Rookie Mid Laner Leads OpTic to Victory

TSM and OpTic Gaming went head to head today in Week 4 of the LCS. With their 4-0 start, OpTic started out gunning for a top spot, but faltered against stronger competition in Week 3. Another strong opponent, TSM aimed to put OpTic in their place.

OpTic Opts for a Sub

OpTic’s substitute Mid, Scarlet – Courtesy of Riot Games

OpTic chose to bring in Marcel “Scarlet” Wiederhofer to replace Mid Laner Lee “Crown” Min-ho, as the starting Mid needed a rest.  Taking Electrocute on Vladamir, he showed no sign of nerves as he prepared to fill Crown’s big shoes. A Syndra, Gangplank, and Sivir all made for a strong late game for TSM, but they would have to get there first.

TSM made the first move, with Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and roaming to the Top Lane along with Matthew “Akaadian” Higginbotham to Tower Dive Niship “Dhokla” Doshi. The First Blood went to the Syndra, and TSM were out to an early lead. OpTic would not let this go unanswered, and responded by pressuring the Top Lane as well, getting two early kills on Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik.

TSM Keeps it Close

Despite logging early game bonuses from First Blood, First Tower, and an early two Dragons, TSM trailed their opponents in gold at 16 minutes thanks to OpTic’s early lane pressure. William “Meteos” Hartman was caught in his own jungle, and the resulting skirmish left him and Scarlett dead and an opening for TSM to grab their third Dragon.

The Dragon Buffs were enough to balance out the small gold deficit for TSM, and they took a major team fight in the mid game. With the resulting Baron and double Mountain Drakes, TSM broke the enemy Inhibitor line at 25 minutes.

OpTic Surges Back

Their overstay was punished after this push, and OpTic took the lead again – this time for good. Several team fights went against TSM as OpTic played with impressive teamwork and both of their carries did their jobs. With Bjergsen the only real threat on TSM, OpTic were able to play around him and take skirmish after skirmish. After thwarting both Baron and Elder Dragon steal attempts by Akaadian, OpTic had all the power they needed to win the game. Pushing in both the Bot and Mid lanes, and crushing TSM’s Nexus at just over 40 minutes.

Bjergsen – Image from LoL Esports Flickr

TSM looked a bit too confident with their early objectives, and they failed to recognize OpTic’s power. Bjergsen carried as hard as he could, but this did not look like TSM at their best. To OpTic’s credit, they played well enough in team fights to make up for giving up the early objectives, and Scarlet played incredibly well. This lineup looked just as good as their usual starting roster, and the plays that the rookie made in his first LCS match looked more like those of a seasoned veteran.

In a week in which OpTic needed to perform in order to prove they belonged at the top, and to top it off, they did so with a brand new Mid Laner. They exceeded expectations, and remain tied for First. TSM fell somewhat surprisingly, but will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Golden Guardians,

Find the rest of Nick’s articles here. If you would like to contact him or keep up with him, follow him on Twitter @_mrdantes.

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