North American League of Legends takes another hard hit today as it loses one of its prized players. Noted trash talker and local champion Yilliang “Doublelift” Peng announced his retirement from professional play. Fans of Team SoloMid and of the NA scene will miss him greatly. You may not have liked him as a person but his skills were the real deal. The NA marksman took to his personal Twitter account to announce his decision to step away from the competitive stage for good. He posted a long essay that went over his entire career highlights leading up to this year.
End of an era
Reflections
Read: https://t.co/soa0HpgGlf
— Yiliang Peng (@Doublelift1) November 25, 2020
Doublelift fought as a consistent contender in the NA scene for well over nine years. Doublelift played for an NA squad called Epik Gamer in 2011. He was still playing competitively as a Support when he fought in his first world championship. Doublelift looked back fondly on his experience at the first-ever world championship.
“When I was 17, I qualified for the Season 1 World Championship in Sweden. It was my first ever tournament. I had to convince my parents that I wasn’t going to have my organs harvested there. The prize pool was minuscule, the crowd was 30 people, and the matches were played on tiny laptops. When I sat down to play my first match, I felt a fire in my heart that drove me to chase the dream of becoming a pro player and being the best.”
Doublelift continued to dominate the league even this past year when he won another local title with TSM. His skills led many fans to believe that his quest for the Summoner's Cup would continue but good things can't last forever. It's no secret that he was considering retirement, especially following Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg's retirement. Doublelift was a close friend to former TSM Mid Bjergsen even when he left the team in 2017. He returned to TSM earlier this year in what seemed to be a power move to try for the Summoner's Cup. The team won the NA LCS title but failed to place high at Worlds 2020.
Doublelift's was undoubtedly influenced by Bjergsen's departure. Bjergsen and Doublelift hanging up their gaming mice and keyboards is the signal of the dying out of the old guard. Without a doubt, their exit means the rise of the next generation of professionals.
An unknown future
Na is not home to any world champion titles but there's no shortage of beloved pro players. Doublelift is one such player adored by numerous fans. He amassed a following despite his initial impressions as a trash talker. Doublelift backed all of his initial negative press with mechanical mastery of the marksman role. Team Liquid and Team SoloMid have enjoyed boundless success thanks to his efforts in the damage department. Surprisingly, Doublelift slowed down in his final statement to express his undying gratitude for having been able to play League of Legends professionally.
“I am extremely fortunate to have played professional League for over a decade, literally over a third of my life… I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to make a career out of the one thing in life I have loved above all else. Travelling the world, making unforgettable memories, playing in front of huge crowds, and seeing my dreams come true. All of it was possible because I had the support of the fans and the community.”
Not many players are able to reach the professional stage. Regardless of Doublelift's lack of a Summoner's Cup, he is still one of the most successful players to hail from the NA region. His legacy will forever be cemented in the history of League of Legends. Doublelift is just one of the many crownless kings of the sport. Not everyone has what it takes to be a world champion but that doesn't mean they're not superstars in their own right.
Doublelift is perhaps one of the most polarizing professional players in the scene and we may never have another player like him. You can love him or hate him but there's no removing his effect on the NA League of Legends and the game itself. It's always a bitter farewell when a star decides to retire but it's commendable when anyone is able to exit the stage on their own terms. There are very few players that were able to make a grand exit at the peak of their careers. League of Legends will forge on without Yilliang “Doublelift” Peng throwing skill shots and insults from the Bot lane.
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