IWDominate says Bwipo’s recent LCS performances have been “worrying”

On the latest episode of Dexerto’s ‘The Jungle’, Christian ‘IWDominate’ Rivera criticized Team Liquid top laner Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau’s lack of consistency, arguing that he “hasn’t been good for a couple of weeks now.” 

The LCS face-off between Team Liquid and Cloud 9 on March 13 was one of the most hotly anticipated matches of the 2022 Spring split. In the teams’ previous matchup, Team Liquid emerged victorious in a hard-fought 39-minute battle.

The teams came into this matchup tied for first place, with sole possession of the top spot on the line for the winner. And although Team Liquid were the historical favorites, it was Cloud 9 that took the victory this time around.

On the most recent episode of Dexerto’s League of Legends talk show The Jungle, IWDominate explained it was TL top laner Bwipo’s decision making that cost Liquid the game, another installment in a “worrying” trend of performance from the EU superstar.

What’s caused this downturn from Bwipo?

Riot Games

Bwipo’s always been a high-variance player, and it looks like that trend has followed him to the LCS.

According to IWD, there are a number of factors that could explain this sudden downturn in performance from the top lane star.

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“You always wonder with an import like this, how much of them having underperformances is them just not respecting the level of competition? Just coming here, dominating everyone, thinking that they’re so much ahead of the competition that they’re finding other angles to improve on?”

He cited Bwipo’s off-meta Shyvana pick versus Immortals as one of these “angles” that ended up backfiring and almost costing Liquid a game against a team who are, on paper, significantly weaker opponents.

All is not lost

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Bwipo’s still the second-best top laner in the LCS, even if he’s been underperforming recently.

Despite the perceived underperformance from Bwipo in recent weeks, the cast of The Jungle still have high hopes for the top laner in the LCS. IWDominate cited him as the “second-best player in the league”, while Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykkles admitted that he was the kind of impactful player that would “either win or lose you games.”

Daniel ‘DGon’ Gonzales explained that it’ll be pretty smooth sailing for Bwipo from hereon out in the LCS. “I think he’s already played the top half, and it’s literally bottom half after this,” he said of Bwipo’s upcoming top lane matchups.

• Read more: LCS 2022 Spring standings 

Fans will have to wait until March 19th for the start of the Bwipo redemption arc, where Team Liquid will face off against a continually underperforming CLG.