Team SoloMid ruined Cloud9’s perfect record in the 2020 LCS Spring Split.
Week 7 in the LCS started with a major upset as TSM handed Cloud9 its first defeat of the season, doing so in convincing fashion.
Both teams came into the match in very different states. On one side, Cloud9 was an unstoppable force in the LCS that was seemingly positioned to complete a perfect season. On the other was TSM, a team with high highs and low lows that is yet to find its true identity.
TSM took two defeats in week six, so no one expected them to challenge Cloud9. The team’s lingering consistency issues and inability to find a reliable, successful composition seemingly put them out of the running against one of the best teams in the western hemisphere.
In the series against Cloud9, TSM went back to the comfort picks. Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg picked his trusty Zillean. In the bottom lane, TSM drafted Xayah and Rakan, a combination that has worked for them this season.
The match was defined by the team fights and the high tempo employed by TSM.
TSM usually has a solid early game, but has had issues transitioning any advantages earned there into mid-game success. This time, TSM had a clean early game and didn’t fall into the traps it seems to set for itself.
TSM was aggressive, and wasn’t scared to go blow for blow with Cloud9. Whatever Cloud9 took on the map, TSM found a way to match it while also finding quicker, more efficient farm. This gave TSM an edge in gold, items, and objectives that only grew with time.
Cloud9 couldn’t find a way back into the game. It wasn’t that TSM was doing something extraordinary, they simply didn’t give Cloud9 space to create their own plays. This strategy allowed TSM to get back into the win column, while ending Cloud9’s winning streak at 12.
The victory puts TSM comfortably in third place. Cloud9 is the undisputed leader in the standings and has already mathematically secured a spot in the playoffs.
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