Cardboard Kings: TSM Academy win NA Academy Spring Finals
Image Credit: Bethesda
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TSM Academy defeat Cloud9 in the NA Spring Academy finals
Picture courtesy of Team SoloMid

Cardboard Kings: TSM Academy win NA Academy Spring Finals

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Twenty-four hours before their main squads met in the LCS Semifinals, Team SoloMid and Cloud9 went head to head in the NA Academy Spring Finals. C9 Academy came in favored as the reigning champions and the regular season leader. This was reinforced with the news that TSM Academy support Treatz was experiencing visa issues, and would have to play remotely. (Though he was there in cardboard cut-out form.)

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Game 1

The first game in the best of five was an exposition of how good these two teams were. Both sides traded back and forth for the first 26 minutes, with neither being able to draw any significant lead in that time-frame. It all came to a head as a massive fight erupted around the Baron pit. The bout resulted in TSM Academy getting a four-for-one and the Baron Nashor. The gold and the buff from the fight allowed the underdogs to snowball and end the game less than three minutes later with a clean ace.

Game 2

The second game was a disastrous affair for TSMA. Cloud9 won the early game despite TSM bringing the early-game composition. From losing 2v1 dives top lane, brawls in the bottom lane, or even the lanes themselves, TSM could not get ahead. The reigning champions did lose a few fights in the game, but Kumo’s Poppy and Keith’s Jinx proved far too much for the upstarts. Cloud9 tied up the series at one win each going into the third set.

Game 3

The draft would tell the tale of game three, with Cloud9 investing into the early to mid-game. C9 hit hard and fast, picking up kills and a pair of Infernal Drakes to equalize the late game threat of their opposition. C9 kept taking objectives, but couldn’t get a solid lead over their rival. This proved to be the downfall of the Academy World champions. The triple scaling composition of TSMA took the late game, going into game four with match point in effect.

Game 4

The final game in the series could be summed up in five words: The Grig and Treatz Show. The TSMA jungler and support made mincemeat of Blaber and the Cloud9 carries, both sporting near perfect kill participation throughout the game. TSM took almost everything they wanted, with moderate resistance from Cloud9. A pivotal Elder dragon closed the game and the series for TSM Academy, taking the series 3-1.

With the Academy title in tow, the TSM and Cloud9 organizations look to the LCS semifinals. The two squads square off tonight for the second split in a row.

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