Team Liquid have advanced to the second round of the North American League of Legends Championship Series playoffs after beating FlyQuest 3-1. TL go on to face 100 Thieves — in what promises to be a memorable match — while FLY have a second chance as they face Team SoloMid in the lower bracket.
“They played a lot better than us,” Zaqueri “aphromoo” Black said in the post game press conference.
FLY took the opening game in an unexpectedly convincing win. FLY’s young toplaner Philip “Philip” Zengbut put on a show on his signature Aatrox pick, solo killing TL’s Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau. From there, FLY were able to close out the game.
“I think Philip played great the entire series,” aphromoo said. “They were picking on him in the side lane, but I think that was more the fault of myself and [Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas.]”
Back-to-back-to-back dominance from @TeamLiquidLoL to close out the first series in the #LCS Playoffs. #TLWIN pic.twitter.com/A3dETtsgCt
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) August 20, 2022
Game 2 went the way of TL as they adjusted to FLY. It only got more one-sided as TL looked better and better each game until Game 4, where the team closed it out in under 25 minutes. The 3-1 TL win was what most fans and analysts were expecting, if not the outright 3-0 stomp.
“As the series goes on, things start becoming high priority,” aphromoo said. “Azir was definitely OP. I do think we made a mistake in Game 4 banning it and not picking it.”
In the next round of playoffs, TL face up against 100T. It’s a matchup that fans have come to appreciate as the two teams consistently play each other close. While 100T have typically gotten the better of TL in recent bouts, it’s still anyone’s guess over who comes out on top.
As for FLY, their bracket should get a little easier as they drop to lowers. TSM await them and, unlike in their TL match, FLY will be favored to advance.
“We should have a better understanding of what is priority for us,” aphromoo said. “Making sure we get the good early game we want, make sure we have a win condition to lean back on.”
