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Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng, TSM's current AD carry and the last active player from the pre-Season 1 era, has retired from playing League of Legends professionally. The player addressed his fanbase through Twitlonger, reminiscing on his past in the process.
Doublelift illustrated his passion for the game as he overcame significant life trials throughout his career while securing seven split titles in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Recognized as one of the top players in his role, he was Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2018 LCS spring split, and landed on five All-Pro first teams out of ten. Although he lacked trophies for the first five years of his careers, he turned the corner and dominated the field in his latter years.
Doublelift closes a 10-year long chapter full of ups and downs, both on Summoners' Rift and outside. The player was among the first professional League of Legends players and competed in the Season 1 World Championship for Epik Gamer, but faced homelessness as an 18-year-old. This came after participating in DreamHack Summer 2011 as his passion for League of Legends created a rift between him and his parents, culminating in a move alongside would-be independent content creator Travis Gafford.
The player proceeded to build a resume for himself in North America, participating in eight World Championships out of ten — missing the main event in 2013 and 2014. Until his retirement, he was the longest-serving active League of Legends player competing at the highest level alongside top laner Paul "sOAZ" Boyer, who recently decided to take a year-long break from competitive League of Legends and whose future as a player is uncertain.
Doublelift initially defined what talent without direction and structure meant, as made famous by former teammate Austin "Link" Shin's "donezo manifesto" — a document since lost to time. However, he turned a sharp corner by becoming the winningest player in North American history, and one who lifted Team Liquid (and North America overall) to the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational finals after beating Invictus Gaming 3:1 in a monumental semifinal upset.
Although he was unable to go beyond the Worlds group stage beyond Season 1 — going 0:6 on TSM in his most recent attempt — his impact on League of Legends esports, beyond North America, was undeniable. The player branded himself as an entertainer, his "Everyone else is trash" catchphrase netting him the "Big brother" nickname in China due to a similar catchphrase used in a Chinese movie of the same name.
That he did so despite facing family estrangement early in his career, then tragedy before the 2019 spring split finals — as covered on a Netflix' "7 Days Out" episode — spoke volumes of his resolve to compete.
According to investigative journalist Jacob Wolf, Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon is set to join TSM for the 2021 season. The top laner would possibly be teaming up with rumored hire Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage.
