Rematch! Liquid face CLG in NA LCS Quarterfinals

It's like we've been here before

On August 14th, Team Liquid faces off against Counter Logic Gaming in the Quarterfinals of the Summer Split Play-offs. For both teams, winning here means more than just advancing. It means a trip to the Summer Finals in Toronto, Canada. It means a better shot at Worlds. For Team Liquid in particular, it means sweet revenge against a team they come so close to beating every single set.

In all honesty, it's sad to see one of these two titans take a final bow so early, but with previous sets going down to the late game of match point, victory will go to whomever plays their best in the heat of the moment. And that makes the results, whatever they may be, all the more bitter sweet.

So what will it take for Liquid to come out on top? Prayers and memes aside, we chimed in with the League of Legends team for their thoughts.

Eyes down on the botlane

The bottom lane match-up pits Fabbyy/Matt against Stixxay/Aphromoo. For the longest time, the TL botlane was a force to be reckoned with, but since the swap of Piglet for Fabbyy earlier in the Split, most began to question whether or not we'd ever see those glory days again. And I'll admit, while I haven't been keen on the new style (being a biased marksman myself), the change made Liquid less of a 1 dimensional team.

Right now, Liquid find a lot of success in support style marksman then either playing around either FeniX' mechanical prowess or the Lourlo/Dardoch dynamic. This adds a bit more depth to the team and plays advantageous against CLG's rather relaxed bottom lane, as seen by our numerous early game leads in past games.

Skills aside, this particular botlane match-up is swayed in favor of Aphromoo's experience and overall shot-calling ability, but there is a caveat. CLG's support plays a big part in most of the team's plays, even cross-map ones, so this reliance is essentially a double-edged sword that has its faults. With proper reads, catching Aphro on the move is a mistake easily punishable by Dardoch, who plays an active role in TL's early aggression agenda.

If Aphromoo is caught, or suppressed, it'll come down to even lanes and team fights. For me, it feels like Fabbyy just lacks confidence and really prioritizes keeping himself alive as opposed to making stellar plays. If we're to win here, we'll need excellent play from everyone.

Top side and small leads to victory

And he's correct. In even lanes, Lourlo usually ensures he stays relevant in-terms of itemization, farm, and map pressure. But in pro play, all of that is only a part of the winning formula. How you use your time to make plays that win objectives is the real kicker, and Liquid will need to improve on that mindset if they expect to blow the Nexus.

Fortunately, Liquid's early aggression and their 'win fast/lose fast' strategy will play a big role in this series. The downfall for us has been losing to CLG's ability to adapt and change gears. All Liquid has to do is identify the win condition and not get cocky; a rash mindset that has plagued the team since the inception of this younger, more hype roster. If they can stay calm through the whole set, closing a game becomes an easy part of the process. (The Elder Dragon still haunts me to this day).

While one should never set anything in stone, I feel Lourlo will give Darshan a very hard time in equal lanes. It's what we do with the small advantage that's going to matter.

It's really about who shows up and maintains composure

In a match that means so much, it can be easy to get carried away with small victories or sick plays. But envisioning victory is not the same actually living it. While Matt is correct with the games and sets being close, this iteration of the roster needs the nexus to blow long before a 12k gold lead is considered a victory.

With the 'win fast' strategy, I imagine Liquid makes calls to take most fights--they are one of the more hyphy teams mind you--and hope to come out with small leads that add up to something bigger. This, in it's own right, is a gamble against better teams who can recognize the need to disengage, or retaliate against over-aggression. CLG had 2 weeks to prepare, much like Liquid, so they'll be ready to counter the emotionally-driven squad. For us, I just hope preparation time went hard into mentality. Because the team has shown they can stomp hard--it's just closing out that's rough.

All in all, there's not much left to do but play it out. Sure there's more like how will Dardoch fair against Xmithie, or whether or not FeniX' will pound Huhi into the ground. For the fans, it's best to just watch and enjoy. So mark your calendars for August 14 folks! And step aside CLG, you're blocking us from the placing that is rightfully ours...