Doublelift slams accusations he’s re-joining TSM for girlfriend Leena

North American superstar Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng is officially returning to Team SoloMid after two years and four consecutive LCS titles with Team Liquid, and says he’s fed up with people saying it’s because of his relationship.

Doublelift’s 2020 has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. First, Liquid was left without their huge offseason signing Broxahn due to visa issues. Then, as the team slipped to a poor 2–4 record, Doublelift fell ill. Things got worse from there.

While he was on the sideline, the bot laner admitted he was “fine losing LCS.” TL’s backroom staff responded by formally benching the veteran star. Liquid, and Doublelift, would go on to finish ninth. The champions missed playoffs entirely.

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Then, on April 26, LCS fans around the world were left stunned as TSM announced they had reacquired Doublelift for the final year of his contract. It made sense: his former org had also struggled in Spring, and needed an upgrade.

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What didn’t make sense in many fans’ eyes, was Peng being allowed to leave Liquid to join an org helmed by his girlfriend Leena Xu. Now, the NA champion has responded to the “odd” rumors ⁠— and shut them down completely.

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Doublelift explained to his fans why he was returning to TSM after his two-year stint with Liquid in a personal vlog. In the 16:50 tell-all video, the bot laner tried to share “what really happened” after he was put on the trade block.

In particular, the 26-year-old made it very clear he would have accepted the TL-to-TSM offer “no matter what.” Leena didn’t come into his thinking, he admitted. Instead, it was past TSM allies Bjergsen and Biofrost that played a key role.

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“If Leena wasn’t on TSM, would I join TSM? Absolutely, yes. I joined because the roster is really good, because the org is super hyped. I also thought of my past relationships with Bjergsen and Biofrost,” he explained.

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“I’m really f**king excited to rejoin TSM. I loved playing on the team in the past, and I’m really looking forward to being back with Soren [Bjergsen] and Vincent [Biofrost] because they have been my best friends for the last four years.”

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Doublelift added he wanted to leave Liquid because the benching situation felt “a little unfair”. When he had made mistakes on TSM ⁠⁠— namely the infamous 2016 death against Samsung that punted his team out of Worlds groups ⁠— they didn’t point the finger at him.

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When TL’s veteran roster, with the exception of new pickup Broxah, did respond that way in early Spring, Doublelift said he “just wanted out” as soon as possible. “Out of respect for my teammates,” he said, he decided to leave for TSM.

Finally, Peng added he knew building another “stacked roster” at Team SoloMid is now a “do or die” moment for him and the team. Regardless, he said he’s ready: “I’m going to give it my 110%. I want to regain everything I’ve lost.”