Doublelift clears rumors and officially rejoins TSM

Seven-time North American LCS Champion, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng has officially rejoined Team SoloMid in the latest esports news. Travis Gafford and  ESPN’s Jacob Wolf reported rumors on this potential trade and TSM recently announced the news on social media to welcome back their former AD Carry. After a poor 2020 Spring Split performance with Team Liquid, Doublelift jumped ship in hopes for redemption at TSM. In a statement from Riot Games, LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley said that they approved the trade because there was no evidence of prohibitive behavior.

Doublelift’s Views

In a vlog, the former Team Liquid star explained his view on this whole situation. He explained that he did not support a roster change for the 2020 season but also admitted to his own faults during the split. Doublelift mentioned that he was aware of a trade possibility so he wrote down a short list of teams he would be interested in moving to. TSM was of course in that short list sent through his esports network.

Furthermore, he stated that he felt a lack of trust from most of his teammates and coaches. Doublelift then addressed the Leena conspiracy theories which many in the League community have labeled as a ”conflict of interest”. The player stated that his personal relationship with Aileena Xu, President of Esports at TSM, had nothing to do with the trade and was happy to rejoin.

Team SoloMid’s Future

With Doublelift back in TSM, their recent LEC signing, Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup, now has to look for a new team. In a statement on Doublelift’s trade, TSM posted on their website that they were in talks with other organizations to find Kobbe a new team. Many fans suggested Counter Logic Gaming or LEC’s Schalke as possible destinations for the ADC. However, Kobbe’s future is still uncertain in what events he’ll participate in.

Reunited #LCS #TSMWIN pic.twitter.com/Z1pLSha646

— LCS (@LCSOfficial) April 26, 2020

TSM resigning Doublelift may not be the last they need to make for the summer split. Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett’s last tournament was far worse than Kobbe’s. TSM could also look to bring in Jake “Xmithie” Puchero since Doublelift mentioned he has a great relationship with him. They could also consider Golden Guardians’ Can “Closer” Çelik. Nonetheless, this TSM roster will have big expectations to fulfill in Summer Split.

For Team Liquid, they have the option to promote Edward “Tactical” Ra from Academy or go for an experienced AD Carry like Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi. After this news, TL will likely choose experience over potential. TSM Doublelift now has lots of expectations to fulfill for esports fans as he moves forward in 2020 LCS.

Written by Rashidat Jimoh