Doublelift announces retirement

God, I wish this day never came.

In many ways, Peter has lead a career that seems almost fictional and too cliche to be true. Kicked out his own home at a young age to pursue a dream that at the time, was almost unheard of. Professional gamer? He left everything comfortable and familiar in his life for League to live in a strange new place with nothing but his most recent tournament winnings (barely over a $1000 if I remember correctly).

Then facing harsh criticism and backlash, he carries his team to a miracle runoff with CLG before joining TSM to cement his legacy with a NA LCS championship basically every season he played. There's no denying his absolute dominance domestically, turning any team he joined into a championship-worthy team. I recognize he wasn't without flaw, as many agree he was toxic and a horrible teammate prior to joining TSM, but he also has some of the most admirable traits as a leader and competitive player.

To maintain the level of skill he did for a full decade is basically unheard of in this game. He was unapologetically honest about his own mistakes and performance while expecting essentially perfection from his own teammates. My friends always give me shit for being such a huge DL fan, but how could you not?

He was one of the few players who could talk trash before a game and bring the results to back it up. His absolute commitment to the game was unquestionable - right after his tragic family incident, he got on stage to play in the LCS finals to win with Team Liquid. That, in my mind, was the absolutely epitome of devotion and dedication to the game. I can't admire it enough.

Of course, it was simply a pleasure to watch his play at any point in his career. In any teamfight, I would naturally gravitate to watching him. At his best, he danced at the edge of teamfights, tiptoeing between skillshots and auto-ranges, balancing aggression and passivity perfectly, and dealing maximum damage with minimal exposure. At his best, he looked unstoppable, sensing the ebb and flow of a teamfight and at some brief, ephemeral moment, he would commit and take over, dismantling frontlines in order to hunt the more precious carries.

I really can't express how much I've enjoyed watching him play throughout the years, never seeming to give up, despite the inexplicable and endlessly frustrating forays at worlds. I'll miss waking up at 3/4 am to watch his enter Summoner's rift. Thanks for being a role model and I wish you the best in life Peter.

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