A Clash of Kings: The Rivalry Between C9 and TSM
Riot·4/4/2014, 6:57:58 PM·0 votes·5,144 views
Rivalry is an integral part of sports, and the North American LCS is no exception. Since Cloud 9's first debut in the 2013 summer split, the rivalry between these young stars and fan favorites Team SoloMid has been must-watch League of Legends over the year. Again and again, C9 and TSM have met on the Rift in a battle between the two top teams in the nation. Now with the final week of the 2014 spring split imminent, these adversaries are neck and neck at the top of the rankings with their eyes fixed on first place.
During this time, TSM was struggling to balance their internal troubles with in-game performances; team chemistry and morale were at an all-time low. The conflict was evident in TSM's results as they ended the 2013 summer split with a win record of 14-14, far behind C9 at an unprecedented 25-3. In what was anticipated as an exciting rivalry of the summer split turned out to be a one-sided decimation by C9, who beat TSM a total of four times.
TSM bounced back in the summer playoffs, where they defeated CLG (2-0) and Vulcun (2-0) to face C9 in the finals. Despite a valiant effort, TSM relinquished their two year domination of North America to C9 (0-3), making way for a new era. C9 became the new regional champions, proving to be true threats in the league, living up to the hype surrounding their name.
In the opening game of the 2014 spring split, C9 and TSM met on Summoner's Rift in a duel that would set the tone for the rest of the season. Though Bjergsen (Gragas) relentlessly harassed Hai (Teemo) with Barrel Rolls and Explosive Casks during lane phase, he could not prevent Hai from littering the map with Noxious Traps, which allowed C9 to take full control of objectives.
TSM's composition was geared to win team fights with champions such as Annie and Nasus, but their early losses set them far behind in the mid to late game. C9 slowly but surely took apart the enemy base, forcing TSM to concede the game and add another loss to their record against C9. An "Balls" Van Le shined in the top lane as Renekton as he shut down Marcus "Dyrus" Hill, ending the game with a KDA of 4/0/7.
The Rivalry Begins
It wasn't until Week 3 when TSM got their chance at revenge. Though C9 opened the game with an early first blood, TSM swung things back into their favor as they focused and shut down jungler William "Meteos" Hartman (Fiddlesticks). TSM snowballed their advantages, never once relinquishing the lead, closing out the match with a deathless game from Bjergsen and Jason "WildTurtle" Tran, finally ending their losing streak against C9.
"I really think we have an expanding rivalry here between TSM and Cloud 9," said analyst Joshua "Jatt" Leesman. "It's the first time TSM has fought back and there's an old saying that a series doesn't start until both teams win a game. And now TSM has started the rivalry; they have finally have been able to defeat Cloud 9. And it's game on from here. They're going to be battling over first place for the foreseeable future."
TSM and C9 battled once again in Week 7, but the odds were in C9's favor. Bjergsen had flown back to Europe to take care of Visa issues while Reginald returned to the Rift as a substitute.
Reginald admitted, "[Bjergsen] leaving now is much better for us. Even though our record will take a hit, it means we'll do better towards the playoffs because he'll have more practice."
C9 won in a short twenty-seven minute game with Balls and support player Daerek "LemonNation" Hart going big without any deaths. Since then, the 2014 spring split record between TSM and C9 has remained at a stalemate (2-1 in favor of C9).
These rivals will meet one last time this weekend during the final Super Week of the regular season. This time, Bjergsen will be in attendance so TSM has no room for excuses.
While TSM's play style focuses on winning the lane phase and brawling out in late game skirmishes with stronger team compositions, C9's approach is often more unique as they emphasize rotations and all-around teamwork. Both teams are stacked with big names and big talent to match, all with precise mechanics, so the game will come down to who has the better strategy.
If we're taking history into account here, then the odds favor C9 as TSM has only defeated them once in all of their meetings in the LCS. However, it is important to note that Bjergsen was present in only two of those matches.
After ten weeks of competitive play in the 2014 spring split, TSM and C9 now stand above the rest of the LCS pack with matching win records of 20-4, and their rivalry will come to its pinnacle this weekend.
Emily Tran is a freelance writer for Riot Games. Follow her on Twitter @NyxRose.
Be sure to tune into the final Super Week of the 2014 Spring Split on April 4th at 12:00PM PST to see C9 and TSM go head to head. Tickets are still available for purchase. For more information on the NA LCS, including schedules, team standings, and other news, check out lolesports.com.
2013 Summer Split: Rise of the Underdogs
Following Cloud 9's exceptional performance in the Summer Promotion Qualifiers, a 5-0 sweep of the competition to earn a coveted seat in the LCS, enthusiasm and hype enveloped the rising stars. Up until then, household names such as Counter Logic Gaming, Team Dignitas, and TSM outshined most of the competition in North America, and it was rare for unknowns to make an impact in a world dominated by time-honored heroes. But C9 remained undaunted. In their LCS inauguration, C9 turned Super Week upside down by defeating Team SoloMid in an intense forty-minute game.
