The biggest loser of the LoL Worlds 2020 is Team Solo Mid with stars Bjergsen and Doublelift. The “0-6” elimination is historic. Opponents express that it hurts a lot. Even the players themselves found it embarrassing how they performed at the World Championship in the League of Legends.
That’s why TSM’s elimination is so bitter: Already after the first 3 games we wrote: The biggest stars of the USA are sinking. Since then, it has only gotten worse.
Team Solo Mid came as the “number 1” seed from the USA to the Worlds 2020. They were the nominally strongest team in their region and were drawn into a group with the “weaker” teams from other regions:
- With number 2 from Europe, Fnatic
- with number 3 from Korea, Gen G
- and with number 4 from China, LGD Gaming
However, TSM could not win a single game and finished with 0-6 in the Worlds. This is the first time that a “number 1” seed is eliminated without a win.
TSM has the mid laner “Bjergsen” and bot laner “Doublelift”, the two names in US LoL, which have had the most beautiful sound and the greatest appeal for years.
In popularity polls after the All-Stars, the two regularly rank at the top.
TSM simply lets the biggest chances slip
What was the reason? TSM simply wasn’t good enough and group C was considered from the start as the “death group.” Because even number 3 from Korea is filled with stars, and number 4 from China is still very strong.
The stars of TSM, on the other hand, did not reach their normal form in the tournament. As an example of failure, this clip now mainly serves:
The jungler of TSM, Spica, can catch all 5 opponents from Gen G with one ability, leaving them exposed so the rest of TSM can kill them. But TSM does not recognize this incredible opportunity and misses it.
The commentators in the match almost go crazy when they realize what’s happening. Instead of executing the exciting play that turns the match, TSM simply walks away and down the mid lane.
According to an analysis on Inven, TSM simply was not at the level of current LoL (via inven):
- They did not recognize the meta properly. Bot laner Doublelift can only play a few champions and is stuck to Senna, although he has no success with her.
- Then they want to play through the top lane, but Broken Blade could not capitalize on his advantages, even though he was pushed forward and received many ganks.
- The individual skill simply seems insufficient: In a “best and worst” list by Inven (via Inven), top laner Broken Blade and the stars of the team, Bjergsen and Doublelift, all landed in the “worst” area. They all did not reach their potential.
TSM did not fail despite their top stars, but because of them.
Who is currently stepping on TSM? The Korean side conducted interviews with the group opponents of TSM. Everyone has something to say about TSM:
Selfmade from Fnatic says about the death group C (via inven):
“It was a strong group with teams that were close together – except for TSM. I think we can agree on that.”
Selfmade
Jungler Clid from Gen G is asked if they seemed a bit too complacent (via inven):
“Yes, we became complacent because our opponents were TSM.”
Clid
The class difference between TSM and the other teams in the group is emphasized repeatedly. There is consensus: TSM was an “easy” opponent with big problems. They were not aggressive enough and did not put enough pressure on opponents.
On Twitter, there are discussions about whether it would be better to take away the 3rd spot for the USA for the Worlds 2021. But caster Captain Flowers clearly analyzes:
- The USA is still better than all smaller regions
- But much worse than the top 3
If you think the pros were already mean to Team Solo Mid, you might not want to look at social media or Reddit to see how much mockery and nastiness the fans pour over TSM.
This is how TSM reacts: Star mid laner Bjergsen tweeted: “Embarrassing.”
He received support from fans. They encouraged him to keep his head up. Others, however, suggested he should step down. He should make way for “young, hungry players”.
Bot laner Doublelift takes the elimination with humor. He suffered from the “3-3” curse. He often faced an unfortunate elimination in the group stage of the Worlds with 3-3. This year he says: “Finally broke the 3-3 curse, but in the wrong direction.”
No good prospects for US LoL
What’s behind it: Fairly speaking, the group C was extremely tough and punished every mistake. For TSM, it was actually a success to win the LCS, realistically there was little to gain at the Worlds.
However, the visible class difference gives fans and players of the team a lot to think about. They are hyped for a year and look like superstars, only to be completely disenchanted in the 6 games at the World Championship.
Furthermore, the outlook for the US team is not great: Doublelift is 27 years old, Bjergsen already 24. The stars from Asia, who are currently making headlines, are much younger with Knight (20) and Showmaker (20). They and their teams are likely to dominate the big stage in the coming years.
As in 2019, all US teams were eliminated in the group stage, which could also happen to teams in the coming years.
Before the start of the Worlds, TSM already had a tumultuous year behind them. In the discussion was mainly Leena Xu, the head of esports for the team. She is not only the manager of TSM but also Doublelift’s girlfriend. When he joined TSM, the team became stronger, but problems started to emerge on other fronts:
Important woman in LoL has 3 times trouble in 2 weeks, faces much criticism
The title image comes from Team Solo Mid’s Twitter account. They asked their fans for support.
