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The post-finals press conference showcased a TSM who were more interested in synergy than style.
At the Team SoloMid press conference, there was a question that kept coming up again and again for the TSM players: “Who are you excited to face at Worlds?” No matter which member of TSM the press directed the question at, the players never seemed interested or engaged. Hauntzer mentioned that he wants to face Longzhu’s Khan, and Svenskeren suggested that all the Korean players were looking good.
But ultimately, Team SoloMid isn’t worried about their potential opponents at Worlds. This year, as they head into Worlds, they’re looking inward. While they largely seem disinterested in talking trash or imagining who they may face, each player spoke at length about their own expectations and how the team has evolved since their last, notoriously disappointing appearance at Worlds in 2016.
Keeping motivation
The first question asked at the press conference Bjergsen and Doublelift about the struggle to keep motivation. TSM just appeared in their 10th final; even in Splits where they struggle in the regular season, or look weak heading into playoffs, they seem to inevitably bounce back and enter finals. When the regular Split feels like a Groundhog day of repetition, how do they keep motivation?
Bjergsen finds it simple: “It’s always been pretty easy for me because of my love for the game, I think. I really enjoy the game, I like figuring out what’s good, what’s good in the mid lane meta, what’s good for my team and how we should play and there’s always things to improve on.” Bjergsen thrives on competition, whether that’s against himself or his opponent. He catalogues his own stats to track his own improvement. In this Split, he found himself challenged by the other teams. “Throughout this Split I hardly ever felt like we’re the best team by far, that no one else can touch us or no one else can beat us, and until we reach that point, it’s real easy to stay hungry and keep wanting to improve because I don’t feel like we are the supreme best team.”
Not everyone on TSM feels that way. Doublelift, who returned to TSM this Split after taking a break in Spring, concedes that he understands burnout. “Last year for example after we won NA, I thought that was such a cool thing and we won against Cloud9, who was also a really strong team in the finals, and to be able win with TSM after the previous Split losing to CLG in the finals was a really big deal to me.”
Now that Doublelift is a three-time champion, success on the domestic stage has lost it’s charm. “It’s not a big deal to any of us to win anymore. [...] We just came to pick up the trophy.”
Bouncing back
Doublelift took a break from competitive play to stream, but after subbing in for Liquid, he realized he still had that competitive fire. Taking a break rejuvenated his love for the game. While he concedes that he’s still thinking about Worlds, he’s surprised to find that the day to day is easier. “Last year, at least for me personally, I didn’t have as much of a love for the game as I do now where it’s fun for me to play solo queue, it’s fun to scrim, and I actually just enjoy playing and competing.”
His break was an interesting challenge for TSM. Contrary to common belief, teams rarely use one shotcaller. Doublelift was still one of the largest voices on the team. Svenskeren noted that the three large voices on the team are Bjergsen, Hauntzer and Doublelift, but he also mentioned that he had to improve his own ability to make calls.
Hauntzer explained the transition: “Coming into this Split, we kind of had to find our groove again, because we were playing with Peter again and it’s kind of like a fresh start for us as a team.”
Ultimately, the deepest opponent TSM faced this Split was themselves. Relearning the meta, and basic fundamentals, removed the focus on individual play. “We realized after the loss at MSI, that’s what’s important, it’s not about individual play. Like you can suck on one side of the map, and get a lead on the other side, but in the end it doesn’t really help you get ahead in game. We’re more focused on team play now, and less individual stuff, and I think that’s what makes us a really strong team.”
Talking things out
The biggest part of TSM’s refocus on team play has been opening up the lines of communication. Doublelift and Biofrost spoke on the difference between good individual players and good duos. While Piglet is considered one of the best ADCs in North America, and is “really, really strong” in lane, he’s not able to translate those into results. Meanwhile, Biofrost is most impressed with Altec and Adrian, who can control the lane through communicating and coordinating.
“I think a lot of the time during the Split, we had a lot of problems because we weren’t playing the right champions or playing in the right way, or other bot lanes were out roaming us or outplaying us.”
Even though TSM won the Split, they aren’t interested in praising themselves. Now that the LCS is over for the year, they need to focus on Worlds. “We came in last Worlds pretty cocky, we thought we were a Top 4 team and we were like yeah, we’re going to win it, and then we were all super crushed when we started losing in the Group Stages ‘cause it was like, woah, we weren’t supposed to lose.” Doublelift said. “I think coming into this one, we’re humble, and we were hungry last time but I think we just didn’t have a great approach to practice and our mentality was just wrong coming in.”
This year, TSM seems to have completely retooled their attitude. Doublelift mentioned that he’s not interested in talking trash, because it’s not worth it. When I asked Hauntzer what he thought about individuals on TSM not being acclaimed despite the team being considered arguably the best in North America throughout the Summer Split, he wasn’t bothered at all.
Doublelift explained the mentality Team SoloMid is focusing on: “I think coming into Worlds thinking like a winner but also being humble at the same time is ... it’s just so important ‘cause every team is so good, you can lose every game, your pride can be wounded if you’re getting solo killed or if you’re making a lot of mistakes because all those players are equally as good as you.”
Of course, he remembers TSM getting caught in groups and dropping crucial games last year. TSM failing to make it past playoffs was surprising to viewers, and devastating to the team. This time, they’re trying a new angle of approach. “I think we had a lot of problems last year, but this year we’re going to be able to learn from that. Part of that is being able to come back from bad situations when we make mistakes. We didn’t have that skill last year.”
The final spots at Worlds are being determined now, and October draws closer. Before long, TSM are going to find themselves back up on that stage in front of the world. Despite the pressure, the players on TSM look relaxed and happy throughout the conference.
When Bjergsen mentions the value he brings to the team, Doublelift performatively shakes his head and grins. Bjergsen throws his arms around him in a hug. They joked with each other throughout the conference. It seems as though Team SoloMid have won the battle over their past problems — now they’ll be looking to conquer at Worlds.
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