Once again it will be TSM up against Cloud 9 in the NA LCS finals. We are introducing you both of the teams' history and what will make it count on Sunday evening.
The finals of the North American League of Legends Championship has been held by TSM and Cloud 9 for four splits already. Other than history, the match-up shares true friendship. This weekend, one of the contestants will achieve sovereignty across the American continent for at least one split. Watch the showdown tonight with our German caster Maxim at approximately 9PM (depending on the EU LCS finals)!
The everlasting final: TSM vs C9The match-up TSM versus Cloud 9 is not an unfamiliar one. Statistically speaking Cloud 9 has won this match-up 18 times already, which is a significant gap in comparison to only seven wins on TSM's side. This year's final will be the fourth time those two teams have faced each other in the final stage. Both teams have been dominating in the current split and Cloud9 as well as TSM hold two LCS titles in their pockets. Thus the finals will determine the first team who will acquire three LCS titles, securing their supremacy for one split. Despite Cloud 9's huge lead in the all-time match-up, they do not seem to be the team to root for. Not so long ago Cloud 9 had to face difficulties, finding themselves in a slump. At the beginning of the split they did not seem to be able to find their former glory, yet managed to fight all the way through the finals.
Cloud 9: A well-operating teamIt has been approximately 740 days without a single roster change on Cloud 9's side, which marks them as the oldest lineup in League of Legends history. This is well reflected when observing their performance, as well as looking at their team politics. Cloud 9 belongs to one of the best teams in terms of rotations in the West. To make that happen, accurate teamwork and communication is a necessity, which was built during the years as a team. Another advantage: Their team spirit seems to be always kept high. Even though players such as Hai are being criticized harshly in public, the management still sticks with the 22-year-old. Trusting each other and in their own management has created an atmosphere for the team that is rarely to find anywhere in the League of Legends universe. After all, the trust has paid off. Cloud 9 started to dash through the rankings from the bottom and fought for their spot in the finals. They will rely on their biggest strength: Teamwork. This ability has given them important wins, enabling to rotate and outplay the enemy. This is where their focus should be.
An analysis of Cloud 9's playersTop Lane: An "Balls" Le
Despite being known for his exceptional skills on Rumble, he has not picked the Yordle very often this split. The Mechanized Menace was only seen twice in the hands of Balls, which ended up with wins as well. Instead, he has played Maokai very often. The tree was his choice ten out of 19 games and shines with a win ratio of 80%. Maokai is considered to be a monster in terms of initiating teamfights, which is why he was able to win many games. The Twisted Treant will play a big role during the pick and ban phase. If TSM is smart enough, they will take Maokai out of the game by banning him, forcing Balls to switch to another champion and still trying to fulfill the role as the initiator.
Jungle: William "Meteos" Hartman
The scene has often mentioned the tendency of picking Vi in the NA LCS. She does not seem to be very popular in the competitive scene in other regions, making her being played most in North America. Especially Meteos is considered to be the leading force in terms of picking Vi, his most played champion. Since a few patches however, tanks have come back, adding Sejuani to Meteos' champion pool as well. He has also played Zac and Elise quite recently, his favourite champions from the third season. According to the meta and depending on the picks, he will try to initiate teamfights together with Balls. If he manages to defend the front line successfully, TSM might have a hard time.
Mid Lane: Hai "Hai" Lam
As already mentioned above, Hai has earned harsh critics throughout the split. No one else had to bear with the fans' dissatisfaction like he had to. His play style tends to assasins such as Zed, Kassadin and LeBlanc, which belong to his most played champions. Sometimes however, he picks unconventional champions such as Jarvan, Corki and Kennen. Altogether he will have difficulties when facing Bjergsen in a 1v1 match-up. He should try to play safe, rely on his teammates as well as their strength. As the team captain he still has a huge influence on the teams' rotations and can demonstrate his skills as a shotcaller.
AD Carry: Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi
Sneaky is an incredibly versatile ADC. He belongs to one of the best players in his position in North America and often finishes games with extremely good stats. Especially his Kalista and Graves are remarkable but Corki and Lucian are also played on a very high level by him. Sneaky's champion pool is great, which will give TSM a tough time to drag him out of his comfort-zone. While being skilled on so many champions, he can easily adapt to any kind of team composition. As an individual player he can give Cloud 9 as a whole a great advantage during pick and ban phase.
