Melany M. February 26, 2019
Team Liquid found another victory against 100 Thieves in a match that was one-sided in favor of the LCS’s top dogs.
Before the match, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng said it would be “a boring game,” and results in the bottom laner didn’t prove him wrong. The game, which lasted just over 30 minutes, showed the worst side of 100 Thieves.
The strategy for 100 Thieves was clear: try to get top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho ahead and wait for the late game. The team directed most of its resources to the top lane and invested in a strong vision control in Team Liquid’s jungle.
The early game lacked any kind of action from either squad. Team Liquid grew a gold advantage through superior farming and securing elemental drakes.
At 12 minutes, the first fight broke in the bottom lane. It looked to be going in 100 Thieves’ favor until Team Liquid turned it around and secured two kills plus a turret, further cementing the team’s lead in the lane.
For every action from 100 Thieves, Team Liquid had a reaction. Jungler Andy “AnDa” Hoang had a more proactive attitude and went for plays without any kind of follow up from his 100 Thieves teammates. The slow pace of the game gave Team Liquid top laner Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong time to recover from a difficult laning phase, allowing Liquid to fully round out their composition.
At 29 minutes, Team Liquid secured an uncontested baron buff. The siege that followed was quick and simple for an easy win at 31 minutes.
Team Liquid currently stands in first place with nine victories. The defending LCS champions are looking to continue their run of success against OpTic Gaming and Counter Logic Gaming in week six.