The Liquid Review - February 2023
The new year sees resolutions, promises, and competition. Catch up with all of Liquid's teams and what they got up to at the start of the year with this Team Liquid Review! Get up to speed with everything from Hbox's insane doubles run to the League team's rough (but memey) start to the stunning run that the Dota 2 team is on. It's not just a recap either, you'll also get a sense of what's to come - like the massive kickoff Valorant tournament, IEM Katowice, and the biggest event in Rainbow Six. All that and more (+memes) in this Liquid Review.
Dota 2
Matumbaman - A legacy in numbers
When it comes to Liquid Dota, no player quite defines the team like MATUMBAMAN. Matu made Liquid his home and helped Liquid to lift the aegis, as well as contend for it on two very different rosters. As a player, he is truly a legend, a standout, and a favorite in the Liquid world. In order to honor that legacy, we worked in tandem with our partners over at SAP and created a retrospective in numbers, using their top-of-the-line analytical tools.
League of Legends
Yeon: No Pressure for the Rookie
2023 saw a complete change in approach for Team Liquid League of Legends program. For fans, players, and leadership, it felt like a necessary one. Two straight years of falling short with super teams culminated in the team missing the World Championship for the first time since 2017.
League of Legends
CoreJJ’s wake-up call to the LCS
The way CoreJJ sees it, if the LCS want to rival the LCK and LPL then it needs to wake-up and put in the work. He's worked with Team Liquid to put together a roster that will out-work and out-perform the rest of the league so sharply that it will wake them up to their weaknesses. "Work-life balance is a mirage," says the world champion. And now it's time to come back to reality.
League of Legends | Auto Chess
Chatting: Can the Community Outsmart the TFT Meta?
Looking for an off-meta and offbeat comp for Set 8 in TFT? Well, look no further! We've spoken with the TFT community (particularly, robinsongz and Kurumx's discords) to find 3 off-meta comps that just might be able to challenge the Jax's and Yuumi's and Sett's of the world. Then we had a high elo TFT writer try out each comp and give a writeup on the strength and strategy of each one. If you want a new way to play set 8, we've got 3.
The Liquid Review - January 2023
A new year, a new Liquid Review. Were you too busy with the holidays to keep up with all the esports? Catch up with everything Team Liquid did in December 2022 with this article. We're covering everything from the BLAST run to our new League squad, to Smash's wild year-end, to RWF, to Team Liquid's world-championship win in a surprise esport.
WoW
New paths & past tiers: Blizzard talks raid design
As Vault of the Incarnates and the Race to World First reaches for a photo-finish, Liquid Guild’s Bubbadub and Sang talk with one of Blizzard’s Senior Encounter Designers - Michael Nuthals. The three look at the past and future of the RWF, reflecting on Sepulcher and how it would impact Vault of the Incarnates. In the interview, there’s a lot of insight about Blizzard’s design philosophy, how they approached Vault of the Incarnates, and the nostalgia that fuels World of Warcraft.
Auto Chess
robinsongz: No High Rolls for Old Men
In the world of streaming and esports, every pro needs something to set them apart. For Robinsongz, it’s being consistent and being old. (AKA oldge if you’re one of the believers in his chat.) Old and consistent might not sound like selling points, but in TFT—where most streamers are 20-somethings who don't know how to cook an egg—these two traits make Robin a skillful competitor and leader.
Smash | Fighters
Bordering our Hearts: On Esports and Community
In the wake of the collapse of the Panda Cup and Smash World Tour, top Melee player Logan Dunn sits down with Hungrybox to talk about Smash as an esport vs. Smash as a grassroots community. In the process, Logan works through thoughts about Smash's future, past, and how to intertwine them to create a better present.