
Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng got the first quadra kill of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.
Doublelift and Team Liquid won their first match at Worlds in style, at the expense of Damwon Gaming.
Group D is probably the most competitive group at Worlds, as all four teams have a realistic chance of advancing to the next stage. That showed earlier in the day as ahq e-Sports Club proved that they can go head to head with Invictus Gaming. Damwon and Team Liquid kept that trend going.
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Damwon’s usual tricks didn’t work against a Team Liquid that drafted for comfort. The early game was largely even, but that was seemingly fine for a Damwon Gaming that can manufacture game-ending surges in the late game. Team Liquid answered by playing slow and trying to bait Damwon into fights.
The strategy paid off and Damwon started going for risky plays that ultimately led to their defeat. In the final play, the teams prepared to contest the baron buff. Damwon hit first, taking down jungler Jake “Xmithie” Puchero. The team started retreating, only to be cut off by Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen. The burst damage from Leblanc lowered Damwon’s health bars in a blink.
The enemies were low and it was time for Doublelift to shine. The bottom laner jumped with Kai’Sa’s Killer Instinct and sniped down the Damwon members one by one. The death timers were long, so Team Liquid marched into the base and destroyed the nexus.
Team Liquid’s stemmed from capitalizing on Damwon’s mistakes. The Korean team attempted to use the same strategies they used against the teams in play-ins, but Liquid proved that it is on a higher level.
This game is a strong look for Team Liquid but it’s not a true reflection of Damwon’s level. The team already showed an ability to adapt and change from game to game. Both still have a very strong chance of advancing into the Knockout Stage.
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