Doublelift benched from LCS by Team Liquid due to motivation
Team Liquid’s Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng is benched due to motivation problems, the bottom laner confirmed the situation
through Twitter.
Liquid has decided to bench Doublelift for the foreseeable future. Co-CEO Steve Arhancet said
on Twitter
that the team is evaluating the situation week to week, but for now Edward “Tactical” Ra is the starter. Liquid signed Richard “Rikara” Oh as the new bottom laner for Team Liquid Academy, so Tactical and Doublelift can focus on the LCS.
Tactical started over Doublelift in Week 6 when the player was recovering from laryngitis, but apparently there was more behind the decision. On his debut in the LCS, Tactical proved to be a good fit for the team and a more than capable player. With Tactical on the rotation, Liquid looked better and
the team secured to easy wins.
“I’m benched because I had no motivation until very recently. Being sick and unable to compete gave me my passion back, but too late. I’m sorry towards every one of my teammates and I’ll be working from now on to regain their trust,” Doublelift wrote on Twitter.
Doublelift openly expressed how unmotivated he felt. In a recent episode of Squad, the player accepted that his current level of play is low and that it is affecting the team as a whole. According to Doublelift, he received feedback from the coaching staff that criticized his lack of commitment and discipline. Doublelift, who was considered the best AD carry in North America, has
the worst KDA this season
and his performance has been criticized by the community.
Tactical steps in as Doublelift benched for TL
Doublelift’s struggles might be caused by the changes in the LCS format and his outstanding domestic track record. The new LCS format doesn’t grant championship points in Spring, so the teams are competing for a spot in the Mid-Season Invitational and nothing else. In Summer, all ten teams start with a clean slate and the standings will determine the three teams taking part in the World Championship.
Until this year, Liquid was the best team in the LCS. Liquid set the record as the first team to earn four consecutive domestic titles. No one could take them down and it led to a general discomfort for the players. They assumed that no matter what happened, they would win and as a result, Liquid stopped trying.
The team is addressing the problem internally and the community is reacting to it. Liquid’s streamer Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera
called Doublelift out recently. IWillDominate said that Liquid had a better chance with Tactical playing.
Read Also
Esports Betting
Gen.G vs HLE: Best betting odds and picks for LCK 2026 grand final
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LCK grand final will see HLE challenge Gen.G to determine which team walks away with the first-place prize, giving the winning team a much-needed confidence boost before the World Championship. After every top professional Korean League of Legends team has poured sweat and time, this year’s LCK split is finally about to conclude. The grand final match will be between the powerhouse team Gen.G and the challenging Hanwha ...
Esports Betting
Here Are My Predictions For The Hanwha Life Esports vs T1 LCK Lower Final
Ben Boland
LCK fans are in for a treat as Hanwha Life Esports and T1 both battle for a ticket to the grand final, where Gen.G awaits. The last time these two met, they tore the house down. I expect more of the same this time in the lower final. Here are the best bets to make on HLE vs T1 in the LCK 2026 Summer Playoffs Lower Final at GG.BET, one ...
League of Legends
Riot Games eyes Polymarket and Kalshi for esports sponsorships
Michael Hassall
Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends and VALORANT is reportedly exploring the protentional of sponsorship deals with prediction market operators including Polymarket and Kalshi, as per reports emerging late last night (Sep. 10). First reported by Cecilia D’Anastasio of Bloomberg, Riot has started conversations with the two top prediction market operators, Kalshi and Polymarket, with a view to one or both of them becoming sponsors within Riot Games’ ...
Esports Betting
HLE vs T1: Best Betting Odds and Picks for LCK 2026 Playoffs
Hannan Mundia
HLE and T1 will duke it out in the 2026 LCK Playoffs lower bracket final, but which team has a better chance of facing Gen.G in the grand final? This year’s LCK season has been filled with ups and downs. In particular, the top three teams have constantly struggled against each other, but Gen.G managed to get ahead of the fray in the end. Now, HLE and T1 will face ...
Esports Betting
Bet Tips and Predictions For Team Vitality vs MKOI LEC Summer Playoffs
Ben Boland
The LEC playoffs are well underway, and we have Team Vitality taking on MKOI in a do-or-die series. Lose here, and your chances of qualifying for Worlds 2026 go up in smoke. With Vitality getting dismantled by G2 Esports in their opening series, it begs the question whether it was just the G2 playoffs magic, or Vitality are not the team we thought they were. Let’s take a look at ...
Esports Betting
LCS Playoffs Round 1 Best Bets: Will C9 Falter?
Ben Boland
The LCS Summer regular season has finally come to a close and six teams will now do battle over the next few weeks with the hope of representing their region at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. The first round of playoffs is expected to set the tone for what is to be an exciting conclusion to the return of the LCS. Cloud9 and Shopify do battle once again, ...
Esports Betting
The Best LCS Summer Split Week 7 Odds: Upsets On The Horizon?
Ben Boland
The LoL betting world is in for a treat this weekend as the LCS Summer Split regular season enters its final week. Everything is to play for, from the battle for first place to who starts life in the upper bracket. Esports betting sites are unsurprisingly covering the games extensively, and here my tips to bet on for each LCS match this weekend. This is a series that could go ...
