It took them three years and much soul-searching, but TSM are finally headed back to the League of Legends World Championship stage after taking down Cloud9 in the 2020 LCS Summer Playoffs today.
This loss also means that C9 will not be defending their LCS championship crown this season, even after dominating the league through the Spring Split and halfway through the summer. More importantly, however, C9 will not be going to the World Championship for the first time in the team’s history.
Throughout this game, C9 struggled to find the same consistency and playstyle that helped them succeed all year long. The synergy between Blaber and Nisqy hasn’t seemed to be as strong as it was at the beginning of the split, and it showed in a few misplays and uncoordinated skirmishes.
On the other side of the Rift, TSM looked a lot more confident in their play as a single unit. Whether it was playing around top lane with Broken Blade’s Jayce or Bjergsen finding great picks with Twisted Fate, this roster has come together at the perfect time to lock in a Worlds spot alongisde FlyQuest and Team Liquid.
Doublelift and Biofrost—who haven’t been playing too well lately—also held their own on multiple Senna-centered bottom lane compositions. This victory should help this team immensely with their confidence as they first look to capture yet another LCS title.
TSM now have to wait and see if FlyQuest or Team Liquid will be joining them for the final series in the losers bracket. Bjergsen and company don’t have a single win against both teams this season, but they look like a very different team compared to their regular season form.
You can catch all the action between FlyQuest and Liquid when the LCS Summer Playoffs continues tomorrow (Sunday, Aug. 30) at 3pm CT.
