TSM vs. CLG: The rivalry continues
Riot·2/14/2015, 12:23:36 AM·0 votes·41,400 views
League of Legends has no shortage of fierce rivalries. From the Korean veterans of CJ Entus and NaJin e-mFire to the ancient European powerhouses of Fnatic and SK Gaming, unreal amounts of hype are generated whenever old rivals face each other. And just like with football, basketball, or any other team sport you can name, fans will flock to support their teams -- even if the rosters being fielded are completely different to those of five years ago.
Meanwhile, TSM plodded behind CLG, losing sets to them at MLG Raleigh 2011 and IEM Cologne 2011. Although they placed above CLG at the Season 1 World Championship (3rd compared to 5th), few would be willing to give them the odds in the battle for North America’s top dog.
And then Korea happened.
Though CLG had kicked off both grand finals with a Best of 3 victory, their losses to Team Dignitas in the winners bracket meant that they would have to win two sets in a row -- something they simply could not do against the burgeoning TSM. CLG were condemned to finish second, the victims of a cruel rock-paper-scissors style matchup between TSM, Dignitas, and themselves.
TSM’s domination continued into the introduction of the LCS, as TSM beat out CLG 1-3 in regular season games in the Spring Split of 2013. While CLG fell to a tough Vulcun in a frustrating 1-2, TSM stood victorious over North America for the seventh time in a year with a nailbiting 3-2 win over the upstart Good Game University.
The rivalry took a turn for the strange in the Summer Split, as CLG dominated TSM in regular season play, winning all four games (being one of two teams to not drop a game to TSM along with Cloud9) and looking to be on the track to take their rivals out in playoffs. However, CLG choked at the last minute, losing 0-2 to a recovered TSM. TSM finished the season with a total record of 2-4 over CLG, but still progressed further into the playoffs and finished second.
A new season brought new players for both teams, with TSM acquiring European star mid laner Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg to replace the retiring Reginald. CLG brought their own European import in the form of jungler Marcel “Dexter” Feldkamp, and the Spring Split finished well enough for both teams as TSM edged out CLG for second place. For the second time, TSM would beat CLG in playoffs, coming back to win two games in a row after losing Game 1.
As they headed into the Summer Split, CLG’s frustrations would not end as the recruitment of Korean top laner Shin “Seraph” Woo-yeong lead to even more communication issues within the squad. TSM had no such problems with their own Korean import Ham “Lustboy” Jang-sik, aided by the support player’s strong friendship with coach Choi “Locodoco” Yoon-sup. While the teams split a 2-2 season record, the split ended much like the Spring Split of 2013, with CLG’s loss to Team Curse in playoffs, and TSM’s eventual victory over NA with a win against Cloud9.
This split, TSM have added European (and ex-NA Challenger) jungler Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen to their ranks, while CLG have opted for Jake “Xmithie” Puchero to fill their jungle spot.
TSM are ruthless and efficient. Santorin has adjusted to the roster at a faster pace than previous jungler Maurice “Amazing“ Stückenschneider did, proof of TSM’s fantastic eye not only for talent, but for player-team chemistry. Bjergsen has dominated the mid lane, gladly defeating opponents given the luxury of counterpicking.
Even CLG manager Matt “MaTTcom” Marikian has nothing but praise for his team’s perpetual rivals: “The fact that TSM has been a long-standing rival only provides further motivation for our squad to step it up on the rift. TSM is a tremendous competitor and we eagerly anticipate our upcoming match.”
CLG are pursuing their own formula, opting to build the camaraderie and teamwork that they could not achieve with an international roster. As support Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black put it: “Everyone’s having a good time. We’re also always laughing -- even in LCS games, which we haven’t done before.”
Now, both teams sit on top of North America, with impressive 5-1 records. There’s a lot at stake for CLG and TSM - a possible spot at IEM Katowice, the pride of being at the top of the NA LCS ladder, and even a possible new hair colour for HotshotGG or Reginald. TSM top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill is looking forward to the outcome of the bet either way, calling it a “win-win” for the players, but MaTTcom is more keen to see a particular owner get a new image.
“Regi will look amazing with pink hair.”
