Comebacks following major deficits have defined the start of the 2022 LCS Spring Split. Two teams pivotal to the growth of the LCS, both of which have been scrutinized by fans in recent days, continued to push this trend, confirming pro League of Legends games aren’t over until one Nexus falls.
Despite recent controversy shrouding Cloud9, they successfully found their footing against TSM to close out week three of the LCS 2022 Spring with a 4-2 record.
The early game was firmly in TSM’s hands with constant Spica roams, leading to eight kills for TSM within 10 minutes, though Blaber’s patented objective steals paved the way for a C9 victory.
These two teams have been in the forefront of conversations on the LCS in recent days. TSM announced last week their starting support, Shenyi, would be switching spots with Academy support, Yursan, suggesting “Shenyi requires more time to adjust to NA.” Yursan was pivotal in the organization’s first win of the split against Immortals, following the worst start in the organization’s history.
Just yesterday, C9 announced their new head coach, LS, had been released, mere minutes before the team was set to play against CLG. Max Waldo, the former Cloud9 assistant coach, was promoted to head coach in his stead. The members of C9’s squad appeared to be impacted by this sudden change, giving an incredibly dominant CLG their first win of the LCS 2022 Spring split. Specifics regarding LS’s departure have not been released.
Instead of a draft put together by their former head coach, LS, or one that marked their downfall yesterday, C9 opted for more comfortable picks. These were practiced throughout the week, Blaber noted. Interestingly, this included Karthus for Berserker and Senna for Summit, who fell due to over-aggressiveness in the early game but picked up speed as the game progressed.
These draft choices ultimately led to a major lead in TSM’s favor for most of the game, highlighted by a one-versus-four unofficial Quadra Kill for Spica’s Xin Zhao. But, in typical Blaber fashion, C9’s jungler stole a Baron that would have won TSM the game and completely flipped the momentum in his team’s favor.
Summit took advantage of this game-changing Baron steal, not only breaking down TSM’s base while they were occupied at the Elder Drake, but using Teleport to pick off the stragglers in the ensuing fight around the major objective. Following Summit’s fight-winning flank, C9 walked down mid lane to the enemy Nexus looking more confident than yesterday.
Cloud9 now join 100 Thieves in a tie for third place with a 4-2 record in LCS 2022 Spring. Should Team Liquid defeat CLG later tonight, both C9 and 100T will advance to a tie for second. C9 will start the upcoming LCS Super Week with a match against Dignitas, who are also at the top of the standings.
