Team Liquid was all set for an extended undefeated run in the League of Legends Championship Series this split—but on July 22, their streak would come to an abrupt end just five games into the split to an unlikely opponent.
Dignitas had already claimed one top scalp this split against Evil Geniuses on June 16, but were otherwise winless in the LCS Summer Split, going down to Cloud9, Immortals, and Golden Guardians. However, in their week two match against Liquid, the squad stepped up in a big way to take down the previously-undefeated team in a 40-minute barnstormer.
LCS’ reigning player of the week in Park “Summit” Woo-tae was the early victim in the match, with Lee “Rich” Jae-won’s K’Sante taking the upper hand in the top lane. Liquid was unfazed, claiming back-to-back mid-game fights to build back a lead, but a 22-minute catch from David “Diamond” Bérubé saw both Dragon and Baron fall to DIG, swinging momentum straight back.
Related: 2023 LCS Summer Split: Scores, standings, and schedule
Liquid would win multiple team fights or picks to keep a lead but continually lost major fights around objectives, and with a second Baron, Dignitas began knocking on the door of Liquid’s base at around minute 27.
It would take until minute 40, with numerous gold swings back to Liquid, but Dignitas got the job done thanks to Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen. With his team dying around him, he moved to the exposed Nexus on Orianna and ended affairs himself.
“I think we kinda lost our cool a bit towards the end,” said Diamond, who described the match as “disgusting” ahead of his post-match interview. He elaborated on the decision to pick Rell, noting Liquid was likely to pick the support champion so he and Dignitas prioritized it. Combining with Jensen on Orianna, the combo was a huge part of how Dignitas got over the line.
Dignitas sits just below parity in the LCS Summer Split at 2-3 following the result but with three of their next four matches against bottom-dwellers 100 Thieves, NRG, and the winless FlyQuest, the team is out to prove they have what it takes to make it to playoffs.
As for Team Liquid, their four-game win streak has come to an end, with their next match against EG on June 23. Today’s loss means Cloud9 remain the only team yet to taste defeat this split, and until their match against TL in week three, it is expected the reigning LCS champs will remain undefeated in the interim.
