Rumble
Pantheon
Aurora
Yunara
Milio

Team Secret Whales – Second Pick

Ornn
Jarvan IV
LeBlanc
Aphelios
Thresh

Eddie and Bie With Early Advantage

Eddie and Bie have been able to keep Diable and Kellin quiet in the laning phases. In this game, they managed to earn the First Blood kill on Kellin.

An Extended Play Top Lane

Both teams expend their teleports for each of their solo lanes during an extended play. Overall, TSW earns three kills, including two on Clear. Clear dies for the fourth time as Pun and Hizto dive him under the bot lane tower.

FearX Teamfight Turns it Around

Raptor ults onto Eddie underneath the tier-two mid Tower. TSW kills Diable, but can not find another kill. Raptor saves Clear with a Flash double kill. Clear comes alive in the Infernal Soul point teamfight. He fights 1 versus 3 and earns two kills before he dies. The saving grace for TSW is that Hizto steals the Drake.

FearX Deny Infernal Soul

Diable plays on the edge to dodge TSW’s skills. However, he flashes in to die. Fortunately for him, his team wins the fight and denies the Soul. TSW ends everything onto Diable, but Kellin flashes in to block the hook from Bie. BFX wins the fight and the series, eliminating TSW from First Stand.

Total Apex Rating

FearX

Clear – 3
Raptor – 8
VicLa – 8
Diable – 6
Kellin – 8

Team Secret Whales

Pun – 6
Hizto – 7
Dire – 3
Eddie – 4
Bie – 6

Player of the game – Raptor

First Stand 2026: Player Summary

TSW lifting the LCP Split 1 Trophy — Image of TSW winning the LCP, courtesy of LoL Esports

FearX

Clear – 4.0

Clear had a disastrous performance in the series. Pun had his number throughout as Clear had a worse laning phase. His only good play was a 1-vs-3 play in the third game.

Raptor – 8.0

Raptor struggled in the series against Bilibili Gaming. He had a quick turnaround to be the Total Apex player of the series against TSW.

VicLa – 7.7

Much like Raptor, VicLa needed to improve. He took the chance in the series and outplayed Dire in the laning phase and teamfights.

Diable – 7.0

Diable is still Diable. His playstyle never changes regardless of the situation. In game three, he outplayed TSW, but then flashed in and died.

Kellin – 8.0

Kellin was only barely behind Raptor for the player of the series. He had the same rating, but Raptor had a bigger impact over the course of the series.

Team Secret Whales

Pun – 6.3

Pun showed many have hyped him up heading into First Stand. He outplayed Clear, even while playing Ornn. He got to play his famous Volibear and crushed Clear.

Hizto – 6.0

Hizto once again had a significant impact on the series. He helped TSW push towards a potential victory in game three. However, it was not enough to win the game.

Dire – 3.7

Dire did not perform well in the series. He struggled to perform against a resurgent VicLa, dying solo in multiple situations.

Eddie – 3.7

Eddie’s laning phase was decent. He stayed even with Diable and had a lead in game three. However, his mid-game mistakes proved costly.

Bie – 5.3

Bie was an important part in keeping the BFX bot lane quiet. He was stable throughout the series but did not have a significant impact on teamfights.

First Stand Impact

TSW is out of First Stand contention. BFX advances to the final match of the group against G2 Esports. If they win that series, they will qualify for the Knockout Stage.

Author

Devin Morris

I am a gaming fanatic from little old South Africa. I have had a passion for gaming and writing from a young age. My early favorites were Age of Empires, FIFA and Need for Speed games. As I grew older I moved into more competitive gaming, focusing on Overwatch, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. I also sink way too many hours into Destiny 2!