TSM vs. Team Liquid: New Era Faces Historic Kings in LCS Finals
By Wyatt Fossett ·
Outside of the catty coaches, the talk of GOATs, and the thoughts on MSI, TSM and Team Liquid look to ignite the hype as they take the rift in the 2019 LCS Spring Grand Finals.
Unlike their counterparts across the pond, the League of Legends Championship Series in North America only has a single game left to be played, and it will take place tomorrow, April 13th. Live from St. Louis Missouri, Team SoloMid will take on Team Liquid to see who will be crowned the 2019 LCS Spring Champions.
Leading up to their head-to-head in the finals, almost all of the conversation has been surrounding two of the greatest players to ever dress in North American League of Legends competition.
Ice Bjerg Ahead!
Andy “Reginald” Dinh’s TSM is one of the most storied franchises in professional Esports, and their story isn’t over yet. Their historic reign over the North American League of Legends Championship Series has spanned the entire existence of the league.
Recently, in contrast, they saw their worst year in franchise history during the 2018 calendar year, not qualifying for Worlds for the first time ever.
"It is really scary to play against a Bjergsen and TSM that didn't make Worlds last year. It's like ... the starving wolf, you know, they're gonna be pretty ravenous," - Doublelift, Team Liquid
In 2019, TSM looked to be completing their fall from grace. After three weeks of regular season play, TSM sat at the bottom of the standings in the LCS. With a 2-4 record, the Spring Split was almost a write-off. The world has since been reminded that a Bjergsen-led team isn’t out until they’re out.
Ending the season on an 11 - 1 performance, TSM wound up in 3rd place in the LCS when Week 9 wrapped up, earning a playoff berth on the back of a stellar turnaround, and a demolishing of the league-leading Team Liquid in the final week.
After embarrassing Echo Fox in round one, TSM earned their spot in the Grand Finals by completing an impressive reverse sweep against Cloud9 in the Semifinals. This team looks hungry as it stalks through the playoffs.
A League of Their Own
It seems like nothing has been able to get between the Team Liquid of today, and great success domestically. The back-to-back LCS Champions of Spring and Summer 2018 looked mostly un-flinching through this split. After a bit of a weak ending to the Spring Split, Team Liquid easily proved they are still the kings of NA by crushing FlyQuest in the Semifinals. Though there may have been some rust, the match quickly evolved into a “is this really fair?” type of best-of-five.
Stealing Jensen away from Cloud9 in the offseason, Team Liquid did nothing but level up even more before 2019 began. Now, with Impact in the top-lane, veteran Xsmithie in the jungle, and World Champion CoreJJ in the bot-lane with future hall-of-famer Doublelift, Liquid has to be the most finely crafted League of Legends squad in the history of the scene.
"I knew that if I made it to the finals, Doublelift was going to be the guy on the other side of the stage," - Bjergsen, TSM
The new gold standard for team building in League of Legends, Team Liquid don’t even really seem to be too concerned with what’s happening in the LCS right now. TSM? Well, they’re just the next stepping-stone on their way to the Mid-Season Invitational. Glory seems to lay beyond domestic play for Team Liquid.
We've been saying all split that the goal is international success. We aim to earn our shot this weekend. The road to the Finals, driven by @Honda. #HondaPartner pic.twitter.com/43YX7mzjQL
— Team Liquid LoL (@TeamLiquidLoL) April 12, 2019
Catty Coaches
In the lead-up to their head-to-head in the Grand Finals of the 2019 Spring Split, the very outspoken team owners of Team Liquid and TSM have been going at it on social media, on-stage at Hotline League, and it will probably continue in the uber on the way to the arena on Saturday.
I can’t wait to crush Team Liquid. They’ve never been able to win anything without buying talent.
— TSM Andy (@TSMReginald) April 12, 2019
Bjergsen is gonna crush Jensen and he’s going to choke again. #playtowin
Tired of the PR BS. We’re gonna own them. #tsm #lcs
And if hotshot shows up, we’ll f him too
Andy called it Team Solo Mid because it’s the only position they can afford
— Steve Arhancet (@LiQuiD112) April 13, 2019
Both organizations have a long history in North American League of Legends, and they are both run by proud and opinionated men. Lately, Steve Arhancet of Liquid has had the last laugh, but the history of TSM dominance cannot be ignored.
The “friendly” banter continued onto the stage at Hotline League live at St. Louis, where the two were at each other’s throats in front of the hyped-up audience. The macho flex-off ended when Liquid’s owners told TSM’s Reginald to “put your money where your mouth is” which was quickly accepted by Reggie.
*warning - this video contains adult language*
The terms wound up at $100,000 wagered on the match tomorrow. The owner of the winning team leaving St. Louis flush with a bit more dough than when they arrived.
Focus In
It’s important, for the players at least, to ensure that their focus remains on the games ahead. A best-of-five is no easy task in any situation. It doesn’t help that there are talks about specific players being in contention for the “greatest in NA LCS history”, or the team owners won’t ease up on one another.
The actual matchup between Team Liquid and TSM on Saturday will not disappoint, even if it’s a crushing defeat one way or another. As long as the winning team heads into MSI 2019 with the confidence and momentum needed to make a stand on the international stage, it really doesn’t matter who wins.
Of course, talking about who will win is the greatest pastime in competitive fandom, so who do you think will win the 2019 LCS Spring Grand Finals tomorrow between TSM and Team Liquid?
Don’t forget to check our guide on how to watch the 2019 LCS Spring Grand Finals if you need it.