The League of Legends Championship Series Lock In tournament has begun. The first game was unpredictable and full of surprises, but 100 Thieves came out on top.
100 Thieves celebrate their first win
100 Thieves went head-to-head against Team SoloMid with an all-new team, except from returning top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho. By the 27-minute mark, TSM faced defeat as they stood back with a 14 thousand gold difference and only one kill. Overall 100 Thieves maintained communication and leverage from start to finish as TSM stumbled across the rift trying to survive.
THERE WE GO BOYS. #100T
We start off the 2021 LCS Lock In strong with a 27 Minute W over TSM. #LCS | #100WIN pic.twitter.com/63qUdzi2cz
— 100 Thieves Esports (@100T_Esports) January 15, 2021
This game showed nothing but strength for the team as former Golden Guardians now 100 Thieves bot laner, Ian Victor “FBI” Huang, helped carry alongside his support Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun. Their jungler Can “Closer” Çelik played Taliyah to help provide team fight initiation and follow up, contributing two kills and seven assists by the end of the game. The entire team flowed seamlessly through the game, allowing each other enough time and space to make proper decisions. Conversely, TSM showed up with one of the most expensive bought-out players in NA with nothing to show for it.
Staying together for the win
The first match of this season set a precedent for the rest of the Lock In period. The underdog team pushed forward with a fresh set of faces as TSM struggled to redeem themselves from last season’s performance. Lucky enough for 100 Thieves’ players, there’s no unfamiliarity in each other’s playstyles as most of them transitioned from Golden Guardians to where they are now. The only exception is Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho, who has been a part of the team since Nov. 2017.
In the post-game interview with Desk Host Gabriella “LeTigress” Devia-Allen, FBI explained the team’s decision to stick together from Golden Guardians for the upcoming season. “For us, it was clear that we were still progressing as a team… we were still improving a lot, and it felt really bad that we didn’t really show what we could become,” he said. “So, I’m really hoping that this year we can really right our wrongs.”
TSM disappoints their fans once again
Over the free agency period, TSM offered a $6 million contract to their newest support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh. Unfortunately, SwordArt had a tough time proving himself in the first game with a sitting bot lane. On the other side of the map, Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon kept dying due to bad pathing. They weren’t a threat to 100 Thieves, which ultimately led to their loss.
TSM has limited time to redeem themselves in the coming weeks, while 100 Thieves celebrates their first victory of the season.
Calm collected victory that shows the potential of the group moving forward, just like our practice
This is your new @100Thieves, enjoy the ride! #100WIN
— Chris Smith (@PapaSmithy) January 15, 2021
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