#ltan

The League of Legends esports world thrives on rivalries, storylines, and the kind of drama that keeps fans glued to their screens. This week’s action at the LTA North Championship delivered all of that and more, as 100 Thieves stunned the scene with a clean 3-0 sweep over Team Liquid while FlyQuest secured their spot in the grand final. For long-time followers of the North American League ecosystem, it was a mix of nostalgia, finality, and new beginnings—all rolled into a single weekend of competitive play.

The Fall of Team Liquid

Team Liquid entered the series with history on their side. As one of the most successful organizations in North American League of Legends, Liquid’s name has been etched into LCS lore with countless playoff runs, international appearances, and star-studded rosters. Yet against 100 Thieves, the aura of dominance vanished.

From Game 1, it was clear that 100 Thieves had prepared meticulously. Their drafts were sharp, denying Liquid their comfort picks while setting themselves up with strong mid-to-late game scaling. Liquid’s early attempts to control the pace fell apart under coordinated team fights from the Thieves. By the time Game 2 rolled around, Liquid looked rattled, struggling to adapt to the relentless aggression and calculated macro their opponents brought to the Rift.

In the decisive Game 3, 100 Thieves smelled blood. Capitalizing on every mistake, they suffocated Liquid’s map control, picked apart their rotations, and never let them find breathing room. The sweep was clean, decisive, and symbolic—a once-dominant Liquid squad brought to their knees by a team fighting to leave one final mark on the scene.

100 Thieves and Their Final Chapter

For 100 Thieves, this victory meant more than just advancing through a bracket. The organization has hinted at major roster and structural changes, possibly even stepping back from competitive League of Legends altogether. This looming uncertainty gave the sweep an added layer of emotion.

Players poured their energy into what could be one of their final appearances as a unit. The synergy was evident, with crisp communication and trust that only comes from playing together under pressure. For fans, it was bittersweet—watching a team that once captured LCS titles and brought international hopes now playing their hearts out in what may be their swan song.

The sweep felt like a statement. If this is indeed the last hurrah for 100 Thieves in professional League, they’ve chosen to go out not with a whisper, but with a roar.

FlyQuest’s Rise to the Grand Final

While 100 Thieves captured the spotlight with their dramatic sweep, FlyQuest quietly reminded everyone why they’ve been considered one of North America’s strongest squads this split. Their dominant performances throughout the tournament culminated in a ticket to the LTA North grand final—a stage that could define the organization’s current era.

FlyQuest’s success hasn’t been by accident. Their roster is a carefully curated mix of veteran leadership and youthful energy. The team’s adaptability has been a key strength, capable of executing early-game snowball compositions as comfortably as they handle scaling, late-game strategies.

Their run to the final is not only a validation of their roster-building strategy but also a potential turning point for North American League of Legends. With consistency and confidence, FlyQuest stands as one of the few NA teams that can inspire belief on the international stage.

Inspired’s Pentakill Sparks Hype

Adding fuel to FlyQuest’s momentum was one of the most jaw-dropping highlights of the tournament: jungler Kacper “Inspired” Słoma’s pentakill on Tryndamere. It wasn’t just a flashy play—it was history in the making, marking only the third time Tryndamere jungle has ever been pulled off in professional play.

The pentakill showcased FlyQuest’s fearlessness and creativity. While other teams stick to safe, conventional picks, FlyQuest took a bold gamble—and it paid off spectacularly. The crowd erupted, social media lit up, and suddenly the grand final didn’t just feel like another match—it felt like a stage set for legends.

A Tale of Two Stories

The weekend’s results created a fascinating duality. On one side, you have 100 Thieves, potentially writing the final lines of their competitive League of Legends story, but doing so with pride and force. On the other, you have FlyQuest, a team looking to cement its rise and possibly redefine what North America can be on the global stage.

Team Liquid’s exit, meanwhile, leaves fans with questions about the future of one of NA’s most storied organizations. Will they rebuild once more, chasing another era of dominance, or is this the beginning of a slower, more uncertain road?

What Lies Ahead

As FlyQuest gears up for the grand final, all eyes will be on their opponent, the strategies they choose, and whether Inspired and company can continue their red-hot form. The grand final will not only crown a champion but also set the tone for how North America enters the next international cycle.

For 100 Thieves fans, the sweep over Liquid will be remembered as a bright, defiant moment in what has otherwise been a season of uncertainty. Whether or not this marks the end of their journey in League of Legends esports, the victory proved that the organization still knows how to rise to the occasion when it matters most.

And for the wider League community, the storylines are abundant—FlyQuest’s potential to deliver glory, 100 Thieves’ bittersweet resurgence, and Team Liquid’s fall from grace. It’s these overlapping arcs that make esports more than just games; they make it a living, breathing drama played out on a digital battlefield.

