Team Liquid is one of esports’ biggest giants, in both size and overall success. It feels like if Liquid’s in an esport, the org is in it to win it—not just to be around.
The Team Liquid website was founded in 2000, and it quickly became synonymous with the Starcraft franchise, beginning its professional tenure with Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. With teams all over the globe in titles like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, DOTA 2, Apex Legends, Rocket League, and VALORANT, Liquid is now one of the largest organizations in esports.
Liquid is also affiliated with liquipedia.net, an online encyclopedia of all relevant esports players and community members. The website is an invaluable tool for professionals in all walks of life, and is meticulously and swiftly updated with roster moves and new organizations. It also keeps track of tournament placements and accolades.
Liquid’s League of Legends team has won four LCS titles. Their CS:GO team won an INTEL Grand Slam, given to teams who win four ESL or DreamHack organized events in conjunction with an IEM World Championship, IEM Cologne, or a CS:GO Major Championship organized by ESL or Dreamhack within a window of ten events. Without one of the three named event victories, teams who win an Intel Grand Slam must win six events in the 10-event window.
Here are the best individual players on Liquid’s vast array of championship-caliber teams.
Jonathan “ELiGE” Jablonowski
ELiGE needs no introduction. He was a former Starcraft II professional player who migrated to Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and he’s currently one of the best players in the esport. ELiGE has been on HLTV’s top 10 players in CS list every year since 2019. With Liquid, he was a part of one of North America’s greatest CS teams of all time, but it hasn’t always been easy. Liquid struggled for many years—years that ELiGE was a large part of the team (he’s now been with Liquid’s CS team for seven years). ELiGE has won ESL One: Cologne, an ESL Pro League Finals, a Blast Pro Series, and is in an incredibly small club as the holder of an Intel Grand Slam distinction.
Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma
Everyone’s favorite Jigglypuff player has to be on a list of Liquid’s best players. The name Hungrybox has been synonymous with Smash success for many years now. He’s considered one of Smash Melee‘s “Five Gods,” five players that have been consistently topping leaderboards and winning tournaments for decades. While the Jigglypuff playstyle is controversial among the Melee community, results can’t be denied: Hungrybox is one of the best to ever do it.
Luccas “Paluh” Molina
Those familiar with Rainbow Six Siege will know Paluh. Those who aren’t familiar with the MOBA/FPS hybrid won’t. Here’s Paluh’s raw stats: He was the MVP of the Six Invitational, SiegeGG’s best player of Year Five, the MVP of the November BR Mini-Major, and was the driving force behind Liquid’s Six Invitational grand finals run. In the SI run, he had a +95 K/D and was by far the best individual player at the event. In Siege, there’s no one better than Paluh, and he’s deserving of a spot on this list.
Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom
Liquid’s VALORANT roster is just getting started. Despite a less-than-stellar showing at VCT Masters Two: Reykjavik (Liquid were considered a favorite to win the whole tournament), they’re still widely considered one of the best teams in the world. Former CS pro player ScreaM leads the charge for Liquid’s VALORANT squad, and the “headshot machine” is making his presence felt in the early days of the esport. Where the VALORANT scene, Liquid, and ScreaM go from here is unknown, but it’s hard to not include the Belgian superstar on a list of best Liquid players.
Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in
Liquid’s League of Legends support CoreJJ also deserves a spot on this list. Liquid has been an LCS mainstay for nearly a decade now, and CoreJJ’s excellence at his position ensures the squad stays where they’re at. He won a world championship with Samsung Galaxy and was the MVP of LCS Spring 2019 and LCS Summer 2020. Additionally, CoreJJ has been voted to the First All-Pro team in the LCS four separate times. While international success has eluded CoreJJ during his time on Liquid, his achievements in LCS and with Samsung Galaxy speak for themselves.
