Mar 8, 2017
Doublelift returns to NA LCS with Team Liquid
Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng is back in the NA LCS after just four months into his personal leave, Team SoloMid announced Wednesday. However, the star AD carry will not rejoin the TSM lineup for the stretch run to the playoffs. Instead, Doublelift will step into the Team Liquid lineup for the remainder of the spring split.
TSN.ca Staff
,Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng is back in the North American League Championship Series after just four months into his personal leave, Team SoloMid announced Wednesday.
However, the star AD carry will not rejoin the TSM lineup for the stretch run to the playoffs. Instead, Doublelift will step into the Team Liquid lineup for the remainder of the spring split.
TSM confirmed that Doublelift will not be a member of Liquid at the end of the split and he intends to tryout for a spot with the club for the summer. At this time, current ADC Jason "WildTurtle" Tran will not be affected.
"We will happily give him a fair try out for the summer split," TSM owner Andy "Reginald" Dinh said in a release on the team website. "The goal is to have the best possible roster at worlds and having Double as a potential sixth man would only help us with our endeavors at Worlds 2017. It is good that he’s getting practice now, and hopefully it will not be a large shift for him when he comes back.”
Doublelift announced he would be taking a break for the 2017 Spring Split after a disappointing run at the 2016 League of Legends World Championship. With his heart not completely devoted to professional play, the 23-year-old needed time off to reflect and consider his options for the future.
"I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ve never had a real life, I’ve never had, like, real relationships, real quality time with my friends and stuff like that," Doublelift said in a video published on Nov. 1. "Like, I’ve hardly been able to take a break, you know? We average like one day off a month. So, my perspective has been really unclear all this time. What is it like to have a real life? What is it like to be a streamer over a pro player? Like, is this really what I want to do?"
With his head cleared and the drive to play again, Doublelift will be a boost for a lowly Liquid squad that is fighting for its LCS life with a 3-9 record. He will join the club for this weekend's games against Cloud9 (10-2) and Team EnVyUs (3-9).
“During my break, I realized that playing competitively is my calling and although I didn't intend to come back before Summer Split, an opportunity came up for me to return the to pro play earlier," Doublelift said in a statement."My time on TL will help me ease back into the competitive environment and prepare me for my tryout with TSM in the summer. In the meantime, please cheer for me on Team Liquid!"
TSM (10-2), on the other end of the spectrum, is currently tied atop the NA LCS Spring Split standings with Cloud9.