Team Liquid walked away from their bout against EG with a well-earned victory in the second-to-last day of the Summer Split today. Although the game wasn’t as bloody as these teams are used to, methodical plays and team synergy showed that both teams are well prepared to enter the playoffs next month.
The teams at the top of the standings remained in fierce competition for that coveted higher seed and reward of a first round bye, even after securing their entry into the 2021 LCS Summer Playoffs. Evil Geniuses and Team Liquid brought out all the stops against one another with their third and fourth place spots in contention and only two days left to move up the ladder.
Both top laners felt the need to constantly be in each others’ faces, and for good reason. With the returning Santorin and the veteran Svenskeren having their backs, Alphari and Impact knew that most of their trades would not go without one side looking at a death timer. More often than not, though, it was Liquid’s side walking away from these trades with the upper hand, allowing Alphari and Santorin to take control little by little.
Though dragons weren’t in Liquid’s favor for most of the match, gold from the Rift Herald certainly was. A strong push with Herald handed Liquid an early tier two turret and lowered EG’s defenses. Impact successfully responded with a push in the top lane, but lost a life in the process. From then on, the gold continued to pile up on Liquid’s side, to the point where EG had little room to maneuver a way back.
A final last-ditch effort of a Baron play secured the objective for the EG squad, but they were unable to make it out of the pit alive. Despite a bit of a setback at EG’s exposed nexus, Liquid eventually picked up yet another Baron and walked into the shattered base to seize their victory.
With this win, Liquid momentarily tie for third place with EG in the LCS Summer Split standings. They also gain the upper hand in the confrontation with EG, so should it come down to a tie between the two teams for third or fourth place, Liquid will have the advantage. Should Liquid enter a tie with Cloud9, their match tomorrow will determine who gains the advantage in the head to head.
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