Doublelift on LCS Return: “I am doing it for fulfillment & because I want to”

The League of Legends offseason is well underway and most organizations across regions have already announced their rosters for 2023. Fans always look out for super teams, be it in North America (NA), Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), Korea, or China. 100 Thieves which competes in the NA circuit of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) announced its roster for the 2023 season and it features a star-studded line-up with veteran players Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng and Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg. While it is just a roster swap for Bjergsen, Doublelift is coming back to play professionally after briefly retiring from the scene for two years. The last time the two played together was on Team SoloMid (TSM) in 2020.

The eight-time LCS winner bid adieu to League of Legends esports after Worlds 2020 and transitioned into a full-time streamer.

Doublelift explains why he’s returning to pro play

On 11th December, Doublelift posted a short video explaining his decision to come back into pro play and why he chose 100 Thieves. He recalled TSM’s Worlds 2020 run and how the organization was set to rebuild the roster around him and former jungler Mingyi "Spica" Lu. When TSM failed to lock in support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh, Doublelift wanted to explore his options elsewhere and this reportedly upset TSM CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh. Following this, TSM brought its academy player Lawrence "Lost" Hui and this forced Doublelift to join a sub-optimal roster elsewhere or become a full-time streamer.

Following this, Doublelift talked about how he really loved streaming and how he realized that one can make more money streaming rather than being a pro player. However, he explained that he started attending more LANs and co-streaming League of Legends and that this brought back the “competitive itch.”

Doublelift revealed that he received multiple offers in the LCS but chose to side with 100 Thieves since he found the organization’s branding, staff, and operations the best.

“I didn’t go there [100 Thieves] for the bag. Let me tell you that much. I didn’t come back into playing pro for the money. You guys should know that the economy is in f***** shambles, okay? Playing pro, my accountant hates me,” stated Doublelift. He added, “I am doing it for fulfillment and because I want to. So you know I am here for the right reasons.”

The ADC (Attack Damage Carry) player also explained the exciting prospect of playing with young players including support Alan "Busio" Cwalina and top-laner Milan "Tenacity" Oleksij.

The 100 Thieves roster for 2023 is:

• Top: Milan “Tenacity” Oleksij

• Jungle: Can “Closer” Çelik

• Mid: Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg

• ADC: Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng

• Support: Alan “Busio” Cwalina

• Head coach: Christophe “Kaas” van Oudheusden

• Coach: Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm

The 100 Thieves League of Legends roster is currently in Korea bootcamping before the new season kicks off.