After barely escaping their series against 100Thieves, TSM will now have to take on FlyQuest who they went 1-1 against during the regular season. When looking back on those games and seeing what both teams have done recently, TSM will need to have taken notes on things that worked and those that didn’t. One of the positives for TSM is that they are now battle-tested. Their series against 100Thieves taught them a lot and showed their resiliency, something FlyQuest has not had to deal with yet this season. That said, FlyQuest are a good team and are absolutely capable of taking this series in a big way. Here are three things that TSM will need to do in order to make sure that doesn’t happen.

1. Ban or Pick Ornn

Was there going to be anything else to discuss first? While TSM did get their first win against Ornn this season in game one of the 100T series, they still have an awful record against it. In their last two games, which they won, and their final game against FlyQuest in week 7 they banned Ornn. They are 3-0 in those games. Coincidence? For some reason, this team just cannot consistently perform against Ornn. They need to ban him. If they aren’t going to ban him during the first phase of bans then they need to first pick him.

Having Ornn would give TSM quite a bit of flexibility. They could have BB, Bjerg or Biofrost play him and this would open up quite the advantage in draft. In particular, putting Ornn on Biofrost might not be the worst idea as he could have the engage that he succeeds on consistently. Also, he could still build tanky and have the Ornn upgrade in case TSM get behind or play late into the game. TSM could even play Senna, should she not be banned, and let Biofrost get the farm still making him incredibly strong.

Either way they go, TSM need to have a gameplan for Ornn. One specifically where they do not play against him either because no one can or because they are picking him. Should they do this, TSM will already be well on their way to a successful series.

2. Play Well in the Sidelanes for a Successful Mid Game

TSM have their biggest advantage in Top Lane and an even one in the mid lane. This means that they can confidently play a 1-3-1 once they get their normal early game lead. The ability to play and push in the sidelanes will give TSM the advantage to do whatever they want during the mid game and hopefully into the late game should it get there. BrokenBlade specifically can normally 1v1 anyone if he is given the right champion to do so. This will be crucial because it will cause FlyQuest to likely send more than one person to stop him from pushing and once that happens the rest of TSM can push objectives or take a fight in which they are at least a man up.

The champion that Bjergsen has will be important as well. This strategy will require one that he can not only win in 1v1s but also have strong push or ability to escape easily. Bjerg then has the skills and game knowledge to know when and how to push, fight or group for objectives. Again this will entirely depend on the champion selected for him. PowerofEvil is a strong laner but, not as great in the sidelanes as Bjerg which will give TSM the advantage.

Should TSM execute this correctly, they can finally solve their mid game issues. This will allow them to easily take advantage of their early game and transition it into impactful objectives and fights on their own terms. A TSM team that can operate well in all stages of the game will be one that scares anyone.

3. Be Explosive

FlyQuest are a smart and consistent team. They focus more on playing safe and building their leads slow and methodically. Occasionally the bot lane will get something started or Solo, if he is playing, but otherwise they like to build their advantage through farm and plays that are a 60/40 chance or better. TSM can easily take advantage of this as they force teams to make plays that aren’t to their advantage. This is because they are explosive and they need to be in order to take out FlyQuest.

This explosiveness stems mainly from BB and DD. The two play well with each other and are willing to make plays that others aren’t. Sometimes this can be to their detriment and they will need to be cognizant of that. This means Dardoch can’t Olaf ult and try to run through the entire team after a failed engage. Also that BrokenBlade can’t chase too far after TSM have already won the fight. Their combined tenacity probably outweighs the rest of the league but sometimes they go too hard.

Instead, their explosiveness needs to come in multiple plays, as in keep making them, never slow down. In game four against 100Thieves, the one where they absolutely crushed them, TSM were constantly making plays and keeping their opponent on their back foot. In the early game especially, Dardoch needs to be looking to keep Santorin on the defensive. If he can’t get to the other lanes effectively because he is afraid of Dardoch being around every corner then TSM will win this series. The explosive skirmishes that have a clear beginning and end will give TSM advantages that they can keep.

Last Thoughts

Overall TSM should have the slightest advantage coming into this game whether they do these three things or not. That is because they are simply the better team. The problem is that their lack of consistency is what keeps anyone from being able to confidently pick them. If this team is on, they can truly beat anyone. If they are off, then they will lose spectacularly. Fans will need to hope that they stay focused and have clear objectives with every ban, pick and strategy in the game. Should they do that through then TSM will continue their run through the lower bracket and get to take on Evil Geniuses.

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