Doublelift still full steam ahead for LCS—but major decisions are in store for 2024

Even though 100 Thieves’ competitive League of Legends year has officially ended, LCS icon Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng has reassured his fans that he is prepared to write the next chapter in his expansive legacy as a North American star.

In a post-game interview after their unsuccessful series against Team Liquid, the 30-year-old veteran told Mark “MarkZ” Zimmerman that he does plan to continue playing professionally in 2024.

“I didn’t come back for one disappointing year just to crawl back into streamer mode or anything like that,” Doublelift said. “I love playing League, I love playing professionally. Even losing, there’s some beauty in feeling like trash after a loss because it’s more motivation. All these obstacles and overcoming hardships is what makes it rewarding in the end.”

The legendary AD carry returned to pro play this year after stepping away from the stage in 2020 but failed to reach the same peaks that he once saw in his prime with teams like TSM, Team Liquid, and Counter Logic Gaming.

Over the last year, Doublelift managed to maintain a relatively high level of play, boasting top-three numbers among LCS ADs in kill participation, total kill share, early game stats, and total team damage share, according to Oracle’s Elixir. As a team, however, the Thieves struggled with consistency. They barely made the playoffs with a disappointing 7-11 record and were eventually eliminated in four games by Liquid.

Related: LCS Summer Split 2023: Scores, standings, and schedule

Now, this year might not have been the comeback that Doublelift was hoping for, but the competitive drive that fuels his soul still burns brightly, as it has for his entire career—but this is only part of the equation when it comes to his future in the LCS for 2024.

According to the LoL Esports global contract database, Doublelift’s deal with the Thieves will expire on Tuesday, Nov. 21, which means that unless he signs a contract extension with the team, the star marksman will be a free agent. This doesn’t, however, guarantee that he’ll be in the league next year. There are multiple aspects that fans must consider, including the fact that Doublelift will likely want to join a team that can contend for a championship.

There is no doubt that multiple teams will want to sign Doublelift off his mechanical prowess, veteran knowledge, and brand power, but there is no guarantee that teams will provide enticing conditions for the star to agree. At the same time, many of the current top teams of the league already have talented AD carry players on their rosters, which means that there might not be room for Doublelift in the first place.