Team SoloMid capped off its fairly average performances in the regular season with stunning win against FlyQuest be become LCS champions for the first time since 2017’s Summer Split.
FlyQuest was the clear favourite going into the Finals following a run which saw the team defeat Cloud9, Team Liquid, and previously beat TSM to send the eventual finalists into the loser’s bracket. Underdogs is not a tag TSM is used to, but the organisation shouldered it well to overcome FlyQuest in a final as full of technical difficulties as it was thrilling plays.
The second game in the best-of-five series was delayed by 40 minutes when a California heatwave caused a powercut which left FlyQuest’s AD carry Jason ‘Wildturtle’ Tran unable to connect. Due to the pandemic, players were competing from their own homes, but FlyQuest were able to move Wildturtle to its team base to get him back in the game.
We can never really know how much this break might have affected the outcome, but it was clear that – for one of the first times this season – all of TSM’s squad was on fire. The team’s road to the final has been bumpy, and has mainly been on the back of Mid laner Søren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjergs career-best performances. In the final though, everyone stepped up.
TSM shot out to an early 2-0 lead, and looked to be on the brink of glory without too much of a challenge. However, two hard fought rounds by FlyQuest suddenly had things all squared up at 2-2, heading into the last match of the series for the championship.
The win sees TSM move onto the World Championships, a competition where the team has never gotten out of the group stage. Though this hasn’t been the team’s strongest season in memory, it certainly has the momentum to finally clear that hurdle this year.
