My Honest Analysis of TLPH's Latest Announcement

The closing line of Team Liquid PH's (TLPH) latest video https://youtu.be/GDdcpLsvShk?si=gTR3SBBRTutnsqx_ - 'And to everyone else, doubt us' - feels like a manufactured victim mentality. First of all, their MSC 2026 run was a disaster and arguably their worst failure to date. How do you go from being defending MSC champions and 3-peat MPL PH champions to getting dethroned via back-to-back sweeps in the early rounds?

The issue isn't simply that they lost - nobody is invincible. The real issue is HOW TLPH lost. Let’s be fair: most of us had high hopes for them precisely because of their regional dominance and having the GOAT, KarlTzy, on the roster. What few saw coming prior to MSC 2026 was that other junglers in the tournament would outright outperform KarlTzy. Their match against Aurora seemed to shatter them mentally, which ultimately triggered a second sweep by an underdog team that didn't even reach the knockouts.

It raises a broader question: what is the real weight of domestic titles like a 3-peat or 5-peat if you can't carry that momentum onto the bigger international stage, as we saw with TLPH in M7 and MSC 2026? It's similar to why Kairi is often called the 'uncrowned king' - despite his MPL ID streak and MSC 2023 title, an M-World crown has eluded him, much like how Kelra held that title until M6.

That said, just because TLPH stumbled badly in MSC 2026 doesn't mean they aren't the favorites for MPL PH S18. I won't be doubting them heading into next season. Why? Because until local teams prove there are better junglers than KarlTzy within MPL PH, or better teams vs TLPH, it's far too early to count them out. Coming into MSC 2026, nobody doubted TLPH; they were top bets until an international shift occurred. Domestically, until proven otherwise, TLPH remains the team to beat.

Stop hiding behind a fabricated underdog story to deflect from accountability - nobody doubted your championship pedigree, we were simply embarrassed by your total collapse on the world stage. Nobody doubted you before MSC - you simply failed, got outplayed, and manufactured a victim complex to avoid facing the reality of your own collapse. And now coming MPL PH S18, I will not doubt you, unless what happened in MSC 2026 will happen again in MPL PH S18.