TSM’s Loss to CLG in NA LCS Finals
Team Solo Mid (TSM) suffered a 3-0 defeat against Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) in the NA LCS Finals last night. This loss highlighted TSM’s weaknesses, especially in their laning phase, team play, and draft strategy. One of the glaring issues was the decision to put Wildturtle on Kog’Maw in all three games. Considering his positioning problems throughout the split, this choice seemed questionable. However, in my opinion, Wildturtle was the best player on the team in this series.
Underwhelming Performance by Bjergsen
Bjergsen’s performance was underwhelming as well. He made poor decisions in team fights by diving on Pobelter and dying and ulting too early as Yasuo. It is worth mentioning that he himself admitted his discomfort with playing Yasuo just a week ago. If he wasn’t fully confident with his Yasuo gameplay, it wasn’t the right time or place for him to use it. TSM’s embarrassing performance in the NA LCS Finals showcased their lack of preparation and the consequences of poor seeding.
The Impact of Lulu on TSM’s Performance
In the past few weeks, TSM has shown great improvement in their victories against Gravity (GV) and Team Liquid (TL). This improvement was attributed to the use of Lulu in their drafts. TSM’s games with Lulu were their cleanest throughout the split, especially in game 4 against TL. During the playoffs, TSM had a 3-0 record with Lulu on the roster, and Bjergsen’s stats were impressive. However, they lost both games when they replaced Lulu with Orianna. With Lulu, both Dyrus and Wildturtle had better performances, compensating for the low damage output from the mid laner. Without Lulu, TSM seemed reluctant to put Dyrus on Olaf and WildTurtle on Jinx, resulting in poor team fighting. It raises the question as to why TSM opted for Kog’Maw for Turtle instead of Jinx when they both have similar flaws.
TSM and the S Tier Mages
TSM has shown their ability to play with S tier mages like Azir while still having Jinx as their carry and a high-damage top laner like Gnar. However, the Jinx play in game 1 wasn’t as effective without the presence of Lulu. Turtle was consistently behind in CS despite being in a favorable lane swap. Additionally, TSM’s draft choices in the series against CLG were questionable. Instead of countering Xmithie’s subpar mechanics, they opted to ban Lulu all three games, along with Azir, and focused on targeting the bot lane. TSM’s limited success with Viktor in the regular season should have made them consider denying it from Pobelter. Despite having a decent stat line with Viktor, TSM’s most effective wins came from utilizing Ap Kog’Maw, Azir, and Lulu. In the finals, two of these champions were banned, leaving TSM with Kog’Maw as their only option, which they didn’t play in the mid lane. Based on the stats, TSM would have had a better chance with Kog mid and another ADC like Jinx, Tristana, or Sivir.
In conclusion, TSM’s loss can be attributed to their struggles in pick and ban phase and team play. CLG’s victory was well-deserved, and it will be interesting to see them in the upcoming World Championships.
TSM, CLG, NA LCS Finals, Team Solo Mid, Counter Logic Gaming, weaknesses, laning, team play, draft strategy, Wildturtle, Kog’Maw, Bjergsen, Yasuo, Lulu, Dyrus, Jinx, TSM’s performance, S tier mages, Azir, Gnar, Viktor