Adapted from lolesports.com
It was one bar of health, but TSM’s Nexus still shined. In their first match against Europe’s G2, TSM vindicated both their biggest supporters and then their doubters.
Four teams advance to MSI’s knockout stage, and TSM finds itself in the spectator seat once again. Their international struggles are well documented — this despite a domestic stranglehold over their NA brethren. Plenty of people in the TSM organization could have done X or Y better, sure, but League of Legends is more about coordinating those Xs and Ys in conjunction. Not in isolation. TSM wasn’t vastly overwhelmed in individual talent this tournament, and that, perhaps, is what makes their exit all the more bitter. I want to look at their thrilling win over G2 on Day 3 to talk about what happened. The game is an instant classic on its own, but it may be swept under the disappointing tide of TSM’s elimination from MSI 2017. What’s most notably missing from TSM is any sort of swagger. It’s a hard thing to qualify, but there’s a fine line between playing to win and playing to not lose. TSM is perhaps letting the international pressure affect their mentality too much. Risk-averse play isn’t always the safe play — avoiding a fist fight with a raccoon, for example, isn’t the safe play if there’s a lion behind you. TSM’s hesitation to pull the trigger — be it on a turret siege or on a neutral objective — was their defining fault this tournament. Let’s jump into the game.Champion Select
- Win condition for G2 is to set up flanks so Gragas and Lee can use their displacements to split up the TSM team — ideally a kick or barrel that sends anyone but Elise (who has rappel) into Syndra.
- Win condition for TSM is to line up a cocoon or arrow with the Rumble ult and Jayce poke. TSM doesn’t really want to fight a head on 5 on 5.
- Tahm Kench can ruin everything — especially for Syndra — by eating one of his allies. Sometimes you really should step into the belly of the beast.
- The more in vogue shielders may be banned out, but Braum’s shield can block out the CC from TSM. G2 is in good shape so long as he keeps his mustache in front of his team.
The Takeaway
A very similar game unfolds when TSM faces G2 again on Day 5 of the MSI Group Stage. TSM picks a composition with a nearly identical style and then jumps out to a similar lead. The biggest problem is TSM’s unwillingness to make an aggressive play with their leads. There’s no excuse for how little they managed to achieve with Baron and Elder buffs this tournament. In this game, and in their rematch with G2, they needed to sync a Rumble Equalizer with a CC ultimate from the ADC (Ashe in this case and Varus later) — not necessarily to kill someone, but to zone them from the turret. That timing pretty much never happened in crucial sieges. Hauntzer and WildTurtle just never seemed to be on the same page. TSM was just waiting for their opponent to trip into their arms. It’s a little infuriating to watch — the lack of initiative and the lack of coordination. Hell, they may only be at MSI because of the infamous “Jensen’d” play that was more a mistake from C9 than a proactive move on TSM’s part. That’s what made a team like GAM so exciting to watch — they went out on their own terms. They tried to make plays. They got knocked on their asses and got right back up again. But a game like this shows TSM does have it in them to play well at international tournaments. They have the parts to compete — especially with Doublelift returning to the roster rotation come summer. And Doublelift has swagger if nothing else. That little step. That decisiveness — this is the thing that will elevate TSM to the next level. They are giving their opponents too much respect. TSM will likely have another successful split in the NA LCS, but they should look not just to win, but to dominate if they want to redeem themselves at Worlds. MSI resumes as SK Telecom T1 takes on the Flash Wolves on Friday, May 19 at 11 pm PT.