The impact of imported talent in the League of Legends Champion Series is a hotly debated topic, but when looking at the performances of imports over the 2021 Spring Split, one name stands out: Barney ‘Alphari’ Morris. The toplaner, who joined Team Liquid this year from last place LEC team Origen (now Astralis), has had quite the impact in North America since he joined, and now it looks like he might have broken a league record.
According to a Reddit post, after 18 full games, Alphari’s gold difference at 10 minutes (GD10) stands at +493. To put that into perspective, the second highest toplaner, Finn ‘Finn’ Wiestål, only has a GD10 of +35. Alphari’s score even dwarfs 100 Thieves’ support, Choi ‘huhi’ Jae-hyun’s GD10, which comes in at +313.
Across historic LCS stats dating back to 2014, Alphari stands as the LCS leader for GD10. Robert ‘Blaber’ Huang is the only player to have come close to that with a GD10 of +370 in the Summer Split of 2020 – rookie numbers when you compare them with the Welshman.
Of course, you have to take into account Alphari’s playstyle and the constant changes to the meta over the years, but for the toplaner’s first split in the LCS, he’s certainly making a name for himself.
.@Alphari So honored to have you here at TL and part of the family and team, congrats on this incredible achievement. pic.twitter.com/D3TOMkNt9X
— Steve Arhancet (@LiQuiD112) March 17, 2021
Alphari will be looking to capitalise on his form when he and the rest of Team Liquid face TSM in the Mid-Season Showdown on Saturday (March 20).