Melany M. April 8, 2019
Team SoloMid confirmed its pass to the grand final in St. Louis after pulling a reverse sweep against Cloud9.
The action-packed series finished after five exciting games that showed the best of both teams.
Cloud9 got ahead early with two consecutive wins. The squad went for creative picks like Taric and Sona in the bottom lane, and game two was one of the best games of the season for jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen.
At match point, it was time for the TSM squad to shine in what would be the 100th playoff game for mid laner Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg.
Bjergsen on Akali dominated game three. With help from top laner Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik and jungler Matthew “Akaadian” Higginbotham, Bjergsen neutralized C9’s solo laners. C9 was still on its game, but mistakes and seeming overconfidence would cost the team the match.
In game four, Cloud9 mid laner Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer surprised with a Zed pick. Bjergsen on Zoe repeatedly poked Nisqy from a safe distance. TSM played a safe game, disengaging and not risking more than was necessary. Svenskeren and Nisqy were desperate for kills, but Akaadian proved ready to punish any reckless plays.
Akaadian on Rek’Sai would make the difference in the game and thanks to him, TSM would tie the series score at 2-2.
In game five it was make or break for botch squads. C9 focused on the map’s neutral objectives but the focus quickly changed when TSM began looking aggressively for fights.
Nisqy on Zoe had some good moments and support Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam on Alistar was precise with his initial invitations.
After falling one too many times for the same setup, TSM caught onto Zeyzal’s moves. The support continued trying to engage, but TSM punished him for doing so out of position multiple times. One such kill was enough for TSM to secure a baron that would help them to break the C9 base.
In the end, it all came down to execution. TSM was far superior in the final game’s team fights and was more disciplined and patient in choosing their engagements.
TSM is now returning to the LCS finals, where this time they will face defending champion Team Liquid.