The new super team of the NA LCS, Team Liquid is leaving their mark on the 2018 spring split.

Tied first place with Echo Fox and Cloud9, Team Liquid has scored a 5-1 standing in the LCS. Team Liquid’s success is credited to not a single carry on the team but the entire organization as a whole. From the coaching staff to the incredible line up, Team Liquid, as many predict, may be the team that NA is looking for. Amongst the solid roster, we cannot ignore the veteran AD carry player who is quite infamous for his trash talk, Doublelift. Doublelift is known as one of if not the best AD carry in NA.

Inven Global discussed with Doublelift to do a follow up interview regarding Olleh’s interview last week. Since we have heard Olleh’s side of this incredible bot lane, lets see what Doublelift has to say about Olleh, Team Liquid, TSM, and the playoffs.

¤ What are your thoughts on Olleh as a player and as a person?

When I read the Olleh interview you guys did first, I was a bit shocked that he gave such smart answers (laughs). Basically, the first time I ever got to meet him was at Korean bootcamp. Olleh seemed like a pretty goofy guy, but I could also tell he was somewhat nervous. People say he has a lot of energy and likes to talk a lot. However when I first met him, Olleh was really shy. After I got to know him, I realized that Olleh has a really specific way of thinking about the game. We think in totally different ways. We could not be more opposite than what it is between us. The good thing is just because he is different does not necessarily mean it is bad. Me and Olleh are still trying to find a way to work together. But when we do find that ‘magic’ solution, I think we will be pretty unstoppable.


¤ It is interesting because Olleh said that when he first met you in soloq, he felt as if you guys thought on the same page.

Well, Olleh always wants to go in (laughs). In soloq, I’m just like ‘Yeah sure why not’. However in competitive, I need to tell him ‘Oh wait…maybe we should use our brains’ (laughs).

¤ In the interview with Olleh, Olleh talked a lot about you and how he respects you to the utmost. How do you feel about this?

Honestly, I am really honored he would say that about me. When I started to play with him before I met him, I thought I was going to follow him. I thought Olleh was a certain type of leader. I was so sick of being a leader. I hated it. Playing ADC and making calls for the whole team is really hard. My mechanics get worse because I am thinking about macro so much. I really don’t like the pressure and responsibility. I just really like to play like a robot. When I started to play with not only him but also the whole team, I realized there is a void in the team. Sometimes our discussions would not be productive. Because of this, I started to step up a little bit. I think this is how I earned his respect. I really respect him too. Olleh is a one of a kind type of player. There is no one that plays like Olleh.


¤ What do you specifically mean when you say ‘There is no one that plays like Olleh’?

Hm…(laughs). Olleh is like a double edged sword. Sometimes it backfires but other times his animal instincts kick in. He just goes super saiyan. I’m not too sure how I can explain it. There would be moments when I think to myself ‘Wow no support I have ever played with would do something like that’. Other times I would think ‘No support I have ever played with has done something like THAT...’.

¤ In the Olleh interview, he claimed that he didn’t know when you were joking when you scolded him. When Olleh backfires, what do you say to him?

Honestly at first, I would say ‘oh holy s***’ or ‘wha- what happened?’ (laughs). Actually, I didn’t answer the first question very well on how Olleh is as a person. He is incredibly humble. Olleh’s in game name on NA is ‘Humblediligent’. That is exactly how he is, and it isn’t a joke or anything. Olleh is so humble when I give him criticism. He is like ‘oh okay, I understand. I’ll try better next time’ or ‘I didn’t think of that’. He is really working on taking criticism and changing the way he plays. Olleh just wants everyone on the team to be happy. I don’t really get frustrated with him. At first, I did. However right now his attitude is so contagious, I can’t. I’m just happy to play with him. It doesn’t feel like I am scolding him like a parent. We are just working together, and we are equals. We each have our own jobs.


¤ Olleh stated that he wanted to show you the taste of a true Kimchi support. Has he shown you this new taste as a support?

