In the second set of games of the week, TL and TSM found decisive wins
100 Thieves continue their downward tailspin and TSM shows growth
Looking to bounce back after their loss to Dignitas, TSM recuperated with a statement win over 100 Thieves and proved that they are still vying for the second place position. Early botlane skirmishes got an early advantage for TSM as Lost claimed first blood, however 100 Thieves managed to tie up the gold at 15:00 after a pick onto PowerOfEvil that neutralized the game state.
Still transitioning Ry0ma into the starting roster, 100 Thieves has continued to look disjointed which manifested in their losing fight which ultimately snowballed the game in TSM’s favor.
Ssumday starts this confrontation coming out of his mega-Gnar form and spends most of the fight rebuilding his rage bar. By the time he lands the impressive 4-man stun, most of his teammates have disengaged and one of the primary damage dealers, Ry0ma on the scaling Azir, was already killed.
TSM is able to accelerate their carries after this, Lost specifically posing a threat on the Tristana capable of pushing 100 Thieves off virtually every objective. This was ultimately the turning point that busted open the game for TSM and made their decimation of 100 Thieves’ nexus inevitable.
Team Liquid knocks down Cloud9 once again
In a match that resembled a game 5 final more than a regular-season meeting, Team Liquid found their third win over Cloud9.
The early game was dead even, though Team Liquid found marginal advantages through neutral objectives and winning sidelines. First blood was donated to Tactical after Perkz overextended an attempt to pick off Jensen that ultimately put him a CC chain. This kill gave further objective priority to TL and kickstarted Tactical’s Tristana that would prove to be a late-game menace.
Team Liquid lost this lead after a fight in botlane, looking out of sync after Santorin was caught out and Alphari TPed directly into the main C9 squad. The game state appeared solely in C9’s favor as they pushed TL on the defensive. After being caught out on multiple poor TP plays, Alphari completely turned the game around.
Santorin managed to secure the baron but the situation was looking dire for TL after CoreJJ was slain early and the remaining Liquid squad were chased into top lane. Tactical initially turned the fight, but after solo killing Fudge and TPing to finish off Zven, Alphari put the game in a winning position for TL.
The late-game pressure exerted by Alphari and Tactical, coupled with the constantly pushing sidelines and dragon soul point that resulted from this play led to the breaking of C9’s base.
Was the TL v C9 game a finals preview or can TSM use this momentum to climb the standings? Join the discussion on social media or our Discord!
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Image Credit: Riot Games