Jake “Xmithie” Puchero saved Team Liquid from an upset loss at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship with a crafty baron steal against ahq e-Sports Club.
Xmithie is well-known for stealing the objectives from the enemies and walking away. The jungler added another big play to his highlight reel by saving his team from defeat and keeping Liquid in the hunt for first place in its group.
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Before Xmithie’s play, Team Liquid was struggling versus ahq’s scaling composition. Kim “Rainbow” Soo-gi’s Qiyana caught Team Liquid players time after time, with Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen being his main victim. The mid laner became a non-factor in the game despite playing one of his signature picks, Orianna.
Ahq had better rotations and executed in team fights better. Team Liquid struggled to find its footing in the game and got outplayed by the Qiyana initiation.
One of ahq’s key picks was Rumble in the top lane. The team intended to ban it, but a language issue kept Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in from locking in the ban. Rumble is one of ahq’s most-played champions in the top lane and letting him slip through definitely hurt Team Liquid’s chances.
Despite the baron steal, Team Liquid still had some boxes to check before they could take the game. Ahq couldn’t stop the siege due to its composition’s weak wave clearing. Team Liquid took advantage of that by pushing in multiple lanes.
Rainbow caught Team Liquid moving between lanes and seemed ready to swing the game back in ahq’s favor. That was until Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong started to shine. The top laner’s Renekton fought against three enemies and walked away with two kills and his life. Team Liquid was then positioned to go for the win.
Group D’s first round robin finished with three teams tied in first place. The final standings will be decided on October 20 when Team Liquid, Damwon Gaming, Invictus Gaming, and ahq return to the stage.
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