Former LoL pro Doublelift has become an 8-time champion in the US league of League of Legends, the LCS. He is known for his massive ego and the legendary phrase: ‘Everyone else is trash.’ After a disastrous career ending, he is now a full-time streamer on Twitch. At 28, he is now planning a comeback as a pro, but he is not as self-assured as he used to be.
This is Doublelift:
- The American Yilang ‘Doublelift’ Ping was a powerhouse in American LoL from 2011 to 2020. He won a total of 8 championship titles and received individual awards as MVP and Finals MVP. Alongside midlaner Bjergsen, Doublelift was the big star in the USA.
- He ended his career with a championship title at TSM, but exited with a humiliating 0-6 at Worlds: a crushing defeat. After that, he retired and wanted to work for TSM as a streamer, after a dream of playing with a strong supporter in 2021 seemingly shattered. Later he fell out with his boss and was let go from TSM.
- Now at 28, Doublelift suddenly plans to follow Bjergsen, but wants to return from retirement and compete professionally in LoL again, preferring to play in the LCS for title number 9.
This is what Doublelift says: In a podcast, he says he feels the urge to compete again and prove himself:
I feel the urge. All the time. It’s romanticized in our heads. But it’s so satisfying. And it’s something I truly love.
Legendary ADC known for huge confidence and harsh remarks
How does he envision his return? Previously, Doublelift carried a massive ego, seeing himself as the greatest. He would say things like ‘Everyone else is trash’ or ‘If the world champion can do it, so can I.’
But this confidence is currently absent. Today he says:
If I were to say right now that I’m coming back and going to crush all ADCs in the LCS easily, I would be totally out of my mind. Of course, you need a lot of time to come back and develop your skills. Can I compete again? Sure, but there’s a caveat to that statement.
According to Doublelift, his old friend Bjergsen did it just right. He told his teammates: Guys, I was out for a year, I’m not going to be that good right now, but I promise you that I can become really good again. I just need time.
According to Doublelift, that is the ideal mindset for a comeback.
At 28, back in the professional LoL circuit?
Will it happen? Well, it’s already an optimistic view of the future. In LoL, many players are sorted out by their teams at 23 or 24. Doublelift is 28:
- Currently, an 18-year-old Korean is dominating the bot lane for Cloud9, who is probably better than Doublelift was at his peak.
- On the other hand, Bjergsen returned at 26 after a year off and things are going quite well. Team Liquid is behind Cloud9 in 2nd place in the league.
In any case, acquiring Doublelift would be a huge PR coup for a team, but to play an international role, it probably wouldn’t be enough.
Ironically, it could be his old team, TSM, that would probably need Doublelift the most. They completely fell apart after the departure of Doublelift and Bjergsen and are currently in last place in the LCS with a 2-9 record.
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