Team Liquid proved marksmen can still be the name of the game in a post-Patch 8.11 meta after stomping 100 Thieves in the first game of the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split.
In a rematch of the Spring Split finals, the defending champions stuck with mostly standard picks, while 100 Thieves picked up Vladimir for ADC Cody Sun. Liquid’s bottom lane started the game firing on all cylinders, with star marksman Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng picking up first blood on Cody Sun before he even reached level two.
While the Thieves stole a few kills in the early game to get off to a quick start, their lack of waveclear hampered them in the mid game, and excellent engages by Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung’s Rakan helped propel Liquid to the first win of the NA LCS Summer Split. Doublelift was left untouched the entire game and racked up a massive 9/1/7 KDA.
Liquid failed to make it past the group stage during the recent Mid-Season Invitational, calling into question the team’s ability to repeat as LCS champions. Specifically, doubts were raised about Olleh’s mentality after he benched himself just two games into the tournament. Liquid put those questions to rest in a dominant showing despite being surprised at times by the Thieves’ picks. In particular, Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong showcased a new style of play, picking up Aatrox, a fighter, instead of a tank. The fact that Liquid can play new champions while also finding success on traditional marksmen should put the whole league on alert.
Liquid will look to continue on their warpath tomorrow against the Golden Guardians, while 100 Thieves will try to bounce back against Counter Logic Gaming.
