It’s happened. North America is out of the League of Legends 2019 World Championship following Team Liquid’s defeat at the hands of Invictus Gaming. The defending champions have exacted their revenge for this year’s Mid-Season Invitational and have knocked out the region in the process.
Team Liquid failed to show signs of life throughout most of their matches against groupmates DAMWON Gaming and Invictus Gaming, and it simply showed that these teams were on a different level than them all tournament. In fact, it felt like North America never truly posed a threat to the higher echelons of other regions.
This also represents the fourth year in a row that star AD carry Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng has missed the Worlds quarterfinals by one game. For players like Doublelift, this loss ultimately marks this year as a failure. Although winning regional titles matter, every single organization is working towards the World Championship.
What could be missing from the North America professional scene that causes them to falter almost every year at international tournaments? Is it the way they coach their teams? Could it be the unwillingness to cultivate talent in the region and build power from within?
There are too many questions to be answered, but hopefully for NA fans, Team Liquid and the rest of the region can find the answers when the offseason begins.
