Photo: Team Liquid
In Europe, we talk a lot about the flop made by Team Vitality in LEC. But in North America, another team of “titans” also greatly disappointed the community. It is Team Liquid who finished outside the top 3 this summer, which means the structure will miss the Worlds of League of Legends… a first since 2017.
Obviously, the presence of Hans Sama in the roster forces us to be a little more conciliatory. But when we look at the 5 built by the leaders of the structure, we are obliged to be a critical minimum. Bjerrgsen, Bwipo, Santorini, CoreJJ… There are countless titles gleaned by these players (LEC, LCS, Worlds). And yet, despite these high-sounding names, Team Liquid has had an insipid season. The results are very dismal and the boss of the structure, Steve, has spoken. Touched and disappointed, he addressed the fans to apologize while promising a better tomorrow. He also sent a small indirect message to the players: there will be change for 2023. Hans-Samalike his teammates, is therefore in danger!
An unforgivable flop?
The idea is not to shoot an ambulance, but you still have to take stock of the Team Liquid this year to grasp the extent of the disillusionment. Beyond the absence of Worlds, Team Liquid also failed to win a title that really matters. The team finished 4th in Summer and 3rd in Spring, first place in the preseason tournament (Lock In) which counts for butter, will not be able to keep up appearances. The contrast with his tormentor Evil Geniuses is striking. EG won the Spring Split and will be at Worlds, as the team bet on young plants virtually unknown (Jojopyun, Danny) while making better bets on his imports (Inspired) and its veterans (Vulcan and Impact). The picture is obviously not all white on one side and all black on the other, but the comparison still hurts a lot. Steve himself is still struggling to achieve this poor performance. His goal was to build the best NA roster in history…
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021… Team Liquid was used to playing Worlds. There will therefore be no 5th consecutive participation this year. This failure is all the more embarrassing, as this year the World Cup takes place in North America. For the sponsorfor the story tellingfor the popularity, the shortfall is real. Last year was cruel for Team Liquid who did not pass the group stage despite a good 3-3. 2022 was the perfect setting to bounce back from.
5 players in the hot seat?
Steve acknowledges the blow, but he plays it transparent. Team Liquid spent a lot of money to build the current roster and it has failed to live up to the expectations and commitments that the structure had made to its partners. He totally understands the anger of the fans, even if it’s never pleasant to open his social networks at times like this. But after the rain comes the good weather and Team Liquid wants to bounce back for 2023. This is not the first time that the team has found itself in difficulty. The curse of 4th place has been beaten once, it can be beaten a second time!
Steve announced that the 2023 roster will be different. He didn’t give a name, but everyone is in danger. On the front line, the Korean CoreJJ comes to the end of the contract. When we followed the complications that the player had to play this year (visa, military service, green card …), we imagine that it will not be extended. He has done the team great service since his arrival at the end of 2018, but it may be time to turn the page. His partner in the botlane finds himself in a delicate situation. Hans-Sama clearly wasn’t the worst. But he also failed to justify the investment that had been made for his recruitment (buyout of Rogue). The tricolor had above all revealed that playing with CoreJJ had been one of his motivations for coming… If the Korean is about to leave, Hans might do well to return to Europe. Finally the cases of Bwipo, Santorini and Bjergsen must be settled. Choices will have to be made and some fans hope that Team Liquid will bet on young NA talents, rather than dinosaurs imported from Europe. Steve has also promised that next year the slider will be closer to a balanced and thoughtful team built around the infrastructure that already exists, rather than building a superteam.