Inside Team Liquid's commanding Clash Royale League West win

Team Liquid is one of the biggest teams in the world, and sky-high expectations follow the organisation into every esport it enters. Last season, Liquid's Clash Royale League squad couldn't match those standards, posting a meagre 6-8 record before missing the playoffs.

In the newly combined CRL West region this season, Liquid started off with hit-or-miss results again, suggesting another potential middling run on the horizon. That changed about halfway through, however. Liquid went on a white-hot winning streak in the back half of the spring season, winning its last five regular season matches to finish 7-4 and secure the second seed in the playoffs.

During yesterday's broadcast, we saw the ultimate result of the gauntlet-style tournament, with Team Liquid taking out Immortals before handily crushing SK Gaming in the one-sided final.

Where's the Boeuf?

According to Team Liquid player Charlie "Boeufmac" McLaren, the squad—which also includes Frank "Surgical Goblin" Oskam, Diego "DiegoB" Becerra, and Cristian "KaNaRiOoo" Hernández—opted not to spend the entire day at the studio, watching the other gauntlet matches between teams such as Tribe Gaming, Complexity, Fnatic, and Immortals.

"We didn't go to the studio early today to watch the other matches, because we felt like it was out of our control," says Boeufmac. "We thought it was better to stay home, relax, and then come when our call time is and then play so we're not drained out by the end of the day. We got here and then we played game-by-game, set-by-set, and we came out on top."

Amazingly, Boeufmac hadn't played in the previous six matches, instead riding the bench while his teammates took care of business. He didn't take it personally, however: he was ready to strike when called upon, and he did so against Immortals and SK Gaming, arguably standing out as Liquid's most impressive player of the day.

"When they needed me, I was there for them and I won," says Boeufmac.

He acknowledged Liquid's rocky start to the season, but says that the organisation supported them when they needed it most. Even Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet had a heart-to-heart with the team in the midst of their struggles. Whatever ultimately did the trick, the stars aligned and Team Liquid went on a run that continued straight to the CRL West win.

"I think the attitude of everyone on the team was amazing, and the support that we had at Liquid," says Boeufmac. "It was amazing to turn everything around. It was just perfect, and everything that we needed in the moment happened."

Asked if he expected Liquid to have such a dominating run through SK Gaming for the win, Boeufmac opts not for modesty in his response, but instead confidence.

"Yeah, I think we were, actually. We have all the best players in the world: KaNaRiOoo, Surge, and Diego," he asserts. "In the 1v1 set, best-of-five format—it's the only time we've played it this season, but it's the best format for us. Surely, in this format, we are the best team in the world. I'm sure of it."

Liquid's rebound

Casters Andrew Ghai and Rich Slaton praised Boeufmac's own performance in the playoff matches, saying that he had sometimes previously seemed like the odd man out on a stacked roster. However, Slaton says that Boeufmac "was just slaughtering people" during the offseason, and it seemed like it was just a matter of waiting for his time to truly shine.

"We didn't see him for the last six matches, which was wild," says Slaton. "And then I think really what it was: when he came out today, it was like letting a dog off the chain. He was not going to walk away without eating."

SK Gaming didn't have much of a fight in that last match, and Ghai—who had initially projected SK to beat Team Liquid in a tense back-and-forth—pointed to a similar performance at last season's European championship. "For some reason, when they get in that final moment, they just can't close the deal," he says of SK Gaming.

The casters talked about reasons why Team Liquid might have struggled so mightily early this season, whether it might be big personalities in the mix or needing to get in sync with their new coach. Ghai suggests that the expectations of the Team Liquid banner might have played a role, along with the disappointment that comes with not living up to them.

"I think that personalities could be part of it, but honestly I think it was the frustration behind not performing two seasons in a row. It looked like exactly what they were experiencing last year was going to happen again," says Ghai. "Team Liquid just partnered with Marvel—they're expected to be the best team in the world. And to start off with the name that they have and record they had, I think they were just very frustrated."

"There was a moment where it looked like it might be a self-implosion, but I think it actually made them stronger," Ghai adds about the midseason turnaround. "They doubled down on practice, personal relationships, and listening to their coach. You look at what they did—ending their season with a seven-match run including playoffs is just outstanding."

Instead of another underwhelming season, Team Liquid just established itself atop the stacked CRL West region, which is more competitive than ever due to the region consolidation that trimmed off half of the total teams from the previous North American, European, and Latin American regions. There's still a summer season ahead before the eventual World Finals later this year, but for now, Liquid's turnaround story is the talk of the West.

"Somewhere in the middle," says Slaton. "Team Liquid figured things out, came together as a team, and then today we're as dominant as anyone had ever hoped."