Liquid run over TSM with TFT-inspired lineup ahead of LCS playoffs

Team Liquid finished the regular season on a high note.

The final day of the 2019 LCS Summer Split regular season was tense. While Team Liquid and Team SoloMid had their standings for the season locked up, they still faced off for an intriguing game that saw Liquid utilize a surprising composition. The match had no playoff implications, so Team Liquid locked in champions from Freljord.

In a side-lane interview, Team Liquid assistant coach Kang “Dodo” Jun-hyeok joked that the team had to decide between playing Glacials and Nobles. Team Liquid and its glacial composition jumped into the Rift for game three of the day.

Despite having a variety of off-meta champions, like Volibear in the top lane and Nunu & Willump in the jungle, Team Liquid played an aggressive early game.

In the top lane, Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong and Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik were constantly trading. Broken Blade on Sylas had the upper hand but Impact stood his ground and didn’t give away kills.

Jungler Jake “Xmithie” Puchero played a different style. Instead of farming and waiting for level six, Xmithie ganked the bottom and mid lanes on multiple occasions. This uncharacteristic pathing helped Team Liquid set the tempo, which saw the entire squad play more aggressive than usual.

TSM absorbed the pressure as best as they could and managed to keep the game even. Through the mid game, Team Liquid didn’t slow down with Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in applying serious pressure. The support was confident and jumped in front of TSM every time he had the chance.

Impact’s Volibear was the star of the team. He could fight multiple TSM players at once, split push, and join the rest of the team if necessary. Team Liquid kept the pressure on until the baron spawn, which they took without incident.

In the bottom lane jungle, the defending champions found the TSM players. Team Liquid was merciless in the team fight, killing four and chasing down the remaining member for the ace and the win.