Team Liquid took to the League of Legends Championship Series stage in the second week of the spring split for the first time this year after playing remotely for their first two games. Liquid defeated Cloud9 in a near 40-minute banger of a game after a Flash-Body Slam engage from top laner Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau, which won them the final fight.
Liquid gave Cloud9 their first loss of the season, bringing both of the teams to a 2-1 record, to leave them tied for second place. Only FlyQuest sits ahead of them at 3-0.
This was Cloud9’s first time playing a more standard style team composition, with mid laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami locking in Irelia, rather than his Soraka and Ivern from last week.
Bwipo on Liquid, the LCS and his career
After the game, Bwipo spoke with Upcomer about his time as a franchise player for Fnatic and what it means to leave the team and his home to join only his second major region team.
“It’s been fantastic. Life is great,” Bwipo said about the change. “I’m very happy. I’m very grateful for the situation I’m in, very grateful for the people that surround me. I feel like no matter what problems arise, I will find solutions that feel good for everyone involved.”
Bwipo went on to talk about how he sees the game and the qualities he values in himself and his teammates, as well as how he has already started to shape some of the top lane meta based on his builds and playstyle from the Lock In tournament.
“[I’m] specializing in these niche situations that sometimes don’t stay niche. I’ve seen a lot of Eclipse Graves, I think people got inspired a little bit,” Bwipo said, laughing. “It’s situational based on the game and that’s what people need to understand.”
wtf graves deals damage when you build properly?
— TL Honda Bwipo (@Bwipo) February 5, 2022
And his shift in regions has also brought a big shift in mentality; on Team Liquid, Bwipo is starting fresh.
“I’m taking everything very seriously, my responsibility, my habits, I’m trying to change myself as a person,” Bwipo said. “Just be a better person in general, better player better person, I really am taking it as a second chance.”
“I didn’t really grow as a person [on Fnatic]. I stayed the same,” Bwipo said about his four years wearing orange in the League of Legends European Championship. “Most of the growth that came for me as a person came at the cost of someone very dear to me. And, you know, I regret that a lot. I wasn’t happy with who I was.
So I’m coming here as a fresh person … I have a very specific image of who I want to be both as a player and as a person, and I’m doing everything I can to reach that goal.”
For Bwipo, 2022 is a chance to refocus himself and start a whole new chapter in his professional career, not defined by what his fans and haters say about him, not defined by the stress and drama of a professional team.
“I just want to be my own person,” he said. “Not tied to a brand, not tied to a team. Just be me.”
