TSM Academy Pulls Off Unconventional Sona-Taric Bot Lane Strategy in LCS Academy Playoffs
In a surprising turn of events, TSM Academy’s Erik “Treatz” Wessén and Edward “Tactical” Ra brought back the infamous Ardent Censer meta with their Sona-Taric bot lane combination. Despite the unconventional picks, they managed to secure a win against Echo Fox in the LCS Academy playoffs.
The theory behind this strategy was simple: while they expected to struggle in lane, the infinite sustain provided by the heals made it difficult for their opponents to completely push them away. In teamfights, Echo Fox found it nearly impossible to defeat TSM Academy due to the sheer number of heals, shields, and stuns they had at their disposal. Not to mention, Taric’s potential to provide invulnerability to all five players.
It’s worth noting that neither player actually built Ardent Censer. The Sona player opted for GLP into Lich Bane to become an AP burst champion, while the Taric player decided not to pair his early Redemption with the Censer.
However, this strategy is not recommended for solo queue play. TSM Academy had practiced this composition extensively and had a well-coordinated plan to survive the laning phase. The success of this strategy relies heavily on all five players being on the same page, and TSM Academy’s top lane Jayce and mid lane Irelia provided significant damage to compensate for the bot lane’s lower DPS.
Although this unconventional pick can be seen as a troll move, it proved to be an innovative and effective strategy at the highest levels of Academy play. While many disliked the previous Ardent Censer meta due to its monotony, this particular innovation was a refreshing change.
If you’re curious to see TSM Academy’s Sona-Taric bot lane in action, check out the highlights from their match against Echo Fox:
Want to learn more about this unconventional strategy? Watch the breakdown of the game here:
TSM Academy, Sona-Taric, bot lane, LCS Academy playoffs, Ardent Censer meta, unconventional strategy, Academy play