It’s do-or-die time for Shopify Rebellion and Team Liquid in the LTA North Split 2 playoffs. Both teams only have one life left, given that they are in the losers’ bracket, meaning a defeat would see them fall out of contention to represent the region at the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational. Team Liquid is coming off the back of a 3-0 trouncing by long-term rivals Cloud9, while Shopify was involved in their own trouncing as they bounced 100 Thieves out of the playoffs.
Shopify has been on the up and up since the playoffs began, with a decent showing against FlyQuest despite the series being a 3-0, and an incredible bounce-back series after. Meanwhile, Team Liquid is still figuring out how to make the six-man roster work, with there having been some growing pains. They did get a 3-1 win over Dignitas, but they won’t face a team of that level for the rest of the playoffs. Stay tuned as we walk you through the biggest talking points for Shopify and Team Liquid in this LTA playoffs lower bracket matchup.
Image Credits: Riot Games
Shopify has definitely been improving week on week. Their struggles have always been in the late game and their inability to close out games. Take the FlyQuest series, for example, Shopify definitely had their chances, but struggled to close, and ultimately, they didn’t pick up a single win.
They brushed the loss off, however, because they put a beating on 100 Thieves… if you don’t look at game one. Game one was a tragedy from both teams, and honestly, 100T should have won that game. But the rest of the series was pretty good from Shopify, and it begs the question: how far can they go in the LTA playoffs?
It wouldn’t surprise me to see SR take down Team Liquid this weekend. The odds are probably closer than they have ever been. I would say the series is slightly TL favored, but Shopify definitely has their name in the hat for this one.
For me, Fudge has been the rock for this team, and continues to show glimpses of the C9 Fudge that won multiple championships. He is definitely favored in the top lane for this one, with Impact having his worst run of his TL career so far. SR has always been a solid early-game team in the LTA, but now the question is, can they transition it into a series win against a team that won’t give them the same kind of advantages as 100 Thieves?
Image Credits: Riot Games
Team Liquid is in an interesting spot as they have continued running this six-man roster. Their goal has been to utilize Yuuji when they believe a team will run carry-style champions, and UmTi when the draft is about to shift. This has been an interesting style to watch unfold, especially given that Contractz is a player who can play both styles. In game three of their last series, Contractz went towards the Mundo, a pick that threw 100T completely off. Does Team Liquid have a counter to it? Who knows.
Despite their heavy defeat by Cloud9, Team Liquid should still garner some respect, even if the gap is closing between them and Shopify. Where TL still shines so much brighter than the teams below them is their objective control. They were able to push Cloud9, a team significantly stronger than 100T and SR, off of objectives and made the early games quite uncomfortable for them. This will only continue to improve as Yuuji establishes himself more within the team. Shopify will definitely have to shore up its objective game, because TL won’t give anything away for free.
This is a really difficult series to call, given the rise of SR and the lackluster TL performances. I think it can go one of two ways.
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