Final Thoughts

The sweep, the pentakill, and the grand final berth—these are the headlines, but the heart of the story lies in the passion of the players, the dedication of the teams, and the loyalty of the fans who cheer them on. League of Legends esports continues to evolve, but weekends like these remind everyone why they fell in love with it in the first place.

The next chapter will unfold in the grand final, and whether it’s FlyQuest hoisting the trophy or another team stealing the spotlight, one thing is certain: the North American scene is alive with stories worth telling, and fans around the world will be watching every step.

Hope you’re not tired of me, because I’m back again! (To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to have so much inspiration from this topic, but look at me go) Because I was thinking of Frozen, and Clear as Elsa, but then decided that Clear fits better with Rapunzel. So yup, time for Tangled! Noicle. So, Clear would be locked up in the tower by his grandfather for Clear’s own ‘protection’. It was actually so he could keep Clear’s magical voice (instead of hair) that could heal wounds and slow aging all to himself. He made Clear fear the outside, telling Clear that he was different from normal humans and that people would hurt him for it, but Clear still really wanted to see it. One day, Noiz comes across the tower (while the grandfather is out) and gets inside somehow. He meets the innocent and sheltered Clear, and offers to show Clear what lies outside the tower. They get to have the whole, ‘I look like everyone else?’, conversation thing, and once Noiz confirms for the hundredth time, that ‘yes, you look like a normal person’ Clear goes with Noiz, though he does feel guilty breaking his promise with his grandfather. Like with the movie, the grandfather gets angry when he sees that Clear has left the tower, so he hires bandits to scare Clear into going back to the tower. Noiz then comes to save Clear and then they live happily ever after.

We could never get sick of the lovely LTAN founder!! These submissions are amazing (plus there can never be enough discussion on Disney AU’s really)~

But hoLY COW I was actually having this conversation with Jade yesterday, since we seemingly don’t have anything else to talk about apart from our LTAN discussion for the week c;

I think that this is one of the AUs that really fits perfectly with Clear and Noiz - Flynn with his fake name, Rapunzel and her naivety about the world (accompanied by an astounding ability to see the good in others), Max and his hatred for Flynn - I think we all know which bisexual hairdresser I’m making the connection with for this one.

I really like the idea of Noiz showing Clear a whole new world and the sacrifice at the end gets me every time.

I honestly don’t have much to add to this AU because I think that it would follow along closely to the movie (except mayyyybe Toue as Mother Gothel and Clear’s grandfather as the King would be a better fit?), but I’d just like to say: Noicle duet. Yes. Good.

yES OH MY GOD MAN I LIVE AND BREATHE LITTLE MERMAID!NOICLE YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 

Just imagine— Clear as the timid, beautiful little mermaid and Noiz as the handsome prince he saves after a shipwreck~~ He desperately wants to be with the man who he instantly fell in love with so he strikes up a deal with the sea witch (wizard??) Sly Blue (who is always accompanied by Virus and Trip, the eels), and trades his voice for a pair of legs. 

He gets five days to make Noiz fall in love with him and during the course of that time, he attends a ball, meets Noiz’s asshole parents and becomes infamous throughout the kingdom as the prince’s new ‘charity case” (washed up from a shipwreck???? pffft, ridiculous). Even so, it’s a very real possibility that Noiz may be falling for him, too.

But thEN Sly puts a curse on Noiz because he ends up wanting Noiz all for himself, and so the prince suddenly becomes set on marrying a mysterious boy calling himself “Aoba”.

Clear is heartbroken and almost throws himself into the sea in despair, but after a long conversation with Mizuki (Scuttle), Ren (Flounder)  and Koujaku (Sebastian) about “not giving up on that idiot boy no matter what”, he finds a way to “stOP DAT WEDDING” but turns back into a merman at the last moment (Noiz is only mildly horrified).

à la the movie, Sly is defeated and Noiz gets washed up on shore AGAIN and finally, the merman king offers Clear a pair of legs again.

But wait. Clear has discovered something. He’s not sure whether he wants to be human after all. His family, his friends are all under the sea and the only thing he has going for him is Noiz. Does he want to give up his kingdom and everyone who has ever been dear to him for this prince? 

So he makes a choice, and that choice is to stay a merman. He visits Noiz once more, to tell him why, and disappears.

Noiz is heartbroken, of course. I mean, so is Clear, but for Noiz, it somehow doesn’t feel like the merman feels the same way. Like, if he had been given the choice to trade his legs for a tail, he’d do it in a second— ahhhh.

Now, Clear is set to marry soon, so he can take over the kingdom. His father has presented him with suitor after suitor and Clear swears that if he has to deal with one more, he’ll choke himself on some seaweed. But one morning, his father knocks on the door and promises him that this suitor is the last one. If he doesn’t like this one, then he’ll never have to see anyone else.

So Clear reluctantly agrees, and subsequently falls off his chair and trips over a table upon seeing Noiz. With a tail. In Atlantica. Courtesy of his father.

Clear’s world was always under the sea, but now Noiz’s is too.