Battle Report: Week 4 NA LCS

After ending with a 5W-3L record, going 0-2 in Week 4 of the NA LCS, Team Liquid have a lot to reflect on. We knew we were entering the toughest part of our schedule, but the losses add a salty aftertaste knowing wins were very possible. TL held leads and made turns that could have resulted in victories, but the calls made were questionable and gives us something to look back on.



Team SoloMid (6-2) is good. Fact. Sure, they had a rough start compared to TL’s positive resurgence but when you’re matched up against TSM, be prepared to fight till the nexus blow. Team Liquid held a lead all throughout the early and mid-game but closing the game and winning fights was difficult. Both teams were neck and neck in battles for dragon and the game could’ve gone either way. Watch this game if you haven’t.




While the fights were close, Team Liquid came out on top with early dragons and poke from FeniX’ Jayce. Fight after fight, both teams would be separated by about 1000 gold which was nominal at best. TL technically held the lead early and controlled objectives much better than TSM: we had 3 dragons to their one and even secured Baron.

But there’s something about TSM and their ability to just hold off. You can say this was a game TL should have just closed, and I agree, but breaking through to TSM’s base isn’t just something you go out and do. You will have to fight and top teams have excellent team fight communication—in TSM’s case though, they have Bjergsen. The Danish midlaner came around back and stopped our backline in the decisive battle that would win them the game. Team effort, but the Azir was simply too strong.

The errors TL made were mostly micro plays in the final fight. Quas’ Equalizer could have been positioned better and the team overall should have continued to fight after getting one kill. But in the grand scheme of the game, TL played well. I feel the decisions just need to be more decisive as there were moments half the team went in but the other have went backwards—communication, it’s not easy.




Our match versus Team Dignitas (6-2) was about 60% well-fought blended in with 40% heartbreak. Dignitas played the early game better, garnering kills for Gamsu’s top lane Jarvan. But towards the middle, TL crawled out and secured kills and objectives that would put them ahead. A few odd decisions and risks led to Team Liquids downfall in this match. The results could have been different if we took it slow after the lead.




Again, Dignitas played the early game better. They targeting Quas and denied him for a good chunk of the game, something we shouldn’t allow as a team based on our typical win conditions—those conditions being Quas is ahead.

But despite a significant 6k deficit, we proved once again why our team fight is top tier. A 5v5 in a midlane siege would result in a 4 kills to 1 death in our favor, completely turning the tides of the game. TL would secure baron off that and the game was once again on an even playing field. The thing is, TL’s composition scales better so once we crawled out, the match should have been taken slow.

Unfortunately, a fight once again in the midlane would result in an Ace in favor of Dignitas. A little bit of indecisiveness from the Liquid squad as Iwilldominate counter engages the fight but the call was made to retreat. Jarvan would Cataclysm (R) straight into the backline and all our carries would get demolished inside the walls.

The deciding moment of this game was when Team Liquid would, once again, get 4 kills and push for the win. The squad went for the inhibitor and a Nexus turret, but the decision to end was incredibly risky. The call was made to end the game but Dignitas was within 10 seconds to spawn and it was clear even with FeniX’ damage, both turrets weren’t going to go down. Had TL backed-up, the game might have extended into a potential win.




Our losses were largely related to indecisiveness. While our team fights were still the TL team fights you expect, the overall decision making to close game doesn’t seem to be in sync among all five players and the risks we take are not entirely appropriate. The knowledge gained from taking risks sometimes outweighs playing it safe, but there has to be a balance against high-profile teams.



Our games are really tough when the opposition targets Quas. In our wins, Quas is able to utilize a lead, and sometimes an even playing field, to leverage early and mid-game fights. When he’s behind, we tend to lose a lot in the early game. While we were able to crawl out of the deficit in an incredible team fight, putting a safety net around Quas might be a good idea.



The bright side of all this is we know we can take an early lead against TSM, climb out of a deficit against Dignitas, but we just can’t close. Even when we were Curse, for whatever reason, we had trouble just closing games. Now that we’re Liquid with a brand new name and brand new player, we have difficulty closing. Once we take a lead, TL just needs to keep on pressuring. They have incredible team fight, we should apply it to closing games.

It’s tough to go 0-2, especially when we’ve been ahead of the curve. But our schedule is getting tougher and we have to improve if we want a chance at worlds. Now that the season is entering it’s 2nd rotation, every team will be tougher. I can’t wait to see what team Liquid does with the knowledge gained from their first 9 matches. Next week, we’ll be tested one last time against CLG (7-1).