Home » 3 Takeaways for Team Liquid from Spring Split Week 6

Santorin and Alphari killed Ssumday several times in the match versus 100T.

3 Takeaways for Team Liquid from Spring Split Week 6

Thomas Baker

Publish Date: March 18, 2021

The regular season of the 2021 LCS Spring Split is in the books, with the double round robin completed. North America’s Mid Season Showdown will feature Cloud9, TSM, Team Liquid, 100 Thieves, Dignitas and Evil Geniuses as the top six teams. Team Liquid secured their first and only 3-0 weekend to finish third place in the regular season. Here are 3 Takeaways for TL from Spring Split Week 6.

The Alphari Focus Works

Anyone following “3 Takeaways” will know how often Alphari is mentioned in the series. He has been by far the most consistently dominant member of the team. Alphari’s early game features powerful wave control and trading, which he transitions into pressure across the map and early objectives. While Team Liquid may not always cleanly snowball past 20 minutes, their top lane is almost always a reliable leverage against their opponents.

Week 6 truly showcased TL’s power in this regard. Alphari started the game 896 gold, 601 XP and 11.0 CS ahead by 10 minutes on average. He did this against FakeGod, Impact and Ssumday–not the worst top laners in the LCS. Couple that with his receiving counter-pick only once out of the three games, and it makes sense why Santorin stayed near his lane. If Team Liquid is to win a championship, Alphari will truly be the centerpiece in the end. MVP votes cast his way are well-deserved.

Jensen’s Veigar pick synergized well with CoreJJ’s Rell.

Team Liquid Can Reasonably Win the Mid Season Showdown

Speaking of Mid Season Showdown, the Spring Split Week 6 games should give Team Liquid plenty of confidence going into playoffs. They have won seven of their last eight matches, and every single win stayed in TL’s control from start to finish. The loss against CLG was avoidable, as Liquid had a solid early gold lead and a beautiful composition. Unfortunately, Broxah and crew took control of the wheel and never looked back.

Not only has Team Liquid finished the season strong–their competition has slumped a bit. TSM, who they face in the first round, has matched TL’s wins towards the end of the season, and they won both times they faced each other in the regular season. However, Cloud9 lost four of their last six games, 100 Thieves decided to substitute Ryoma in for Damonte, and Dignitas and Evil Geniuses feel like coin flips against the top six teams. Team Liquid also showed success on new mid lane picks, including Lucian, Veigar and Ahri. No other team successfully pulled off wins at the end of the split using new picks like those.

Every Player But Tactical Should Win All-Pro Awards

Alphari, Santorin, Jensen and CoreJJ have definitely earned their spot in the All-Pro voting. Alphari is a clear cut above the pack. Santorin and CoreJJ stand out as undeniably strong in their respective roles. Jensen, while less inspiring than past splits, still earns All-Pro votes simply because he does not throw games like every other mid laner.

Unfortunately, the community is down on Tactical. His strong laning phase with CoreJJ has not been enough to counter-balance his mid-game choices. Tactical has shown poor positioning, pathing, and decision-making at various times in various games, and viewers are harping on it. He may shake off the burnout heading into playoffs, but he should not receive many All-Pro votes when players like Neo, Lost, Deftly, Zven, and FBI have not shown the same weaknesses. For a more detailed breakdown on TL’s All-Pro chances, read here.

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