Oh I actually did play with a Korean support before, it was Locodoco (laughs). I think anything is an upgrade from that. But yeah, Olleh showed me. It has been good. I was surprised on how aggressive he is. When I played with Biofrost, I had to tell him to go in. With Olleh, he would never stop engaging.


¤ Are you happy with Olleh’s non stop aggression?

Yeah, I really like it. The reason why we close out games so fast is because we are not afraid to fight when we know we can win. It isn’t like soloq when you guess ‘Oh I think we can win?’. It is more like ‘We can win because advantage in numbers, items, or cooldowns’. I was afraid this year when I go to Worlds that I would be on a team like TSM where no one wants to fight. We would farm for the late game every game. This is what happened for the last two years. We were just so scared to fight. I don’t think this team will have that problem.

¤ People have said that your playstyle has become more passive after joining with TL. Do you agree with this?

I think it is relative to the teammates I play with. I believe I play safer than how I did when I was on TSM. This is because, I was the only member of the team that was willing to make plays. On TL, everyone is making plays. This means I have a lesser percentage in the amount of plays. Despite this, I want to be the aggressive player. I don’t want to be that guy who gets carried by his teammates. I have always been a playmaker. Maybe that doesn’t fit ADC but I don’t really care.


¤ It might be nerve racking for a team to have the ADC be a playmaker and try to 1v5 in teamfights. Do you think the ADC needs to be a playmaker for the team?

You know what? Not really. However if an ADC is a playmaker, it could make very unexpected situations for the enemy team. The enemy is not used to seeing an ADC making plays. It is always the jungler, the top laner tping, or the support. It is never the AD. I like that I also make openings for my team. In regards to what you said about playmaking on an AD, it can be bad if the ADC is a bad player. You need to communicate with your team. 1v5 is bad no matter what role you are playing. I think on AD, it is especially important to communicate with your team. You need to say ‘I’m going in, back me up’. You have this fraction of a second when you have an opening, and you need to have your whole team behind you. I think I am really good at that. I have always been a very vocal player on the team. Everyone always knows what I am thinking.


¤ As you said, other positions such as jungle or even mid have a lot more playmaking potential. Do you ever regret going ADC as your role?

No, not at all. I started playing AD because you could actually 1v5. Back when I started playing AD if you were fed enough, you would just drag your team to a win. It was really fun. I love playing AD. I like the part where you have to play with a support as well. Some bot lanes, you have two good players but they are really bad. Other bot lanes, you have two average players and they are really good. It really depends on how you work with this other person. I really like it how you have a small team within a team.

¤ Usually in the bot lane, you would have famous duos such as PraY and GorillA or Bang and Wolf. Of course, there are exceptions like you. Do you want to be ‘The bot lane duo’ for NA with Olleh?

That would be nice. I was already ‘The NA duo’ with Biofrost. I also like that I can play with any support. I am proud that I am not getting carried. Sometimes when I watch the CLG games and I watch Biofrost playing really bad, I feel bad for him. However now, we know who was really carrying the lane (laughs). But yeah, I really want to build a good synergy with Olleh absolutely. I really wonder what would happen when Bang and Wolf or Zven and Mithy broke up. I wonder how it would go. It is really interesting. I am happy that I am independent from that.


¤ Previously, you claimed that winning spring split is a ‘for sure win’. Do you think that is still the case?

For sure win? Man, I just like to talk s***. I don’t know if it is true (laughs). Nothing is for sure, but we are focusing a lot on playoffs. I don’t really care about the regular season. As long as we make it to playoffs, that is what matters. We don’t get cocky because we win in regular season games. Half of the teams in the NA LCS are really bad. We are just making sure we are the best possible team for the playoffs. When that happens, we will see who the real top teams are. I think there are only a few teams in NA who look past winning the regular season. Those are usually the top teams. C9, TSM, CLG, and now Team Liquid. Maybe Echo Fox? I feel like Huni and Adrian are cursed to just never win. But yeah, we’ll see after the regular season.