During this time, TSM was struggling to balance their internal troubles with in-game performances; team chemistry and morale were at an all-time low. The conflict was evident in TSM's results as they ended the 2013 summer split with a win record of 14-14, far behind C9 at an unprecedented 25-3. In what was anticipated as an exciting rivalry of the summer split turned out to be a one-sided decimation by C9, who beat TSM a total of four times.
TSM bounced back in the summer playoffs, where they defeated CLG (2-0) and Vulcun (2-0) to face C9 in the finals. Despite a valiant effort, TSM relinquished their two year domination of North America to C9 (0-3), making way for a new era. C9 became the new regional champions, proving to be true threats in the league, living up to the hype surrounding their name.
2014 Spring Split: New Blood
With the new spring season came a chance to start anew. While C9 retained their original roster from the previous year, TSM signed up-and-coming European LCS star Soren "Bjergsen" Berg to replace team captain Andy "Reginald" Dinh in the mid lane. Hai "Hai" Lam of C9 said, "Bjergsen is a really strong mid laner, which is good for TSM, but I feel they'll lack the 'strategic mind' that Reginald brought during the game, but we'll see if Xpecial or Bjergsen step up to the plate."
In the opening game of the 2014 spring split, C9 and TSM met on Summoner's Rift in a duel that would set the tone for the rest of the season. Though Bjergsen (Gragas) relentlessly harassed Hai (Teemo) with Barrel Rolls and Explosive Casks during lane phase, he could not prevent Hai from littering the map with Noxious Traps, which allowed C9 to take full control of objectives.
TSM's composition was geared to win team fights with champions such as Annie and Nasus, but their early losses set them far behind in the mid to late game. C9 slowly but surely took apart the enemy base, forcing TSM to concede the game and add another loss to their record against C9. An "Balls" Van Le shined in the top lane as Renekton as he shut down Marcus "Dyrus" Hill, ending the game with a KDA of 4/0/7.
The Rivalry Begins
It wasn't until Week 3 when TSM got their chance at revenge. Though C9 opened the game with an early first blood, TSM swung things back into their favor as they focused and shut down jungler William "Meteos" Hartman (Fiddlesticks). TSM snowballed their advantages, never once relinquishing the lead, closing out the match with a deathless game from Bjergsen and Jason "WildTurtle" Tran, finally ending their losing streak against C9.
"I really think we have an expanding rivalry here between TSM and Cloud 9," said analyst Joshua "Jatt" Leesman. "It's the first time TSM has fought back and there's an old saying that a series doesn't start until both teams win a game. And now TSM has started the rivalry; they have finally have been able to defeat Cloud 9. And it's game on from here. They're going to be battling over first place for the foreseeable future."
TSM and C9 battled once again in Week 7, but the odds were in C9's favor. Bjergsen had flown back to Europe to take care of Visa issues while Reginald returned to the Rift as a substitute.
Reginald admitted, "[Bjergsen] leaving now is much better for us. Even though our record will take a hit, it means we'll do better towards the playoffs because he'll have more practice."
C9 won in a short twenty-seven minute game with Balls and support player Daerek "LemonNation" Hart going big without any deaths. Since then, the 2014 spring split record between TSM and C9 has remained at a stalemate (2-1 in favor of C9).
These rivals will meet one last time this weekend during the final Super Week of the regular season. This time, Bjergsen will be in attendance so TSM has no room for excuses.
A Look to the Future
Throughout the course of the 2014 spring split, TSM remained above the rest of competition, staying in the number one spot for the majority of the season. Almost always a step behind TSM in the standings, C9 still remained confident, winning their own games decisively, and proving to be a team of consistency and resilience. C9 is currently on a nine-game winning streak coming into Week 11.
While TSM's play style focuses on winning the lane phase and brawling out in late game skirmishes with stronger team compositions, C9's approach is often more unique as they emphasize rotations and all-around teamwork. Both teams are stacked with big names and big talent to match, all with precise mechanics, so the game will come down to who has the better strategy.
If we're taking history into account here, then the odds favor C9 as TSM has only defeated them once in all of their meetings in the LCS. However, it is important to note that Bjergsen was present in only two of those matches.
After ten weeks of competitive play in the 2014 spring split, TSM and C9 now stand above the rest of the LCS pack with matching win records of 20-4, and their rivalry will come to its pinnacle this weekend.
Emily Tran is a freelance writer for Riot Games. Follow her on Twitter @NyxRose.
Be sure to tune into the final Super Week of the 2014 Spring Split on April 4th at 12:00PM PST to see C9 and TSM go head to head. Tickets are still available for purchase. For more information on the NA LCS, including schedules, team standings, and other news, check out lolesports.com.
