GAM is currently the most formidable minor region team in League of Legends. They were the sole team from a minor region that advanced to the Worlds 2023 Swiss stage. Nonetheless, their resounding victory over Team Liquid was still surprising. The defeat of Team Liquid, the first team to be eliminated in Swiss, is the poorest performance in the history of the organization.
Attempts at humor about near airport experiences aside, North America's international record has been far from stunning. Despite shared hopes for improvement at Worlds 2023, the brutal loss of Golden Guardians to Team BDS didn't inspire confidence among regional supporters.
Team Liquid's opening performance at the event seemed promising. In their inaugural match, they challenged the formidable T1, giving an impression of a serious contender. Unfortunately, mid laner APA's unexpected downturn from competing with Faker to a 0-9 score against Palafox resulted in Team Liquid losing their momentum and swiftly unraveling at Worlds 2023.
Mid laner, APA, who during the tournament went from challenging Faker to crashing to a demoralizing 0-9 score against Palafox, was indicative of the problem. Indeed, APA and Team Liquid, in general, quickly came apart at the seams at Worlds 2023, despite what began as a promising start.
Fans from North America are finding it increasingly difficult to summon optimism for their regional teams. Between the collapse of Golden Guardians and Cloud 9's defeat by T1 without inflicting a single casualty, it's been undeniably a difficult year for the region.
Despite NRG's 2-1 record offering glimmers of hope, Team Liquid's initial strong performance raised expectations. With a roster that boasts two world champions, many hoped that this team would shine at the tournament.
However, Team Liquid met an unexpected blow as GAM upended these expectations. In a decisive move, GAM ousted Team Liquid, keeping Vietnam's chances alive at Worlds 2023. It's the first instance of Team Liquid’s elimination ranking at 15/16th place, making it their worst placing ever at a Worlds championship.
Despite recruiting 2022 world champion, Pyosik, into the jungle and building a team around top-tier Korean talent and TL’s best Challengers players, Team Liquid’s performance throughout 2023 could best be described as turbulent. The reality was that though their team seemed ideal on paper, the outfit failed to gel as a unit up to the very end.
Significantly, Pyosik was unable to defend his title at Worlds 2023, despite his strong showing at Worlds in 2022. He took the loss quite hard. Notably, Team Liquid's only victory was a game where he led the battle. His Lee Sin performance against T1 was pivotal in making the match appear closer than it was.
Looking forward, it remains uncertain how Team Liquid's below-par performance at Worlds 2023 will impact their roster and whether they will seek changes as they head into the new season.