Team Liquid caused a stir in the North American League Championship Series yesterday when they announced that former TSM AD Carry Peter “Doublelift” Peng will be joining the lineup for the remainder of the Spring Split.
Doublelift will now have featured for three of the longest standing North American LCS sides; Counter Logic Gaming, TSM, and Team Liquid.
The shock announcement was delivered via a vlog by Team Liquid co-owner Steve Arhancet and a post on the team’s Facebook page.
“We are continuing to improve our League of Legends line up for the split and are announcing today that Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng has joined as starting ADC. The split has not gone well; we are disappointed and are continuing to work hard to ensure our team’s success. We have tried all options and this is the best temporary solution for Team Liquid to finish the Spring Split”
The team also revealed that the move has not yet been fully approved by Riot, though they were given permission to announce it. It is highly unlikely that the move will be blocked.
Team Liquid had been using former Team Liquid Academy member Jung “Youngbin” Young-bin in their last LCS outing. The young player had been featuring for the University of California-Irvine prior to his signing with Team Liquid. Youngbin has since confirmed on Twitter that his education at the University will not be effected by the team’s decision to move him to the bench.
Doublelift hadn’t been involved in the LCS so far this year after stepping down from the TSM lineup to take a break from the competitive scene. He gave the following statement in the announcement:
“During my break, I was able to rejuvenate and regain my motivation to play pro. Although I didn’t intend to come back before Summer, Steve helped me start my career six years ago. Now, I can pay him back and help turn Team Liquid around. I will put in my best effort for TL and my fans.”