There is no organization in the North American League Championship Series that has experienced as much turmoil and change in 2017 as Team Liquid. A team who started ten different roster combinations, Team Liquid could not find the correct mix to lead them to success.
Prior to the 2017 season, Team Liquid was a staple near the top of the NA LCS, giving birth to the “forever fourth” meme. With success so close, Team Liquid committed to making the necessary roster changes that would push them over the top and finally earn them the coveted place at Worlds they had so often been denied.
Of course, things quickly would fall apart for Team Liquid with their new roster. The addition of former NA LCS MVP Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin failed to provide a significant impact as the team took a step backwards in the first few weeks of the Spring Split.
Source: Riot Games Flickr
Thrown into a panic, Team Liquid would begin experimenting with starting rosters as they slowly fell down the standings into the Promotion Tournament.
In a season that saw Team Liquid escape the Promotion Tournament twice, the disappointment for the organization, players, and fans is evident. As another off-season approaches it is likely that many of the current members will no longer be on the roster as the next season begins.
Keeping this in mind, CLICKON eSports take a look back at all the various iterations of Team Liquid roster in 2017, ranking the various variations in strength:
CLICKON’s 2017 Team Liquid Roster Review
CLICKON eSports ranks each of the five man rosters that Team Liquid utilized during the 2017 season.
10. Lourlo/Reignover/Piglet/Youngbin/Matt
As the only Liquid roster that included Youngbin at ADC, this was likely the worst iteration of the season. A converted mid laner, Youngbin's inexperience showed and forced Liquid to quickly look for other options.
9. Lourlo/Inori/Slooshi/Piglet/KonKwon
Team Liquid elected to use three substitutes for one game in a week four loss to Cloud9. A veteran of the NA LCS, KonKwon never found his rhythm as a starter on Team Liquid as Matt would quickly regain his starting position.
8. Lourlo/Reignover/Slooshi/Piglet/KonKwon
The biggest signing of the NA LCS off-season was likely that of former MVP Reignover. Struggling for most of the season, Reignover never appeared to truly sync up with Slooshi as the starter.
7. Lourlo/Inori/GoldenGlue/Piglet/Matt
Once considered one of NA's hottest young talents, Inori has cooled off considerably since his arrival to Team Liquid. With Dardoch now on the roster, Inori will likely be demoted to a key piece in a future Academy roster for Team Liquid.
6. Lourlo/Reignover/Slooshi/Piglet/Matt(1)
Slooshi quickly replaced GoldenGlue at the start of the Summer Split, and while his performances were not overly impressive he allowed GoldenGlue time to recover and regain his starting position. A good but not great player, Slooshi's limited ceiling may curb his future prospects in the NA LCS.
5. Lourlo/Dardoch/GoldenGlue/Piglet/Matt
Dardoch's return to Team Liquid was anything but smooth, as the team rattled off consecutive losses with the once exiled jungler as the starter. By the end of the Split, Dardoch appears to have regained his footing and could be a key piece in Team Liquid's future.
4. Lourlo/Reignover/GoldenGlue/Piglet/Matt
It was the roster they began with, and the roster they returned to at the start of the Summer Split. GoldenGlue had his ups and downs throughout the split, yet this was the only lineup to achieve a 2-0 week the entire season.
3. Lourlo/Reignover/Piglet/Doublelift/Adrian
For one week of the NA LCS, Team Liquid's roster contained four players who had been All-Stars. Despite a stacked starting roster, Team Liquid failed to win a series with the combination of 'Midlet' and a Doublelift-Adrian bot lane.
2. Lourlo/Reignover/Piglet/Doublelift/Matt
The roster that saved Team Liquid from relegation in the Spring was charcterized by the strong play and steady leadership of Doublelift. With Piglet in the mid lane, Team Liquid had two legitimate carry threats that had potential as a roster had Doublelift not returned to Team SoloMid.
1. Lourlo/Dardoch/Mickey/Piglet/Matt
Team Liquid may have saved their best roster for last with the addition of Mickey to the starting roster. With an agressive laning phase and timely roams, Mickey has not only been a star in his own right, but has also helped to unlock the other members of the team such as Piglet.
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