Rookie slays Team Liquid at LoL Worlds 2019, IG starts 2-0
Invictus Gaming got its revenge on Team Liquid at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship thanks to an outstanding performance by Song “Rookie” Eui-jin.
Invictus Gaming and Team Liquid previously met at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational. At the time, Team Liquid knocked IG out of the competition in the semifinals.
That loss kicked off a rocky summer season for Invictus Gaming, but the reigning World Champion seems to be back in strong form for Worlds 2019 and looks to have a shot at defending its title.
Team Liquid and Invictus Gaming meet again
Team Liquid was confident they could take the game from IG given the results of their previous encounter.
Coming into the event, there were many questions around IG. The team had a shaky summer season and didn’t look especially strong in its journey through the LPL regional gauntlet. Rookie and Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning were heavily criticized due to their poor performances and were considered the weak links of the team. To everyone’s surprise, it was Rookie who came through big for IG against Team Liquid.
The North American champion did a good job in the early game. Jake “Xmithie” Puchero spent a lot of time around the bottom lane, trying to get Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng ahead. Meanwhile, the solo laners absorbed pressure from Rookie and Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok.
Team Liquid, true to their style, amassed a gold advantage through power-farming and playing smart. As the game advanced, IG started to get comfortable and showed a willingness to fight. Team Liquid had the upper hand, but a team fight around baron completely changed the course of the game.
IG secured the baron and Team Liquid walked up to try and stop the recalls. TheShy lowered Liquid’s health with Vladimir and Rookie shot his Shockwave to catch Xmithie and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in. That was the opening that IG needed to jump in and initiate on the rest of the team.
The fight left four members of Team Liquid dead and
put IG in position to take the win. With the bottom lane already pushed deep into Liquid territory, IG set up to take the Nexus.
Team Liquid wasn’t able to come back online and respond in time, which allowed IG to seal the victory.
Now 2-0 in the group, IG stands in first
place. Team Liquid fell to second at 1-1. Group D will play again on October 14.
Read Also
League of Legends
The Top-Earning League of Legends players of all-time
Hannan Mundia
League of Legends is one of the most profitable competitive games around, with its popularity meaning that players at the top are very well paid. Here we will compile a list of the top-earning League of Legends players of all-time. The esports scene has exploded in popularity in recent years, largely due to League of Legends. The game paved the way for other competitive games and has been going strong ...
League of Legends
LoL Worlds 2026 returns to the USA: Locations, venues, dates and slots revealed
Owen Harsono
Riot Games have revealed important details for the highly anticipated worlds 2026 tournament, including locations, dates, and some great news for South American fans. Here’s everything we know about LoL Worlds 2026 so far. On March 22, First Stand grand finals day held in São Paulo, Riot Games confirmed the tournament will be hosted in the United States. This will be the fifth time in history that Worlds has been ...
League of Legends
How to watch League of Legends 2026 First Stand
Hannan Mundia
2026 First Stand is shaping up to be the most intriguing League of Legends tournament of this year, prompting the question of how fans can watch it. Riot Games is usually fairly lax about streaming its events, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can stream them live. With this year’s First Stand being the first opportunity fans have to watch how their favorite teams stack up on the big stage, ...
League of Legends
List of qualified teams at First Stand 2026: Who are the favorites?
Hannan Mundia
With the first split of every competitive League of Legends region concluded, the list of qualified teams for the 2026 First Stand tournament is set. Last year's First Stand saw just five teams compete. The stakes are upped this year, with eight First Stand teams coming together for a chance to win the first international event of the year. Here are the teams that made it and who the outright ...
League of Legends
League of Legends 2026 First Stand preview
Hannan Mundia
First Stand will be the first competitive League of Legends international event of 2026. This preview goes through all of the necessary details, including First Stand's location, prize pool, and schedule, ensuring fans can tune in live to support their favorite teams and players. The 2026 First Stand is the newest of the three international competitions in the circuit. Launched in 2025, this year’s tournament is slated to start on ...
Esports Betting
FEARX vs Dplus 2026 LCK Cup playoffs: Preview, betting tips & predictions
Hannan Mundia
FEARX and Dplus KIA will compete in the 2026 LCK Cup lower bracket final to determine which team will face Gen.G in the grand final, and this betting preview highlights all of the important details about this upcoming match. While FEARX and Dplus KIA both went into this split as the underdogs, the two teams have surprised many with their performances since. Reaching the top three in a competitive region ...
Esports Betting
LYON vs Team Liquid 2026 LCS Lock-In predictions, key stats, odds & more
Hannan Mundia
LYON and Team Liquid are slated to face off in the 2026 LCS Lock-In playoffs, and this betting preview highlights the stats and form behind both teams to help you make more accurate predictions and picks. Despite the subpar performance of both teams in the Swiss stage, Team Liquid and LYON have seemingly bounced back in the playoffs. Both teams comfortably won their lower bracket quarterfinals matches without giving a ...