Different Teams, Different Paths
Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) and Team SoloMid (TSM) trace their genesis to the closed beta of League of Legends as far back as 2009, when rifts began to emerge between CLG founder George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis and TSM founder Andy “Reginald” Dinh, who were competing together at the time. CLG rocketed ahead of TSM to begin with, taking victories at MLG Raleigh 2011 and maintaining a solid first-place presence in the NESL Premier League. To compound their strong regional performance, CLG dominated international competition, counting victories in World Cyber Games 2010, MLG Raleigh 2011 and IEM Cologne 2011.
Meanwhile, TSM plodded behind CLG, losing sets to them at MLG Raleigh 2011 and IEM Cologne 2011. Although they placed above CLG at the Season 1 World Championship (3rd compared to 5th), few would be willing to give them the odds in the battle for North America’s top dog.
And then Korea happened.
The Great Reversal
Undoubtedly the more successful and internationally experienced teams of the two, CLG opted to accept their invitation to OnGameNet’s Champions tournaments. CLG bowed out in playoffs in Champions Spring and Summer, and returned to North America to discover a completely different competitive landscape. TSM had seriously leveled up while CLG were away, and managed to post first-place finishes in IGN ProLeague 4 and MLG Spring 2012 -- both over the second place CLG.
Though CLG had kicked off both grand finals with a Best of 3 victory, their losses to Team Dignitas in the winners bracket meant that they would have to win two sets in a row -- something they simply could not do against the burgeoning TSM. CLG were condemned to finish second, the victims of a cruel rock-paper-scissors style matchup between TSM, Dignitas, and themselves.
TSM’s domination continued into the introduction of the LCS, as TSM beat out CLG 1-3 in regular season games in the Spring Split of 2013. While CLG fell to a tough Vulcun in a frustrating 1-2, TSM stood victorious over North America for the seventh time in a year with a nailbiting 3-2 win over the upstart Good Game University.
The rivalry took a turn for the strange in the Summer Split, as CLG dominated TSM in regular season play, winning all four games (being one of two teams to not drop a game to TSM along with Cloud9) and looking to be on the track to take their rivals out in playoffs. However, CLG choked at the last minute, losing 0-2 to a recovered TSM. TSM finished the season with a total record of 2-4 over CLG, but still progressed further into the playoffs and finished second.
Changing Faces
A new season brought new players for both teams, with TSM acquiring European star mid laner Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg to replace the retiring Reginald. CLG brought their own European import in the form of jungler Marcel “Dexter” Feldkamp, and the Spring Split finished well enough for both teams as TSM edged out CLG for second place. For the second time, TSM would beat CLG in playoffs, coming back to win two games in a row after losing Game 1.
As they headed into the Summer Split, CLG’s frustrations would not end as the recruitment of Korean top laner Shin “Seraph” Woo-yeong lead to even more communication issues within the squad. TSM had no such problems with their own Korean import Ham “Lustboy” Jang-sik, aided by the support player’s strong friendship with coach Choi “Locodoco” Yoon-sup. While the teams split a 2-2 season record, the split ended much like the Spring Split of 2013, with CLG’s loss to Team Curse in playoffs, and TSM’s eventual victory over NA with a win against Cloud9.
Branching Off Again
This split, TSM have added European (and ex-NA Challenger) jungler Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen to their ranks, while CLG have opted for Jake “Xmithie” Puchero to fill their jungle spot.
TSM are ruthless and efficient. Santorin has adjusted to the roster at a faster pace than previous jungler Maurice “Amazing“ Stückenschneider did, proof of TSM’s fantastic eye not only for talent, but for player-team chemistry. Bjergsen has dominated the mid lane, gladly defeating opponents given the luxury of counterpicking.
Even CLG manager Matt “MaTTcom” Marikian has nothing but praise for his team’s perpetual rivals: “The fact that TSM has been a long-standing rival only provides further motivation for our squad to step it up on the rift. TSM is a tremendous competitor and we eagerly anticipate our upcoming match.”
CLG are pursuing their own formula, opting to build the camaraderie and teamwork that they could not achieve with an international roster. As support Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black put it: “Everyone’s having a good time. We’re also always laughing -- even in LCS games, which we haven’t done before.”
Now, both teams sit on top of North America, with impressive 5-1 records. There’s a lot at stake for CLG and TSM - a possible spot at IEM Katowice, the pride of being at the top of the NA LCS ladder, and even a possible new hair colour for HotshotGG or Reginald. TSM top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill is looking forward to the outcome of the bet either way, calling it a “win-win” for the players, but MaTTcom is more keen to see a particular owner get a new image.
“Regi will look amazing with pink hair.”
