Week 1 of the League of Legends Championship Series was filled with surprising picks and some incredible performances. The three-day superweek showcased what the top North American teams were up to over the short off-season, and which teams are already on the right (or wrong) path just after the first three games of the season. Here are the top storylines to track as we gear up for Week 2 of the 2022 LCS summer split.
CLG looks to extend best start since 2017
Counter Logic Gaming is coming off their first 3-0 start to a LCS split in five years — plus, it’s been even longer since they have been to Worlds. While it’s not completely safe to place bets on this upstart team filled with a mix of veteran talent and young stars just yet, this could be their second coming. Their next matchup is against defending LCS champs Evil Geniuses, who also carry a similar roster of veterans mixed with young talent. CLG has a major test in front of them; a win here would prove that this historic start isn’t just a fluke, something many might be thinking after the team went 3-0 in Week 1 against exclusively lower-tiered teams.
C9 looks to snap out of their funk
In direct contrast to CLG, Cloud9 had their worst start to an LCS split this week. C9 has never started off a season this poorly during their 10 years in the LCS; this 0-3 start is their worst since summer 2017. C9 does have a bit of an excuse here as they played Week 1 with their academy bot lane after visa issues benched their starters Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol and Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen; regardless, the team is in uncharted waters after these massive roster adjustments. Week 2 will see C9 go up against Dignitas and 100 Thieves, games that are not easy wins — especially not for this current team. If C9 doesn’t perform, they could be looking at an 0-5 record by next week, which would put them in danger of missing the playoffs.
TSM tries to build momentum
TSM missed the playoffs for the first time in organization history in the 2022 LCS spring split. Finishing with a 5-13 record and tied for last place, TSM needed to desperately make changes to their roster coming into the 2022 LCS summer split. TSM has always been known as an organization that will make flashy signings, and proved that again by bringing in Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang from the League of Legends Pro League. The team also did something a little more unexpected by also importing Choi “Mia” Sang-in, who last played in Latin America. With another experimental roster, TSM had a so-so Week 1, ending the week with a 1-2 record and a very important win. TSM didn’t pick up a single win until Week 3 in the last split, and they only had one win until Week 5. If TSM can build momentum in Week 2, they are very likely to improve on their spring results while also giving fans hope for the future.
