Team SoloMid (TSM) was mired in mediocrity for the first three weeks of this Summer Split of the League Championship Series. One of League of Legends’ most storied franchises, their 4-4 record placed them in the bottom half of the standings. The two players added in the offseason, Nicolas “Gleeb” Haddad and Maurice “Amazing” Stückenschneider, were struggling to fit into the team and figure out their roles.
One week later, things are different. Much different.
Team SoloMid put together an impressive 2-0 run by besting the defending LCS champions Cloud9 and Complexity to boost their record to 6-4, one game out of first place. While Cloud9 has been slumping off their lofty standards so far this season, the win was huge for Team SoloMid, which has beaten Cloud9 in just one game since the team’s ascension into the LCS.
The team looked rejuvenated this week, with their playmakers, Stückenschneider and mid-lane superstar Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, actually making plays. For example, this impressive double kill in a one versus two situation Bjerg secured as Yasuo against Complexity:
Stückenschneider posted a 9/1/23 KDA for the week, with Bjerg adding a 7/3/24 tally. That opened Jason “WildTurtle” Tran, who has struggled statistically thus far this season, to post huge numbers—a 19/1/14 KDA.
Part of the reason for TSM’s resurgence seems to be the addition of coach Yoonsup “Locodoco” Choi to the mix. It’s impossible for a coach to make a huge impact in just one week, but Choi seems to have exerted a calming presence on a team that simply needed to settle down and let their individual talents shine.
For instance, it’s no secret that Team SoloMid has struggled in champion select, putting them in a losing position before many games even start. This week, they looked like they had a solid plan and knew how to set up their talent for success from the beginning, and that’s something that can be directly attributed to Choi.
The 2-0 week was certainly impressive, but Team SoloMid will need to keep up the pace if they want to remain competitive this season. At 6-4, they’re still just tied for fourth in the standings. Next week, they’ll have a shot to show this wasn’t just a one-time deal against Dignitas, the split’s most consistent team thus far.
With the talent packed onto the roster and a veteran presence like Choi there to shepherd it, the sky’s the limit for Team SoloMid.
Screengrab via Riot Games/YouTube
