Why did Doublelift recruit TF Blade for new esports team?

Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng reveals why he added Ashkan “TF Blade” Homayouni Mingyi to his NACL OQ team on stream.

Doublelift is a bonafide veteran of the North American League of Legends esports scene. Before his retirement in December 2023, Doublelift had one of the longest careers in LoL esports. More than just longevity, he also boasted eight LCS victories and appeared at Worlds a record eight times.

My Future

His retirement felt like a true passing of the torch for many old-timers in the League of Legends community. Despite his retirement, Doublelift still kept a close eye on the LoL esports scene. In January 2025, barely over a year after retirement, Doublift announced his return to professional play, specifically for the NACL.

To the surprise of fans, he also announced on stream that TF Blade would join his team, a controversial figure in the LoL esports community.

Doublelift claims TF Blade will increase viewers of NA LoL esports

The veteran pro player states that TF Blade’s talent and controversial past will help draw audiences to his new team.  Doublelift was candid during his February 2025 stream when explaining the choice to add TF Blade to the team, citing his natural talent. TF Blade has reached Challenger on six different servers, and once climbed from Unranked to Rank 1 on EUW in merely 15 days.

Although few can deny his talent, many doubt his ability to work with a pro team. TF Blade’s professional history only went as far as being a substitute top laner for Team Liquid Academy. His career only ran from September 2017 to November 2020. Since then, the streamer has focused his efforts on streaming.

TF Blade’s toxicity is well-recorded by the community. In November 2024, fans clipped the streamer ragequitting 15 minutes into a match. “I don’t think he will be toxic in a serious team environment,” said Doublelift about TF Blade. He emphasized that the player’s talent and controversial behavior will shore up viewers for the struggling North American LoL scene.

In the pursuit of views and talented players, Doublelift also reached out to another famous streamer.

Is Tyler1 part of Doublelift’s LoL team?

Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp passed on the opportunity to play for Doublelift’s team.  Doublelift reached out to Tyler1 and offered him a spot on the team. According to Doublelift, Tyler1 initially ghosted him for days before responding. Tyler1 reportedly had no confidence he was in pro-player condition. “My first time playing in 3 months was yesterday, I would get embarrassed,” said Tyler1 according to Doublelift.

HELLO LEAGUE – BYE BYE WoW !

For the past three months, Tyler1 was busy playing hardcore WoW. After Tyler1’s unexpected death, he quit Onlyfangs in a rage, calling out multiple guildmates upon his exit. Tyler1 later apologized for his “crash out” and returned to streaming League of Legends regularly.

Many fans were disappointed at Tyler1’s absence from the team, as they believed that good fit or not, he would prove entertaining. Despite that setback, Doublelift’s sudden return and the TF Blade acquisition have captivated the community.  They will have their first scrims soon with supernova, and it is then that viewers will get to see his team in action.