Luccas "Paluh" Molina has dropped off slightly from his lofty heights, being recognized as the best player in the world in last year's ranking, as well as in Year 5. He was a crucial part of Team Liquid in a season where the blue cavalry reached one Six Major semi-final and one Six Major grand final.
Paluh started the season with the right foot, finishing the split as the fourth-best player in the BR6 2022 Stage 1 and the second-best at the Copa Elite Six 2022 Stage 1 with SiegeGG ratings of 1.18 and 1.30, respectively. Team Liquid would win the first edition of CES of the year after defeating w7m esports twice, where he averaged a rating of 1.26
Later on, at the Six Charlotte Major, Paluh helped Team Liquid to reach the semi-finals, where his SiegeGG rating of 1.22 was the second-best in the competition only behind Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu. He was named one of the EVPs in the competition.
However, Paluh couldn't keep up with his momentum and scored a sloppy SiegeGG rating of 1.06 in the BR6 2022 Stage 2. After finishing in sixth place, Team Liquid missed out on the Six Berlin Major.
Later on, Stage 3 was redemption time for both Paluh and Team Liquid. Paluh finished the third stage of the BR6 2022 with a SiegeGG rating of 1.37 and an entry balance of 14-1 (+13). He also finished as the best player at the Copa Elite Six Stage 3 with a SiegeGG rating of 1.28.
After finishing in second place of the CES Stage 3, Team Liquid competed at the Six Jönköping Major, where they reached the grand final. Paluh would finish with a SiegeGG rating of 1.20.
A few days later, Team Liquid were crowned champions of the BR6 2022 after defeating w7m esports by 3-1. Paluh was the third-best in the competition with a SiegeGG rating of 1.20.
Despite Paluh's great consistency throughout the season, both him and Team Liquid underperformed at the most important tournament of the campaign: the Six Invitational 2023.
Paluh ended the Six Invitational 2023 with a SiegeGG rating of 1.10 as Team Liquid was sent home after losing to Team BDS in the lower bracket by 1-2.
Overall, Paluh's great individual performances and Team Liquid's results throughout the season made the Brazilian skyrocket to second. Will Year 8 be the year where Liquid finally win a Six Major, or even the Six Invitational 2023?
To view the full awards and schedule, check out our Year 7 Awards Hub.