Team Liquid Suffers Defeat Against Invictus Gaming in League of Legends World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship group stage is underway, featuring an intense rematch between Team Liquid and Invictus Gaming. Despite their previous victory against Invictus Gaming at 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, Team Liquid couldn’t maintain their winning record and suffered a crushing defeat.
During the MSI, Team Liquid emerged triumphant with a decisive 3-1 win against Invictus Gaming. However, some League spectators dismissed this victory as a fluke. Despite being the four-time LCS champions, Team Liquid has struggled internationally, which led to doubts about their MSI win against Invictus Gaming.
As the North American first seed and the most dominant team produced by NA, expectations for Team Liquid were sky-high this year. They showcased their skills against DAMWON Gaming yesterday, and their match against Invictus Gaming initially seemed promising. However, it quickly turned in Invictus Gaming’s favor due to their proactive gameplay.
Although Team Liquid didn’t lose during the draft phase, Invictus Gaming had a strong response. Team Liquid drafted a straightforward teamfight composition with Xayah, Rakan, and Gragas. In contrast, Invictus Gaming countered their engage with support Fiddlesticks and Vladimir in the top lane. Additionally, they possessed excellent teamfight potential with Orianna.
Team Liquid started off strong despite the difference in team composition. Jake “Xmithie” Puchero outmaneuvered Invictus Gaming’s jungler, Lu “Leyan” Jue, by arriving at the top lane before him. Simultaneously, when Team Liquid’s bot lane hit level six, Xmithie was ready for a gank. With the assistance of the Rift Herald, Team Liquid quickly gained an early tower advantage. However, Invictus Gaming didn’t allow themselves to be dominated easily.
Throughout the match, Invictus Gaming fearlessly seized potential opportunities. With each pick, they gradually built a lead. They constantly put Team Liquid in unfavorable positions, exploiting their status as the reigning World Champions. In the mid game, when Impact tried to split push in the bottom lane, Invictus Gaming responded by taking down two of Team Liquid’s mid towers and then baiting Baron to force Impact’s teleport.
Team Liquid found themselves compelled to react to Invictus Gaming’s movements at every turn. However, due to Invictus Gaming’s team composition, it was challenging for Team Liquid to engage. On the other hand, Invictus Gaming could easily re-engage with AOE damage from Fiddlesticks, Orianna, and Vladimir. Invictus Gaming continuously forced Team Liquid into fights and ultimately secured victory after winning another Baron fight.
Since winning the World Championship title last year, Invictus Gaming has experienced a decline. Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning underperformed during the LPL Summer Split and was replaced by Leyan. The team finished seventh overall and had to fight through the regional finals to secure a spot at Worlds. Their performance in the group stage was uncertain, but with their recent win against Team Liquid, they now hold a 2-0 record and a potential comeback is on the horizon.
In tomorrow’s matches, Invictus Gaming will face DAMWON Gaming at 8am CT, followed by Team Liquid’s match against ahq eSports Club at 9am CT.
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