TSM’s new roster disappoints in its 2021 LCS Lock In debut

Team SoloMid had a disappointing debut in the 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament and fans are already asking for changes.

Despite its stacked roster, TSM had one of its worst games to date. TSM got completely run over by 100 Thieves in the opening match of the LCS Lock-In, and it all started at level one.

The difference between both squads became evident early. TSM jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu opted for a path that set him behind early and left his solo laners exposed. At level three, 100 Thieves rotated towards the top lane to secure an early kill. There was nothing that Spica and the rest of TSM could do to protect top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon.

It wasn’t entirely Huni or Spica’s fault, as from the drafting phase, the top lane fate was sealed. TSM picked Gnar, a champion that has been looking good on paper but keeps failing across all regions. Teams are playing Gnar and getting no results, Huni is the most recent victim of the Gnar pick, but he won’t be the last.

After picking on Huni early, 100 Thieves proceeded to bully the rest of TSM’s players. Play after play, 100T asserted its dominance and TSM had to settle for a quick retreat. 20 minutes into the match, 100 Thieves already had a 7K gold advantage over TSM, an advantage that only grew from that point.

While Huni and Spica looked the worst, the rest of the TSM players also had a mediocre performance. Lawrence “Lost”  Hui was a non-factor in the entire match, as was new mid laner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage. The only one at least trying to get anything done was support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh, but not even his efforts were enough to put TSM on the map.

TSM fans are already asking for changes and are looking in particular at Spica and Huni. The question remains if new coach Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg will please the fans’ request or if he will trust his players.

Who is competing in the LCS?

There are 10 professional teams currently competing in the LCS. Each team owns a franchise slot, partnering directly with League of Legends developer Riot Games. These franchise slots are permanent, so participating teams can never be demoted from the league. The 10 teams are as follows:

• 100 Thieves
• Cloud9
• Counter Logic Gaming
• Dignitas
• Evil Geniuses
• FlyQuest
• Golden Guardians
• Immortals
• Team SoloMid
• Team Liquid

When does the 2021 LCS start?

The 2021 LCS Spring split starts on Friday, February 5 at 3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET.