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As we reach the halfway mark of the LCS 2019 Spring Split, the league is slowly molding itself for the playoffs. On Week Five, TSM and Cloud9 would stake their claim at the apex of the league with 2-0 finishes.

TSM was coming into this weekend with plenty of momentum after taking down Team Liquid and OpTic Gaming last weekend. The team is now on a four-game winning streak, in a crucial part of their Spring Split schedule. They might have finally found their groove after a few weeks of indecisive, disappointing performances. Should TSM continue this successful trend, they could find themselves in a great position with the playoffs begin in a few weeks.

Similarly, Cloud9 has been looking like one of the best teams in the LCS. They are one of the few teams that have looked good with their synergy and have been relatively consistent with their performances all season long. Their newest mid laner, Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer, is settling into his role on the team almost seamlessly and should be a good source of firepower come the playoffs. Additionally, Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi has been a top two ADC in the league. He is trailing Team Liquid’s Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng by only two kills to become the LCS’ kill leader.

TSM gets the ball rolling for Week Five

For TSM, their first game against CLG showed off their mechanical prowess. By seven minutes, their bottom lane had already secured three kills for themselves. TSM was an unstoppable snowball after that strong early game, as they managed to set the LCS record for 15 turret plates before 12 minutes. It was a sign of things to come, as TSM would end up rolling their former rivals in less than 25 minutes. Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen had an impressive game, leading his team with four kills out of their seven.

In their match against FlyQuest, their macro skills were on display. Their early game was actually pretty rough, with a reversal of fortune in the bottom lane. However, by controlling neutral objectives and playing around their power spikes, they slowly turned the game into their favor. Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg was a huge catalyst for their success, as he became a late game monster on Sylas. With some good decision making, they were able to control the game’s tempo and slowly take the game.

Cloud9 dismantles their opposition

Cloud9’s first match against FlyQuest was a battle too, as their early game was tough like TSM. However, after a few key team fights, the game would slowly degenerate into a fiesta with both teams coming out scarred and bruised. Fortunately for the boys in blue, a botched Baron Nashor fight would push the game into their favor. After a drawn out 33 minute game, Cloud9 would raise their hands in victory.

The following day, their game against CLG was quite the opposite. Clean, consise gameplay from Sneaky and Nisqy would help Cloud9 take over the game early. They would take four dragons and every single turret on their way to a dominating 27-minute finish. They’ll need to continue this great team play if they hope to push for a possible Finals berth this season.

Final Thoughts

For both of these well-established LCS organizations, the experience could be the key to their success. In Cloud9’s case, they only needed to wait for Nisqy to become accustomed to his position on the team. That didn’t even take that long, as the rest of the roster was already playing pretty well from the start of the season. Meanwhile, TSM still had to build some synergy between three new members. Although it took a bit of time, if they can keep the ball rolling, there’s nothing they can’t do with an in-form roster.

Next week, both these teams will be facing off against each other. There are a few key matchups to look out for in this game. For example, TSM’s rookie top laner Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik will be facing off against one of the best top laners in the region in Eric “Licorice” Ritchie. They are two of the best in their position, but it will be up to their junglers to help get them ahead. Bjergsen will be looking to get a lead on Nisqy, in order to help out his side lanes. If he can help enable Broken Blade or Zven, we could see TSM taking this matchup easily.

However, Cloud9 will look to activate Sneaky, who has been a huge win condition for them this Spring Split. We could see some pressure head towards the bottom lane to get this LCS veteran ahead early. Watch out for Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, and where he and the team decide to attack next weekend.


What are your thoughts on Cloud9 and TSM’s recent successes in the LCS? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more LCS coverage, check us out here!