Worlds 2025: Team Secret Whales Fail to Make an Impact

Team Secret Whales had the benefit of facing Vivo Keyd Stars on Swiss Stage Day One. They started their Worlds run with a victory. But, from then onwards, it would be downhill for the LCP’s second seed. They had some positives to take away from the tournament at least. The rookies in Dire, and especially Hizto, shone brightly during Worlds. Those two could become powerhouses in the LCP next year.

Worlds 2025: Team Secret Whales Review

Hiro02

Total Apex rating – 4.3 (18th among top laners, 86th among players)

Champions Played

• Jayce
• Mordekaiser
• Renekton
• Rumble

Hiro will predominantly be remembered for his Jayce game against Movistar KOI. In the decider, Hiro subbed in to play the carry top laner. However, after getting solo-killed twice, he fell behind. The rest of his Worlds performance was nothing to write home about either.

Pun

Total Apex rating – 6.0 (tied 10th among top laners, tied 38th among players)

Champions Played

• Sion
• Renekton

Pun only played the first two games against MKOI. He had solid performances in both, but nothing crazy. He did throw away part of his lead in game two, but that was not the reason they lost. Seeing him subbed out for game three was surprising. However, his rating may have gone down if he had played more games.

Hizto

Total Apex rating – 6.0 (tied 9th among junglers, tied 38th among players)

Champions Played

• Jarvan IV (2)
• Vi (2)
• Qiyana
• Xin Zhao

Hizto had the best performances for TSW. In their two victories, he was the driving force behind them. His aggressive playstyle allowed the LCP second seed space in teamfights. Without him, the team would likely have crumbled. His worst performance came against FlyQuest, but that could be said for the majority of the roster.

Dire

Total Apex rating – 5.2 (tied 16th among mid laners, tied 68th among players)

Champions Played

• Aurora (3)
• Galio (2)
• Ryze

Dire began Worlds well. He had a good performance against KT Rolster. He played a pivotal part in the victory against VKS. However, against FLY and MKOI, he struggled. His Galio was fine in the final series, but the rest looked shaky. His laning against Jojopyun crumbled. He went down substantially in CS as Aurora against Ahri. The raw talent is there, but he needs more time to improve.

Eddie

Total Apex rating – 6.0 (tied 7th among bot laners, tied 38th among players)

Champions Played

• Kai’Sa (3)
• Caitlyn
• Ezreal
• Yunara

Eddie was the stable point for TSW. He barely had a terrible performance throughout the tournament. When TSW needed him, they could rely on him. However, he was rarely the outstanding player on the rift. Had his Worlds performance levelled up, maybe TSW could have won more games.

Taki

Total Apex rating – 5.3 (tied 11th among supports, tied 61st among players)

Champions Played

• Alistar
• Bard
• Leona
• Neeko
• Rakan
• Rell

Taki had a similar trajectory at Worlds to Dire. His early performances were stable. It was up until game two of the MKOI series that he started to tail off. Is he to blame for things falling apart? Not entirely. As the Neeko and Leona, you will die often when behind. However, he did get caught out a couple of times in unnecessary situations.

Team Secret Whales Review

TSW showed life during their run. As a team, they had more to show than what they displayed. A 1-3 scoreline is not too disappointing. However, given the way we saw FLY play for the rest of the tournament, more was expected against the LTA first seed. Positive signs for the future are there in the form of Hizto and Dire. Hopefully, we see more of this team in 2026.