LCS Summer Split starts with upsets, TSM triumph over Team Liquid

The LCS 2021 Summer Split began in dramatic fashion as titans fell.

In a Mid-Season Showdown rematch, TSM won over Team Liquid in a tightly contested initial game. In a tense 44 minute tug-of-war between the top of the standing titans, TSM pulled away with an early lead. With the first Viego pick of the year in the LCS, Tristan “PowerofEvil” Schrage played a massive role in TSM’s strong early skirmish wins.

Though Team Liquid were able to fight their way back into the match in the mid to late game, TSM kept a healthy lead. Mingyi “Spica” Lu not only topped the damage charts but maintained TSM’s near monopoly over neutral objectives. Closing out the game off a baron win, TSM appeared impressive in this statement victory.

Golden Guardians knock down Cloud9

The LCS MSI representatives looked to return to their domestic success after a middling international finish. Facing off against Golden Guardians, tenth place in Spring, Cloud9 seemed to have a promising start. Unfortunately for Cloud9, this was not the case. Golden Guardian’s newest members, Jonathan “Chime” Pomponio and Colin “Solo” Earnest, played a massive role in the upset win.

Since records from Spring now carry over into the Summer, Golden Guardians have a mountain ahead of them to climb if they wish to do anything other than scrape by into playoffs. This massive win over Cloud9 bodes well for the Golden Guardians, but maintaining momentum will be key.

Immortals spoil Abbedagge’s NA debut

Undoubtedly, the biggest signing in the LCS to occur over the break was the signing of Felix “Abbedagge” Braun to 100 Thieves. Since 100 Thieves has historically struggled to find success in the midlane, many thought that Abbedagge would be the final piece that would take the Thieves from pretenders to contenders. What few predicted however was Immortal’s dominant win over the 4th place Spring team.

Immortals had a strong showing as a well-rounded team, keeping 100 Thieves in a whole and limiting them to 7 kills and only a single tower. Immortals have used their offseason time well, building team synergy and refining their mechanics. After an impressive Summer start, we will see if this win was based off Immortal’s excellence or 100 Thieves’ shortcoming.

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Image Credit: TSM
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