Entering Week 2 of the Summer Split, teams like Team Liquid were looking to gather momentum early. Of course, their loss to Echo Fox during Week 1 wasn’t part of the plan, but this weekend should fare better for them. Earlier today they were matched up against 100 Thieves, who more recently finished in last place during the Spring Split. In fact, both teams finished with opposite records, so it was expected to be an uphill battle for 100 Thieves.
The struggles for 100 Thieves began in champion select, where Team Liquid had the better game plan. To start, TL banned Irelia, Yuumi, Sona, Neeko and Yorick. These champions are typically Top or Bot Lane oriented, which are two of 100 Thieves’ strengths. By limiting these strong points, Team Liquid could feel more confident in those match-ups.
To counter, 100 Thieves banned Aatrox, Sylas, Ryze, Rek’Sai and Sejuani. It seems clear that they wanted create a mismatch in the Top Lane and Jungle, but Team Liquid still held advantages in the other lanes.
Overall, TL seemed to be the clear winner of champion select. Their bans created a sense of comfort among the team, resulting in an exceptional performance.
Coming into this match, Team Liquid were the clear favorites. Their performance during the Spring Split was outstanding to say the least, whereas their opponents were mostly caught slipping in their matches. This was also the case in their match-up today.
Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr
To start the game, both Junglers established a high pace of movement. They did their best to mimic each other, however Jake ‘Xmithie’ Puchero had the upper hand. His pick of Trundle in the Jungle meant that there would be little action in the early game, but he’d be allowed to scale. This echoed on the opposing side, as Maurice ‘Amazing’ Stückenschneider tried to scale on Olaf as well.
As the game progressed, neither side refused to budge. Both teams were expecting their opponents’ respective movements, resulting in a lot of traded kills. Even when Team Liquid secured first blood in the Bottom Lane, 100 Thieves responded by grabbing two kills right after. Each team’s discipline shone for the first 15 minutes of the match, but TL were eventually able to find a rhythm.
Towards the closing minutes of the match, Team Liquid fully gelled as a team. Their movement across the map was similar to that of a school of fish, resulting in multiple picks and objectives. This eventually allowed them to establish loads of pressure in the enemy Jungle, where Xmithie and Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yong-in would be waiting. Ultimately, their small advantages turned into massive ones, moving them to 2-1 for the split.
Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr
The standout performer of this match was clearly CoreJJ. In all three of their matches this summer, he and Peter ‘Doublelift’ Peng have played the Lover’s Duo of Xayah and Rakan. This has helped both of them in growing an even stronger synergy, as well as increase their aggressiveness. These qualities compliment CoreJJ’s attacking play style, meaning he is able to create some incredible plays as a result. His impact today was the biggest reason why Team Liquid were able to come away with a win.
In the end, both teams should have a lot to take away from this match-up. For Team Liquid, this win will boost their confidence and hopefully give them some momentum for the coming weeks. For 100 Thieves, they should take note of TL’s movements as a team. It seemed that they were playing catch-up most of the time, so they’ll need to create positive forces much sooner. Now, they’ll stay at the bottom of the LCS with a record of 0-3.
Featured Image Courtesy of LoL Esports.
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