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| LIQUID'S FIRST EVER WIN: Team Liquid (on picture) finally ended their longing to win a championship as they swept newcomers 100 Thieves, 3-0 in their best-of-5 Finals date. Flickr |
By Ozzy Alaba
MANILA -- First time's gold for the old guards.
Team Liquid (TL) made their first Finals shot a meaningful one as they convincingly swept newcomers 100 Thieves (100T), 3-0 in their best-of-5 Grand Finals date to win the 2018 North American League Championship Series (LCS) Spring Split at the Jackson Gleason Theater in the Fillmore Miami Beach in Miami, Florida, Monday morning (Philippine time).
TL, ever known by their so-called "fourth-place curse" since their entry to the LCS in 2013 didn't just end the spell dramatically, but also stomped their foes along the way as the five-man squad flashed their lane dominance once again, in courtesy of veteran carries' Eugene (Pobelter) Park and Yiliang (Doublelift) Peng stellar performance, which gave the franchise its first-ever NA LCS crown and broke some records, alongside with the championship itself.
With this, Park, alongside with the victory claimed the Finals MVP through his combined 7.25 Kill-Death-Assist (KDA) Ratio (9/4/20 KDA), while Peng ended the series leading in kills with a game-high 13 kills and making himself the only player to win three championships in three different teams.
Veteran top laner and former World champion Jung (Impact) Eon-young and support Kim (Olleh) Joo-sung also didn't fail in supporting their blue and black-clad carries into their backs as the duo amassed a combined 8/8/46 KDA (6.75 KDA Ratio), with Jung playing his pocket-pick Singed once again in Game 1, and Kim flashing his flexibility amongst tanky and utility support picks.
TL's 26-year-old veteran Filipino jungler Jake (Xmithie) Puchero also delivered quality minutes for his squad as he spearheaded the team in the kill participation (KP) department with a whopping 89.19 percent KP, co-lead the assists side with 26 individual assists (Kim ties with 26.), and broke the record for being the only Filipino player to win 2 championships in two different teams.
100T, despite reigning supreme against history-makers Clutch Gaming (CG) in the semifinals, 3-2, weren't able to bridge their gained momentum as they couldn't stand their counterparts' constant pressure all across the map through Peng's poke power with his picks, forcing the Cleveland Cavaliers' LCS franchise to call GG in a fast-paced manner.
Despite with their brutal loss, 100T's sophomore AD Carry Cody (Cody Sun) Sun and veteran mid laner Yoo (Ryu) Sang-wook still finished their title bid campaign on a high note, leading the team in kills with 8 combined kills.
With the win, TL acquired 90 Championship Points, North America's first seed to the 2018 Rift Rivals (vs. Europe), and will represent the said region to the upcoming 2018 Mid Season Invitational Group Stages this May 5 to 20 in Germany.
100T, on the other hand, will bag 70 Championship Points, and will join the new North American champions and third-placers Echo Fox (FOX) in their Rift Rivals campaign.
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