World Championship 2025 VKS Preview: A Rampant Improvement to Qualify
Vivo Keyd Stars climbed the LTA South ranks during Split 3 to become their representative at the World Championship. After two disappointing Splits, they ramped up in the final Split to win the LTA South. Featuring a former LEC support in Trymbi, VKS has high aspirations at the World Championship. They have the entire Brazilian community behind them and are looking to show that Brazil deserves to be a feared region. Last year, paiN Gaming bowed out 0-3; VKS are looking to improve on that in 2025.
Vivo Keyd Stars Roster
- Felipe “Boal” Boal – Brazilian Top Laner
- Pedro “Disamis” Gonçalves – Brazilian Jungler
- Jeong “Mireu” Jo-bin – Korean Mid Laner
- Matheus “Morttheus” Motta – Brazilian Bot Laner
- Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus – Polish Support
- Christopher “SeeEL” Lee – Korean Head Coach
Coming into 2025, VKS replaced the majority of their roster. Only Disamis remained on the team from the “final” CBLOL split. Ronald “Visse” Vo was their mid laner for the first two splits. He moved down to their Academy roster with the team recruiting Mireu.
VKS’ Road to Worlds
VKS had a disastrous start to the year, finishing in the lowest possible position in Split 1. They lost two series to bow out early in the Playoffs. They improved to a fourth-place finish in Split 2, but that was not good enough for a team that narrowly missed out on the World Championship last year, finishing second place in CBLOL. They brought in Mireu of Isurus Eternal, the team that had knocked VKS out of Split 2 Playoffs.
VKS began the Pick and Play phase with a 2-1 series record. Their only loss came against defending LTA South champions, FURIA. They rematched FUR in the first round of the Playoffs, and it was a different story this time. VKS won 3-0 to advance to the Upper Bracket Final. They dispatched paiN Gaming, followed by Red Canids Calunga, to qualify for the LTA Championship and the World Championship. They started horribly in the Upper Bracket Final, losing 3-0 to FlyQuest, but quickly got back on their feet. They defeated 100Thieves 3-1 and had a better showing against FLY in the Grand Final to finish as the LTA second seed.
Can They Learn From the LTA Championship?
One of the incredible facets of VKS’ gameplay in Split 3 has been their improvements throughout. At the start of the Split, they were not performing as the best team in the LTA South. However, they continued to improve. They are not only the best team in the region, but also cemented their spot as the second-best team in the LTA. Finishing in second place behind FLY is not a failure, given their pedigree. If VKS can continue in the same fashion, having improved after every series, they might shock everyone at the World Championship. They come in as underdogs, but no one should doubt that they can battle the very best.
Mireu as the Focus
The dramatic change for this roster has been the inclusion of Mireu from Isurus Eternal. He has elevated the team and is a focal point. While the roster around him has improved, he is often the X factor in pivotal series. If Disamis and Trymbi can get Mireu ahead in the early game, he could give VKS a chance against the best teams in the world. VKS’ win against FLY came through early focus on Mireu. Disamis gave Mireu a lead on Akali, which he paid off in a dominant VKS win. Getting those advantages against World Championship teams may prove difficult, but it is not an impossible feat.
Expectations
There are no expectations for this team to qualify for the Bracket Stage. As we saw during the LTA Championship, they are still many steps behind FLY. However, that does not mean they can not take series and games off other teams. The lower seeds from LEC and LCP should not take VKS lightly and could see themselves losing against the Brazilian outfit.
Upcoming Journey
VKS will start the Swiss Stage at the World Championship in Pool 2. Their potential opponents are: Hanwha Life, Anyone’s Legend, Movistar KOI, Team Secret Whales, and KT Rolster/Top Esports (depending on Play-In result).
