Impact breaks Wildturtle’s monumental LCS record as Liquid chases sixth LoL Worlds

A record thought unbeatable has fallen.

Impact sits at his PC playing League of Legends in the LCS.
Photo by Stefan Wisnoski via Riot Games

It seemed like just another Sunday LCS matchup for veteran League of Legends top laner Jeong “Impact” Eon-young, but his MVP performance in Liquid’s 2–0 win over Immortals came with a record originally thought to be unbreakable. The 29-year-old Korean has now played the most LCS matches in the region’s history.

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In his 630th appearance in the LCS against Immortals on July 28, Impact passed Jason “WildTurtle” Tran to record the most games played in the North American competition since its inception. Impact was unaware of the record in his post-match interview, saying he was too focused on the game—and his dream of a Worlds return—to realize. “That’s good to hear, but my goal is not done,” he said.

League of Legends player Impact cheers after an LCS win.
Impact has repped the likes of NRG, C9, Liquid, EG, and FlyQuest while in NA. Photo via LCS on X/Twitter

Impact’s journey in North American League began back with Team Impulse seven years ago before he linked up with NRG and then Cloud9, finishing second in just his fourth split since his arrival from SK Telecom T1. Since then, he’s established himself as one of the region’s best top laners, showcasing remarkable consistency across a storied eight years in the region that included six LCS titles.

His first stint at Liquid was arguably his best since leaving his domestic Korea competition, with a three-year run including an MSI final and four-split win streak before he left for Evil Geniuses. He returned to Liquid after FlyQuest’s doomed 2023 Summer split and picked up right where he’d left off, helping secure Liquid the Spring title.

Impact has not attended Worlds since 2022, but he and Liquid took a massive step towards flying the LCS flag in Europe at the pinnacle event today with their win against Immortals. Liquid’s 5-0 record means they’re guaranteed a spot in the LCS Championship playoffs, and with the top three locking in tickets to Worlds, Impact’s dream may well become a reality.

There has been much fanfare around his performances in the LCS so far and Liquid’s upcoming match against C9, who are also undefeated for the split. For Impact though, he remains fixed on returning to the international stage above all else. “I just played EWC and MSI, I’m hungry, [but] it’s not enough for me,” Impact said.

Liquid takes on Cloud9 in a must-see top-of-the-table League clash on Sunday, Aug. 4, before closing out their regular season against NRG on Aug. 10.

Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com