The Team Liquid leaving the 2017 Summer Split and the Team Liquid entering the 2018 Spring Split are two entirely different animals. At least from the look of things.
After picking up All-Star NA LCS jungler Xmithie, former World Champion top laner Impact, top level mid Pobelter, and arguably the best AD carry in North America Doublelift, you wouldn't think things could get better for the 10th place team of the previous Summer.
But now they pick up the All-Star NA LCS support Olleh, who was consistently one of the most pivotal engines driving Immortals along.
It's now a squad of three former Immortals stars, arguably the best ad carry in North America, and a former World Champion.
How does this fit look?
Olleh! Olleh, Olleh, Olleh!
Olleh comes to Team Liquid after the strongest split of any North American support on Immortals. He was a vital cog for the machine, and with the resources he has at his disposal (both old and new) with his new team colors, we expect that to continue.
Olleh brings an excellence to Team Liquid's support role the team has yet to see in its organization's history. And it's alongside the best talent roster today, with plenty of synergy.
It's also as one of the biggest playmakers around. With one of the best mechanical AD carries League of Legends has ever seen.
You can see why we're excited.
Leading the pack
Team Liquid's pickups for the first season of NA LCS franchising have all been leaders of the pack in their relative positions. As it stands, it's hard to argue any lineup looks stronger in North America than Team Liquid, the team that tied for last just a split ago.
Olleh will not only be laning with Doublelift, but he will also have Xmithie in the jungle, and as well, the jungler's super-synergy'd midlane pairing with Pobelter from Immortals is back in action (like a buddy cop movie.) And in the top lane, former World Champion Impact, who has been an absolute monster across late 2017.
But while Team Liquid has made major leaps in putting together this talent roster, we have to fear one very nagging aspect to this entire package.
It's still Team Liquid.
The Charlie Brown effect
Team Liquid have brought together some interesting talent rosters in the last few years of the NA LCS, but one thing has always been on their back, executing when it matters.
With nearly every huge signing Team Liquid has made, a disappointment has followed. While not all disappointments are alike (think Piglet, Dardoch, Matt, and Reignover,) they all fell short of what Team Liquid had accomplished once before, an NA LCS Split banner.
And they won't be having anymore of that.
What do you think of Team Liquid's newest signing, NA All-Star support Olleh? Let us know in the comments below!