The North American Challengers League Open Qualifiers, or NACL OQs, are well underway. In this bracket tournament, the top three teams out of the overall 64 qualify to play in NA’s Tier 2 league, the NACL. From the many rosters, one team made up of familiar faces to NA fans, has stood out in particular.
Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, a legend in NA for his years of AD Carry play atop the LCS, has entered the OQs with a team of other retired veterans, former teammates, and solo queue streamer Ashkan "TF Blade" Homayouni. Calling his team “Near Airport” and streaming their games, this stacked roster has proven unbeatable to their every opponent in the qualifiers. Challenger prospects and former NACL players alike have been unable to take even a single game off Near Airport, who have gone 2-0 in every best-of-3 series, and 3-0 in their final qualifying best-of-5.
Doublelift and Biofrost on TSM in 2017. Image Credit: Riot Games
The undefeated roster has, with their last match, officially qualified for the Tier 2 league. However, while streaming on Twitch, Doublelift revealed there may be issues with their playing at the higher level of competition. When asked if they will play in NACL, Doublelift stated that the team has been evaluating the commitment necessary to go semi-pro, leaping at casual amateur play. Doublelift referred to the weekly scrim and stage games that Near Airport would have to play and stated it could conflict with the team’s lives. He referenced his support Vincent “Biofrost” Wang, who currently attends college. Years ago, the duo of Doublelift and Biofrost won LCS together on TSM, but today, with other obligations, whether or not their partnership on Near Airport will continue is uncertain.
Qualifying to NACL represents a huge opportunity for the OQ teams, as the top Tier 2 NACL team can qualify even further, and even make it to the Tier 1 North American league, the LTA North.
Header photo credit: Riot Games
