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Team Liquid wins 2024 LCS Spring Playoffs, defeats FlyQuest in Grand Finals
Team Liquid have finally done it. In the 2024 LCS Spring Playoffs, Team Liquid emerged triumphant over FlyQuest in the Grand Finals Bo5, finally lifting the Championship Cup for the first time since 2019.
The last time Liquid won a Playoffs in the LCS was in Summer 2019, making it a 5-year drought since their last Playoffs victory. Liquid defeated FlyQuest 3-1 to lift their championship.
LCS 2024 Spring Playoffs
Finishing 4th during the regular split, Team Liquid was one of the 6 teams to qualify for the LCS Spring Playoffs round. Placed into a double-elimination bracket, Team Liquid fell early to FlyQuest initially, dropping to the Lower Bracket in Round 1.
However, the roster rallied and recovered in great stride, proceeding on an incredible Lower Bracket run that saw them take down Dignitas, 100 Thieves, Cloud9, and finally a rematch against FlyQuest in the Grand Finals that saw them emerge triumphant. A true revenge tour for the looked-down upon roster.
Liquid’s Legacy
Team Liquid did not enter this split with the highest of expectations from onlookers and fans. The roster on paper did not change much from last year, only replacing Worlds-winner jungler Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon and top laner Park “Summit” Woo-tae.
In their stead, Liquid brought back Jeong “Impact” Eon-young, who had played for Liquid when they won their last Playoffs (proving that he was an import catalyst for the team’s success), and Eom “UmTi” Seong-hyeon, a Korean jungler who last played OK Brion before transitioning over to the NA region.
While Impact is still considered a fairly legendary player, Liquid as a whole has been struggling for a number of years to find the right balance of talent to recapture their success.
Domestically, they were decent, placing regularly in the top 3 of Playoffs. However, for an organization of such legendary status, playing third fiddle in one of the most stagnated League of Legends region is not a high accomplishment.
The last time Liquid attended an MSI was in 2019, placing 2nd there behind G2 Esports. At the last two Worlds they attended, in 2021 and 2023, they placed 12th-13th and 15th-16th respectively.
"All I can say is, in my life, I didn't have any (titles) in my career. Now that I have (a title), I proved myself guys." UmTi, speaking after their victory in the Grand Finals.
A Slow and Steady Growth?
Liquid’s regular split performance this split was a fair performance. They grinded hard and slowly climbed the board, peaking at third in the region for two consecutive weeks before ending 4th.
By Week 3, they had shown that they were serious contenders at least, only losing to the strongest in the region in the form of NRG and Cloud9, both of whom have been the powerhouses of the region for some time.
They even managed to contend evenly with FlyQuest, a team that this season, have been showing incredible improvements, even ending the season as the top team in the league.
However, Team Liquid was still the underdogs coming into Playoffs. As mentioned, NRG was still in there (albeit with a weaker performance than last year), 100 Thieves found a surge in form over Spring with their band of rookies, Cloud9 was always in the running, and FlyQuest looked like the team to beat.
Impact was undoubtedly the MVP for Liquid this Playoffs run, providing not only the steady and reliable veteran experience, but also the immense pressure that comes from a highly-skilled solo laner.
His most impressive accomplishment during this run, is undoubtedly defeating his head-to-head, Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau, a player many consider one of the best top laners in NA currently.
What Happens Now?
As the excitement from the LCS slows down, we begin preparing for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). For the first time since 2019, Liquid will be in attendance, having earned a qualification spot thanks to their victory in Playoffs. FlyQuest will also be in attendance, having earned the other spot thanks to their 2nd place finish.
Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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