Support: Daerek "LemonNation" Hart
Lemonnation has made himself a name on Nautilus. Even though he was not the first to introduce him as a support, Lemonnation was seen so frequently in Solo Queue as Nautilus that the community assumed a Nautilus pick in the LCS sooner or later. Aside from Nautilus, we can see him on champions that are meant to avoid or disengage teamfights, for example Janna and Morgana. Annie and Thresh, who are great forces for initiating teamfights, are rarely seen on Lemonnation. He has made protecting his teammates and disengaging difficult teamfights his job.
TSM: World champion of the IEMTeamSoloMid will surely enter the finals' stage equipped with self-confidence. Not only do they currently hold the LCS title but they are also the champions of the Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice, facing strong opponents such as World Elite from China. TSM enjoys popularity across the world. While their efforts were not enough one year ago, they have managed to be not simply popular but extremely successful this year and last split. To win last year's split was not just a win but it meant salvation for TSM. After Cloud 9 being the dominant force in the American LCS for one year, TSM failed to fulfill expectations. Now, however, TSM is winning games happily again. The coach in charge, Locodoco, has improved the teams' performance significantly, making him a great addition to the team. Similar to Cloud 9, TSM relies on rotations. Additionally, they have strong individual players to deal with. Just like last year, this could lead their path towards a win for another LCS title.
An analysis of TSM's playersToplane: Marcus "Dyrus" Hill
A true top lane veteran on the team is no one else than Dyrus, marking his 5th time in the NA LCS. His enemies have put a vigorous focus on him this split, giving Dyrus a disadvantage in the game early on. Yet his teammates were still able to seek an advantage out of the harsh top lane focus by playing aggressively on the other lanes and focusing on objectives. The presence of Dyrus alone seems to be a magnet for the opponent, leaving his team free to control the game. His great champion pool makes him unpredictable as well – his variety should not be disregarded. Whether it is a support style top lane such as Lulu to carry style top lane such as Irelia, he has played all of them before. In any case, Dyrus is an important asset for TSM.
Jungler: Lucas "Santorin" Larsen
Even though this is Santorin's first season in the LCS with TSM, he has already proved his talent on stage, earning the “Newcomer Award” of the North American LCS. Moreover, he creates a remarkable duo with mid laner Bjergsen, who rarely lose against their counter match-ups. His most played champion is Rek'Sai and she is expected to be played again by Santorin in the finals. Rek'Sai enables Santorin early game pressure, a benefiting situation for his team. Throughout the came he will become part of the front line, protecting his teammates as a strong tank.
Midlaner: Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg
Bjergsen belongs to a top-tier class in the NA LCS. He rarely has any problems against his counter match-ups on mid lane and outplays his enemies frequently. Heavy carry assassins such as Zed, Ahri or LeBlanc belong to his comfort-zone, granting 1v1 situations in his favour. By getting a lead early on, he manages to snowball throughout the game, giving a hard time to the enemy team and winning the game.
Schütze: Jason "WildTurtle" Tran
Wildturtle is most likely known for his ever-smiling face. In the game, he prefers Sivir and Jinx who are stronger in late game. As a AD Carry, he plays his role more than solid. His team gives him enough space to play from the back lines, cleaning up the game from behind.
Support: Jang-sik "Lustboy" Ham
Lustboy, also known as “Lust Cena”, is known as a solid support and his imitation of wrestler “John Cena”. Simple as that, he mutated from the new korean guy in the team to a crowd favourite player. On the Rift, he is a very versatile support, able to play defensive supports such as Janna but as well as offensive ones such as Annie. Adapting to the games and to the situation is easily done with a great champion pool like his.
What to expectThe rematch between TSM and Cloud 9 in the finals seems to be promising. Some opinions of fans however, fear a boring, monotonous, ever-repeating game. Do not forget: The title of the North American LCS is on the line and whoever wins it, will be able to call themselves “the best” for at least one split. Even though Cloud 9 managed to catch up recently, TSM counts as the clear favourite in this match-up. They were consistent throughout the split, showing their dominant force in the Intel Extreme Masters. Tune in on our German stream with Maxim to follow the action at around 9PM!
(The above-mentioned opinions belong to the editor. In no way do they reflect a universal validation.)
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Dieser Artikel wurde verfasst von Sascha, Summoner's Inn RedakteurBlitzcrank, Alistar und Twisted Fate Sensei. Platin Überpro. Student. Köln, Deutschland
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