League of Legends team, Counter Logic Gaming, recently announced that they would be releasing franchise player, Peter “Doublelift” Peng, who’s already found a new home at Team SoloMid.
For those who might not be familiar, Doublelift is practically the face of Counter Logic Gaming– he’s also one of the most recognizable names in competitive League of Legends.
“When CLG released me, it was really shocking. I was really surprised,” Doublelift said during his stream. “But I’m really happy to be on TSM. I’m not just saying that because I’m on TSM now. I’m the kind of person to tell you exactly how I feel. And I feel like joining TSM is one of the best decisions of my life.”
The rivalry between Counter Logic Gaming and Team SoloMid runs deep. To put things into perspective, the two teams are like the Red Sox and Yankees of League of Legends. But despite the popularity of the rivalry, Counter Logic Gaming always struggled to find the same level of success as Team SoloMid.
While Team SoloMid was almost always guaranteed to place first or second in the North American league, Counter Logic Gaming was almost always in danger of being relegated into the amateur league. Eventually, Doublelift became the butt of a joke that centered around his “empty trophy case,” which was devoid of any significant accomplishments.
That changed this summer when he finally managed to nab the North American Championship title over Team SoloMid. Not only did he prove himself in front of thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden, he also managed to take a win over his long-time rival.
Counter Logic Gaming looked like it finally found a winning formula that worked, which makes it all the more surprising that it would drop one of its star players in the off-season.
Doublelift joining Team SoloMid is almost like Derek Jeter being released by the Yankees and joining the Red Sox or Tom Brady being released by the Patriots and joining the Giants.
It’s unprecedented, unexpected, and it’s guaranteed to bring more excitement in the upcoming split.