was one of the community’s favorites to win the
League of Legends Championship Series (
LCS) Lock-In Tournament. Though their season started with several uncharacteristic defeats against
and
, TL still qualified for the playoffs, where they would face
. The Mexican organization
won the series 3-1, proving to be a great opponent, and TL finished the tournament only in fourth place.
TL were on the brink of qualifying for an international, yet their season entered the first offseason period earlier than the team had hoped for. Following their defeat against the Pride, TL’s Korean midlaner, Lim
“” Hyeon-seung, sat with
Sheep Esports to discuss the team’s struggles across the LCS Lock-In and Niship “
" Doshi’s counter picks across the series.
How would you describe playing against LYON?
Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung: “Every game we lost, I felt like we were just not playing the game as a team. I don’t think LYON made good plays around the map. The opponent's picks conditioned our scaling by forcing us to make plays in the early game. They played defensively, and we couldn’t make the necessary plays. I think we were slowly losing the game by not making plays.
Is Team Liquid’s problem linked to hesitation?
Quid: To be honest, I’m not sure what the problem is now. In scrims, we are doing really well, but somehow, the game feels really weird on stage. Even though I think my game feels natural, I’m not sure if I’m not doing my job on stage, or if we’re making fewer plays. I need to figure this out.
Can you expand on “the game feels weird”?
Quid: When we communicate in-game, it feels like we listen to each other, but we’re playing our own game, and not actually listening to our teammate. For example, if I say, “I’m not comfortable in the lane. I need to fix something,” then we need to make a plan as a team on how we’re going to fix this mid-wave. It feels like we listen and agree, but we keep playing our own game, so I keep feeling uncomfortable.
Would you say Team Liquid can’t play a team game because individual play styles clash?
Quid: I’m not sure if it’s my fault, I’m not doing a good job as a midlaner, or if I’m not getting the necessary help. It seems we’re focused on getting individual leads, and we’re not playing a team game.
You played against Dhokla today, your former teammate. Had you ever seen him play these champions and this style before?
Quid: Dhokla is a solid player in general. He did his job today, and he played pretty well. It was quite fun playing against him today.
This series featured unusual champions from LYON. What did you feel when you saw them lock this off-meta champions?
Quid: It was a smart strategy because we don’t usually play around
(
Park Ru-han). Usually, Morgan makes his own lead during the laning phase by himself, but LYON kept picking counter picks into him.
Could you describe each game of the series with only one word?
Quid: For Game 1, I would say passive. Game 2 was decent. Game 3 would be communication. Finally, Game 4 was frustrating.
Do you think these words describe Team Liquid’s LCS Lock-In performance?
Quid: I would say so.
How would you rate your debut split with Team Liquid?
Quid: I had good confidence before the start of the split, but somehow, we’re struggling on stage. I think we have good individual players, but we need to find out how we’re going to integrate as a team. I will keep trying to be a better mid laner for our team. I can do a better job as a mid laner, but I’m not really playing well for now. I need to be sharper and better.
Do you have a message ahead of the Spring Split break for the Team Liquid fans?
Quid: It’s a bit disappointing result, even for me. I’m sorry about this. We will keep trying to become a better, more coordinated team. Please keep cheering us, we will be back stronger for the Spring Split.”