For the first time ever, Team Liquid will be taking part in a major international tournament. It’s a little surprising that this is the first Mid-Season Invitational or World Championship for the venerable organization, but Liquid has not had a ton of success in League of Legends.
North America has long been dominated by Team SoloMid, Cloud9, and Counter Logic Gaming, leaving little room for a fourth team to emerge from the region. Team Liquid was the first team outside of those three to win an NA LCS title.
Odds to win the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Team Liquid +2000
Backstory
Liquid had a rather interesting season. They looked like the team to beat in North America through the first few weeks of the split. However, they went 4-6 during a five-week stretch in the middle of the year and that put their playoff hopes in doubt heading into the last week of the season.
From there, Liquid turned it on. They went 2-0 in the last week of the season and then Doublelift ratcheted it up another notch. He posted a 23 KDA in their quarterfinal win over Cloud9 and then followed that up by registering a 27.5 KDA in their semifinal win over Echo Fox. In the finals he was somewhat held in check, but Pobelter was incredible on Azir. He played the champion in all three games and led Liquid to a sweep.
What to watch for
This team has a lot of synergy, and a lot of that is due to mid laner Pobelter and support Olleh. Olleh and Pobelter were both on Immortals, and they are among the best when it comes to setting up their teammates. Olleh has been a great complement to Doublelift in the bottom lane and is seen as one of the best initiators in the region. He is very good at knowing just how to start a fight that will be advantageous to his team.
Pobelter is one of the better teamfighting mid laners you will find. He doesn’t typically dominate the laning phase, but his positioning and his use of ultimates is often the key for Team Liquid in the mid game and beyond. He performed very well on Azir and Cassiopeia this year, so don’t be surprised if he takes one of those champions when possible.
The star of the team is still Doublelift though. His performance will largely determine how far Team Liquid makes it at MSI. He played very well during the team’s playoff run, especially considering the personal tragedy he suffered before the finals.
Prediction
The oddsmakers have Liquid pegged as the fourth-best team at MSI. That sounds about right considering the other talented teams at the tournament.
The main concern for them heading into the event is that they mainly play through the bottom lane. While Doublelift is a great AD Carry, and the best in his region, he is probably no better than the fourth-best AD Carry at MSI. That could create some problems for Liquid and lead to them struggling in the group stage.
