2016 is a milestone year for professional North American League of Legends teams. With the world championships just around the corner, the 16 teams qualified to attend this prestigious tournament have been locked into their groups’ brackets. All three of the North American teams this year show tremendous skill and improvement compared to previous years, with the number one seed, Team Solo Mid (TSM), coming out of the gates as probably the best western team ever seen since the creation of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
TSM have three awards to their name, and four of their five players were considered the best in their roles for the all-star LCS team. TSM was one of the original teams in the world of professional League of Legends, dating back to before the first worlds tournament was played (which was in 2011; they placed third). Now, stacked with all-star players and a coaching staff better than some sports teams, TSM looks to aim even higher than last year and show off how much the western regions have improved this year.
Drawn into group D of the 2016 worlds tournament, TSM probably has the toughest competition of any other North American team. They are set to face off in a round robin death match against the Chinese second seed Royal Never Give Up, the Korean third seed Samsung Galaxy, and Splyce, a team that many analysts consider to be the second-best team in Europe.
With being placed in what is considered this year’s “group of death,” TSM have a chance to show the world just how good they—and the western regions—have become. Led by superstar mid laner Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, the team have remained confident in their abilities as a five-man team and have already arrived in Korea for a two-week-long boot camp in hopes of further improving their skills. Will we get a North American upset? I certainly think so.