TL;DR
- TSM defeated Team Liquid 3-2 in a dramatic LCS semifinal series
- Strategic jungle Shen pick and comfort champions secured the crucial victory
- Team qualifies for LCS Summer Finals and earns direct Worlds group stage spot
- Broken Blade’s Irelia and Spica’s jungle performance were series-defining
- FlyQuest awaits in finals with top LCS seed and Worlds placement on the line
Team SoloMid has successfully advanced to the 2020 LCS Summer Split finals following their hard-fought victory against Team Liquid. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the organization that has been chasing championship glory since their last title in 2017.
In an emotionally charged five-game semifinal showdown, TSM not only secured their finals berth but also exacted revenge against Liquid, who had previously been a consistent obstacle in their playoff runs. With this outcome, Team Liquid will enter the World Championship as North America’s third seed, requiring them to navigate through the play-in stage before reaching the main event.
hey @TLCoreJJ enjoy playins
— Yiliang Peng (@TSMDoublelift) September 6, 2020
TSM continues its redemption journey en route to LoL Worlds 2020
TSM fulfilled their playoff promise by clinching a spot in the LCS Summer Finals through a commanding performance against Team Liquid. The organization now prepares to battle FlyQuest to determine which team will claim the coveted top seed heading into the 2020 League of Legends World Championship.
The opening match established the competitive tone for the entire series. Rookie jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu initiated the action with aggressive, map-wide plays that caught Liquid off guard. Despite Liquid’s attempts to counter with forced engagements, TSM consistently emerged victorious from skirmishes. Spica, maintaining his status as the LCS’s youngest competitor, delivered consistently exceptional performances across all five games.
Team Liquid demonstrated resilience by securing back-to-back victories in games two and three, threatening to reverse the series momentum. However, TSM engineered a remarkable turnaround in games four and five, deploying an unexpected Shen selection in the jungle position.
Within the current competitive meta, Shen rarely appears as a priority jungle selection due to inherent limitations. When Shen falls behind during early game phases, his capacity to support teammates during late-game scenarios becomes severely limited.
TSM embraced this high-risk, high-reward strategy by placing their confidence in their jungler. Top lane specialist Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik and mid lane veteran Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg provided consistent support for Spica throughout the match. For the first time since 2017, TSM exhibited comfort and coordination in building strategies around their jungle player.
For the decisive final game, TSM opted for comfort selections, choosing Irelia for Broken Blade and Zilean for Bjergsen. These champion choices proved sufficient to propel TSM across the finish line.
Broken Blade’s Irelia dominated the battlefield completely. During every engagement, the top laner successfully navigated to the enemy backline to eliminate Edward “Tactical” Ra. Deprived of their primary damage source, Liquid found themselves incapable of mounting effective team fight responses beyond tactical retreats.
Liquid possessed no effective countermeasures for TSM’s draft strategy, and despite maximizing their available resources, they couldn’t halt TSM’s advance. Approximately forty minutes into the fifth game, TSM initiated a final confrontation within Liquid’s base, systematically eliminating opponents one by one.
.@Bjergsen is the Player of the Series for the 2020 #LCS Summer Playoffs series between @TSM and @TeamLiquidLoL! #TSMWIN pic.twitter.com/wUvQm8fdqt
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) September 6, 2020
TSM will compete against FlyQuest on September 6 beginning at 3:00 PM Central Standard Time. The victor of this championship match will secure North America’s top seed position at the upcoming World Championship, providing significant strategic advantages in group stage draws and preparation time.
For teams aiming to master competitive strategies, understanding champion synergies and draft priorities becomes essential. Many organizations struggle with balancing comfort picks against meta selections, often falling into predictable patterns that opponents can exploit. Successful teams like TSM demonstrate the importance of flexible strategy adaptation during high-pressure playoff scenarios.
Action Checklist
- Analyze jungle pathing and early game pressure strategies from Game 1
- Study the risk-reward calculus behind off-meta picks like jungle Shen
- Evaluate comfort pick effectiveness in high-pressure elimination games
- Review draft strategy countermeasures and adaptation techniques
- Assess team coordination around jungle-centric playstyles
No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » TSM destroys Team Liquid, advances to 2020 LCS Summer Finals TSM's strategic comeback victory over Team Liquid secures LCS finals spot and Worlds qualification