TSM qualified for the offline finale of the LCS Mid-Season Showdown. Their opponent? Team Liquid, who sent them to the lower-bracket in round 1.
TSM's 3-1 victory over 100 Thieves has booked them a ticket to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles from April 10th to 11th. The finals qualifier and Grand Finals of the LCS Mid-Season Showdown will take place offline in the first LCS on-stage event since March 2020.
Team Liquid exiled TSM to the lower-bracket online after a 3-1 win in the opening round of the LCS Mid-Season Showdown. However, the two teams will now fight for the chance to play Cloud9 in the Grand Finals. The 1st place at the Mid-Season Showdown is incredibly important as the winner of the event qualifies for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational.
TSM's crucial bout with 100 Thieves in Mid-Season Showdown
In what was a lacklustre performance by both teams, TSM will be the happier of the two as they advance to the lower bracket finals. The seven-time LCS champions remained composed in the midst of 100 Thieves superior early game. 100T had the better drafts in multiple games, but their mid-game decision making ultimately was the nail in the coffin.
100T as expected compositionally was able to gain an early lead throughout the series. Strong laning champions combined with stronger picks in the jungle should have been enough for the Thieves. This did not prove to be as TSM was able to find creative ways to punish 100 Thieves and close out the games.
100T matches up well with what TSM wants to do. 100 Thieves post-Damonte have opted into a slower scaling approach. Ryoma has often picked control mages such as Orianna, reverting 100 Thieves to being a standard team. TSM is also known for their methodical tendencies and will pounce at the first mistake. While it may not look pretty, they are effective in getting the job done.
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TSM sets up crunch rematch with TL
TSM now has a date with the team that sent them to the lower bracket in Team Liquid. Earlier into the Mid-Season Showdown TL showed poise in a 3-1 victory. Team Liquid will be fired up for this one after they were dismantled by Cloud9 in the winner's final.
The previous series was closer than many predicted with TSM having much more control in the early game. This was specifically on display in game one when TSM showed a new side to them. TSM blitzed TL in the early game, reversing the roles and forcing TL to play on the back foot.
Jensen did have an impressive against TSM, however, the Danish superstar was given a lesson by western great in Perkz. This will be a big test for Jensen, he gave Perkz the trash talk but could not match the words. Jensen will have to shrug off the loss as he goes up against another strong player on PowerOfEvil.
A date with Cloud9 awaits in LCS Mid-Season Showdown
It will be interesting to see how teams prepare for this match and whether they both have one eye on Cloud9. With Cloud9 being a hard team to prepare for, it would be no surprise to see little adaptation in this series.
The biggest questions will be was TSM not showing their hand, similarly to when C9 played 100T or is there a sign for concern in regards to drafting? The second being Team Liquid's ability to protect Alphari in the draft. Cloud9 was able to successfully nullify Alphari through smart drafting, this was best on display in game one of their series.
The winner of this series will go on to face Cloud9 the following evening for a shot at representing NA at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational.
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