Before he even really knew who else was on the team, William “Meteos” Hartman was excited about Cody Sun.
“He was playing under a different ID [TheMassacre8] at the time.” says Meteos. “I would just always see him in solo-queue and somehow he would always carry.”
Despite being one of the newest NA LCS organizations, 100 Thieves stole the show for the last half of the season. A veritable dream team of domestic and imported veterans topped off with a burgeoning sophomore AD carry, the Thieves spent the Spring conquering each expectation set in front of them. They look to continue the improbable for one last time.
While few favour Cody in this matchup given the pedigree of his opponent, Cody’s stats and season-long performance should put him in the conversation as one of the best marksmen in the NA LCS.
He has the highest total kills (79) of any ADC this regular season, the highest KDA (8.2), KP (85.4%), and DMG% (35.9%) of any player in the League. Cody’s team fighting consistency and prowess have become the backbone of 100 Thieves — who are comfortable going into late game because of this.
But Cody Sun doesn’t come across like Doublelift at all — he doesn’t display the confident, killer-instinct type of demeanor. He’s young, low on professional experience relative to the players he’s surrounded by, and is very reserved and measured in person. Right now though, his numbers speak for him. And 100 Thieves coach Neil “pr0lly” Hammad, who handpicked the Thieves’ roster, believes Cody has the necessary attitude to succeed in his role.
He says, “For ADC, you have to have some sense of confidence. Of cockiness almost. You have to be willing to take from your team so you can carry. That’s your role. Cody may be pretty quiet in person but he does have thatconfident quality about him as a player.”
Even though I’ve seen the odd “whoops” moment from Cody this split (even as recently as their Semifinal), I’ve also seen enough clutch reactions and strong decision making from him to know that the growth everyone is talking about isn’t just talk. On paper, Cody might be the best ADC in the league and his selection to the NA LCS All-Pro 1st team suggests that more than a few people agree.
But it also helps when you have, as he put it, a “get out of jail free card in bot lane”.
Paired up with Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black, Cody has been more enabled and empowered both on and off the rift by his veteran Support. Aphro has at least in spirit been leading the Thieves since their mid-split slump saw him switch to more playmaking Supports.
As Meteos put it simply, “[Aphro] brings out the best in his teammates.” And with Cody’s success so far, it’s hard to argue with that.
I see Aphro as the kind of player, that no matter the situation, is willing to go to the greatest of lengths for his team. Support might be easy, but he himself acknowledges the role as just trying to do whatever is best for his teammates. From defensive supports like Braum to big playmaking ones like Blitzcrank, Aphro has shown a willingness to do and play whatever is necessary for his team.
All split long the 100 Thieves duo has been equal parts surprising and consistent. The marriage of Aphromoo’s situational awareness and playmaking coupled with Cody’s ability to pump out damage have made the duo the pivotal point of power on the Thieves.
Even though he’s the man you’re hearing about, Aphromoo just considers it another expectation he’s meeting rather than something over-the-top or extraordinary. Everything between in and out of game teamwork is all just a means to winning. And while public perception of the team holds him up as the leader and captain, he doesn’t personally see himself as some encompassing voice of authority.
“I don’t consider myself the captain of the team or anything like that, I just do my job,” he says. “If things in comms are quiet, I’ll speak up. If everyone is too rowdy or loud though, you best believe I’ll get in there and tell everyone to shut the fuck up.”
That’s the very embodiment of the Thieves’ style — a balanced approach to anything that might be thrown their way.
YILIANG “DOUBLELIFT” PENG on yet another different team is playing in a Finals. Just let that sink in for a second. He’s the defending champion and is en route to win his first ever back-to-back championship and fourth overall title. If he does it, he’ll be the first player to ever lift the NA LCS Championship trophy on three different teams.
And probably more impressive is the manner in which he’s doing it. Especially given his recent personal tragedy, Doublelift even playing in this match shows his resilience as a person and as a player.
For years we’ve criticized Doublelift’s play (and rightly so if only because he’s the one who sets those high expectations on himself), and every year he seems to find a new way to make a memorable mistake. Then we wait another year for him to learn from it.
But I finally feel, at least domestically, like I have nothing worthwhile that I can honestly criticize Doublelift for. He’s willing to play more matchups and take losing lanes if needed for his team. He’ll let Olleh roam and leave his lane and still find ways to collect farm and stay even. And if you ever give him a lead, he will still dominate and destroy in the manner he always has.
Liquid’s current form seems indomitable, and that same swagger and confidence Doublelift has won so often with has carried over into the rest of his team.
I noticed this even from talking to Eugene “Pobelter” Park and Jake “Xmithie” Puchero– the team has complete confidence and cohesion from the players to their support staff. Both of them felt like they should have 3-0ed the Semifinals, and Xmithie thinks there is a 70% chance they 3-0 the Finals. They don’t just expect to win. They expect to dominate.
For Team Liquid, this is all just part of the business. From what they’ve shown of their willingness to build training facilities, provide infrastructure, and shell out for top shelf players, Liquid set out to succeed no matter the cost. It may finally pay dividends.
There’s no time for anything else — not even casual games. Pobelter says, “We’ve been playing triple scrim blocks since the start. I’ve basically had no time for Solo Queue. Everything, even when we were struggling, was all about taking those losses and doing everything we could to learn from them. It’s a team effort — the entire team and coaching infrastructure all takes responsibility to ensure we’re doing the best we can as an organization.”
Liquid in many ways are carrying the mantle of TSM, CLG and C9 into Miami. As one of the old guard, they’ll try to fend off the new wave of teams to join their fallen brethren among the banners of the NA LCS. Liquid’s rise as a powerhouse team came at an overwhelming investment.
So many things feel aligned for Liquid to take the championship. Even their opponents think so — even pr0lly jokingly remarked “the meta is perfect for them — they must’ve been on the Riot balance team for Patch 8.5”
That’s how well it has all come together for the team.
For many of their players, this is the moment to put it all together. To prove that Team Liquid’s money and hard work has created the best environment to give their team of winners yet another title. I think the Finals will likely be extremely close, but feel Liquid still stands as the titans daring their opponents to find their weakness.
100 Thieves will be looking to do just that. For most of the roster, this win will be their first title in years if not ever. They have been doubted at seemingly every turn, but they are still the number one seed heading into finals. It’d be a mistake to count them out. I mean really, what’s one more heist to a band of Thieves?
Make sure to tune in Sunday, April 8th at 1:00 pm PDT as 100 Thieves take on Team Liquid.
Shoutcaster and Commentary Scientist @ Riot Games. Australian. Coffee worshipper. All one word, no capital 'T'.