Team Liquid have been experiencing their own storied run in this chaotic TI full of ups and downs. With this tournament being the swansong of Team Liquid’s carry player Lasse Urpalainen, better known as Matumbaman, they seem to be taking this retirement run for Matu extremely seriously. After dropping a few series, they were relegated to the Last Chance Qualifiers, of which they were one of the only two teams to qualify through to the group stages.
After getting to the group stages, they outperformed here as well, defeating notable teams such as OG and Evil Geniuses. This success nets them an upper-bracket position where they are scheduled to play tomorrow. Team Liquid’s position three player Ludwig “Zai” Wåhlberg is not satisfied with this success yet, saying the team are hungry for a big victory at this stage. Coming close is not good enough for Team Liquid.
With a second-place finish in the group stages, Zai has been in exceptional form in all of their series against fan-favorite teams throughout the tournament. In an interview with Jaxon, Zai had more to say regarding Team Liquid’s recent successful run as well as their shortcomings earlier in the year. He said that after they came up short in Arlington, the team felt a little deflated but they used it as motivation to push forward towards the big one—towards The International 11.
Zai also said the time the team spent in the LCQ only strengthened the bonds between his teammates even further, which has led to the renewed vigor they now possess. This was only bolstered by their storied LCQ run all the way up to the point where they ran through Evil Geniuses in a clean 2-0 sweep during the group stages. EG were undefeated until they ran into a Team Liquid-sized wall.
Despite their win against EG, Zai said he greatly respects the team and believes they will continue to perform well in the tournament, although they seem to be in a bit of a bind after their 0-2 loss to Thunder Awaken. Zai claims they had more trouble in their series against PSG.LGD because of their amazing ability to play from behind and turn games around given the smallest chance. This led to a loss in the series against PSG.LGD.
And finally, regarding their two-hour-long pause against OG in the group stages, Zai said the pause benefitted them, allowing them to think clearly and mount a comeback using the time that was spent paused. This further pushed their momentum, allowing them to win game two as well, finally leading to Liquid securing that upper bracket spot.
Where does Liquid go from here? If the last few days are any indicator, Matumbaman’s retirement run might be in good hands.
Published: Oct 20, 2022 06:11 am