Doublelift. What started off as a simple card trick is now the greatest League of Legends player that North America has ever produced. I began playing League of Legends in 2012 and started following the competitive scene that same year. It was the third season of the North American League Championship Series. Amidst all the professional players there was one in particular that immediately drew my attention. His name is Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng. There were characteristics that I saw in Doublelift that separated him from the rest of the players in the NA LCS. He was cocky, confident, frequently trash talking his opponents. A desire to prove that he truly was the best player in his role. What was surprising is that with the persona that he presented, he was able to back up the talk. He truly was one of the best players in the world at his position. Showcasing brilliant mechanics that could only be replicated by few players on this planet, he did prove himself to be what he said. A very gifted individual player. Doublelift parted ways from his parents in order to chase this dream that so few can grasp. He put everything on the line. His relationship with his parents, education, and most importantly his future. It was all or nothing and there wasn’t anything that could stop Doublelift from accomplishing his goals.
I feel like his past experiences are presented in his play every time that he steps onto the rift. He truly plays like a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain. A person who will stop at nothing to reach the status he has longed for. Making plays that very few players are willing to make. Doublelift is often seen as a very careless player but regardless of the mistakes he makes in and out of the game, he is constantly learning from them. His fearlessness and passion is hard to match and difficult not to appreciate. Here you have a professional player who has outlasted the rest of his colleagues that he began playing professionally with. We are in the sixth season of the NA LCS and five years since he joined the scene he is still competing at a world class level. Not many players have the benefit of saying that. Yet day in and day out Doublelift continues to put in the hard work to prove that he is one of the greatest professional gamers of all time.
Growing up as a Laker fan I see a lot of similarities between Doublelift and Kobe Bryant.
Both often times seen as arrogant players, hard to work with, too critical of their teammates, but what is often ignored is the most important trait in any professional competitor. The desire to win. Nothing matters more to both these guys than to win the game. To prove all the naysayers wrong and win the big games with everything on the line. They were built for these moments. Kobe lost his best teammate in Shaquille O’neal and many critics believed that he would be incapable of winning another title without the all-star center. Through perseverance and dedication to his craft, Kobe went on to win two more championships. Never giving up despite the bad seasons he had to endure. Playing alongside teammates that were not on the same wavelength as he was. Kobe Bryant stayed loyal to his team and worked his way to the top of the ladder once again. Now Doublelift finds himself in a similar situation. Having parted ways with Counter Logic Gaming after many memorable years with the company, Doublelift now finds himself center stage once again. Facing off in the semi-finals of the NA LCS, against the team that he once called his own. Now representing his long time rival Team SoloMid.
This is Doublelift’s moment to once again seize the glory he has chased after his entire career as a professional gamer. Through all the hardships he has endured from nearly getting relegated to winning the Summer Championship in 2015. Now is the time for Doublelift to shine. There is no telling how long the career of a pro gamer will last. With constant changes being made to the game it is entirely unknown whether or not the top players of today will be performing at this level next season. Doublelift has had the best season of his entire career this year and this type of performance is not promised tomorrow. The League of Legends competitive scene constantly sees teams and its players fall and rise. We see players at the top of their game one day, then disappear the next. Nothing is promised in the world of competitive gaming but there is one thing for certain. This is the best shot Doublelift has to reach the top of the mountain and surpass his previous achievements. With his success this split, accompanied by his all-star teammates and coaching staff this is it. The time is now for Doublelift and company. The time to prove that they really are the best North American team of all time. All that is left is to go out onto the rift and continue to perform at the highest level. With the World Championship tournament on the horizon, this is Doublelift’s best chance to prove why he truly is the greatest North American League of Legends player in the world.
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