The LCS’ 2022 Lock In tournament wrapped up over the weekend, with Team Liquid taking home the trophy yet again. The organization won last year in a tight 3-2 series against Cloud9. This year was a quick 3-0 victory over Evil Geniuses.
[RELATED: 3 Takeaways for Team Liquid from the Lock In Week 2]
Out of the gate, Team Liquid had a solid showing in this year’s Lock In. They finished Group B with wins over Dignitas, CLG and Immortals. TL lost a close game versus Evil Geniuses to get second in the group with a 3-1 record. Along the way, they rotated Eyla, Yeon and even Bradley onto the roster in exchange for Bwipo, Hans sama and CoreJJ to get a shot on the Rift.
From there, TL entered the bracket playing FlyQuest. It was a dominant 2-0 win, which moved TL to play against a hot DIG who upset 100 Thieves. DIG took one game, but Liquid ultimately ran away with the series 3-1. Bwipo, in particular, showed up on the day against Fakegod.
Finally, TL met an undefeated EG in the finals. Most predicted the Prodigies-promoted Jojopyun-Danny duo to overtake the newly formed superteam. Fortunately for TL fans, Santorin and company pulled through with a strong 3-0 sweep to take the title.
Our first team photo (2022 edition). pic.twitter.com/jjAoQ2Gu95
— Team Liquid LoL (@TeamLiquidLoL) January 31, 2022
This is a fantastic start for Team Liquid, a team expected to have some growing pains. However, this is the second straight year the organization has brought on multiple high-profile players and found instant success. Last year, Alphari and Santorin were meant to need time to gel with Jensen, Tactical and CoreJJ. In 2022, Bwipo, Bjergsen and Hans sama join from other regions, other roles and other teams. All the while, CoreJJ has not been approved for his green card, preventing the full lineup from starting.
The 2022 Lock In tournament was the perfect setting for TL to get a feel for the different iterations of the starting lineup with no real negative consequences. They got to show off their talented Academy players, and give opportunities for the newcomers to play on stage together. The sky is the limit for this team. Last year, coach-player relations and health problems prevented Liquid from reaching their full potential post-Lock In. Hopefully, 2022 is a different story.
Images from Team Liquid LoL’s Twitter
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