MSI 2026 Team Preview: Team Liquid Staring Down a Treacherous Barrel
Team Liquid had a difficult 2025. After qualifying for First Stand, they struggled at the international event and did not qualify for another one until this year’s MSI. The roster went through multiple changes. Only Yeon and CoreJJ returned from the 2025 roster. With a newly refreshed top side, Team Liquid is looking to return to their former glory, having made an MSI Grand Finals in 2019.
Team Liquid’s Roster
- Korean Top Laner – Park “Morgan” Ru-han
- Argentine Jungler – Brandon “Josedeodo” Joel Villegas
- Korean Mid Laner – Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung
- American Bot Laner – Sean “Yeon” Sung
- Korean Support – Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in
At the start of 2025, Team Liquid made three changes to its roster. Jeong “Impact” Eon-young moved to Team Sentinels, and Eain “APA” Stearns went to Cloud9. Their temporary Jungler, Ganbat “Yuuji” Ulzidelger, moved back to tier 2 competition. They brought in a new top side with Morgan coming from HANJIN BRION, Josedeodo from Isurus, and lastly Quid from the disbanded 100 Thieves.
Drafting For Comfort Might Be Their Downfall
Individually, Team Liquid has players in their respective roles in the LCS. As a result, they got past most teams by being the better players. However, they often drafted themselves into disadvantages by choosing comfort picks. They often picked Xayah and Rakan or Ashe Seraphine, despite it not being ideal circumstances. Their drafts did not matter against teams outside the top three. They beat them with sheer mechanics. Once they had to face LYON and Cloud9, they faltered. They got past Cloud9 in the Lower Bracket Final. However, that was not the same Cloud9 that dominated the Regular Season.
At MSI, playing for comfort will likely draft themselves into a hole. Their first matchup is T1. While T1 has not always had the best drafts themselves, mechanics alone will not be enough to defeat them. If you give T1 a draft advantage, they will likely run away with the game. Karmine Corp is not as strong individually as T1, but their teamfighting outpaces most teams outside of the LPL and LCK. Deep Cross Gaming is probably the only team that Team Liquid will get away with drafting for comfort.
Key Player – Brandon “Josedeodo” Joel Villegas
Champions Played in Spring 2026
- Xin Zhao (8)
- Pantheon (6)
- Jarvan IV (6)
- Lee Sin (5)
- Naafiri (5)
- Sejuani (3)
- Vi (3)
- Nocturne (3)
- Wukong (2)
- Trundle (2)
- Aatrox
- Skarner
- Maokai
- Rek’Sai
- Shyvana
Josedeodo was a wildcard signing for Team Liquid, especially considering Kacper “Inspired” Słoma was available. Josedeodo has been one of the best Junglers in the LLA throughout his career. However, his stint on FlyQuest did not work out as planned. With him returning to the LCS, everyone wondered how he would do. The Spring Split has shown what Josedeodo is capable of.
At times, he has been the pivotal carry for the roster. With Yeon struggling to live up to past years, the team has needed someone else to carry the mantle. Josedeodo is that player. The only player that shut him down in the jungle this split was Inspired. In the Grand Finals, Inspired got the better of Josedeodo. With Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun as his first opponent, Josededo is going to have a difficult task to keep the T1 Jungler down.
Team Liquid’s Expectations
Team Liquid is up against it in the MSI Play-Ins. They play against T1 in their first match. It is probably the best time to play the LCK second seed, who often struggles to get off the grind running at international events. Does that mean Team Liquid is favored? Not even close. Team Liquid relies on their mechanics to win, which should not work against T1. Karmine Corp is another team that will likely be out of Team Liquid’s reach. That leaves Deep Cross Gaming. They should beat the LCP second seed, but the victory is not guaranteed.
Challenged From the Start
Team Liquid will need to be on the ball early. With them starting against T1, even a T1 that is not warmed up is a difficult task. Even if they win the first series, the road ahead is still treacherous. They will need to win two more series, with a rematch against T1 on the cards. Two losses and they are out of contention for the Bracket Stage spot.
More LoL Esports Content
Below is all the previous MSI content on the Total Apex. You can expect more MSI articles in the following weeks.
