If a franchise can’t sell the idea of winning a championship to their fans, they often sell hope. Hope that the upcoming season will be a big step in the right direction. TSM coasted their way through the Summer Split all the way up to Worlds. They worked hard and kept in peak form for the entire split, minus one set against Phoenix1. That in itself is extremely impressive, but, they promised North America more.

The 2016 iteration of TSM was not a failure despite falling short of their end goal. Team owner Reginald has to be extremely happy with how well the systems put in place by coaches Parth and Weldon turned out. The training regimen has been validated and fine tuned. After a short break the TSM roster will return to these recipes for high performance as they prepare for the 2017 Spring Split. Well, most of the roster…

TSM will be without Doublelift for the upcoming Spring Split. Doublelift has decided to take some time off from the competitive grind, and his spot on TSM will not be guaranteed when and if he decides to return. A few days after this news was made public, FORG1VEN announced he would be testing free agency.

TSM FORG1VEN: Too Good to Be True?

TSM FORG1VEN initially appears to be a perfect match. A mechanically gifted AD carry who has burning desire to win internationally. All that extra baggage in the form of attitude issues FORG1VEN is supposedly carrying around? What better coach to deal with them than sports psychology trainer Weldon? Besides, it’s only the Spring Split. There are no real consequences if things don’t work out and TSM decides to send FORG1VEN back home. Why is it taking so long for Reginald to send over the blank check?

Building a Dynasty: The TSM Method

FORG1VEN would probably look amazing on TSM, but it’s not the right long-term signing. It doesn’t make sense for the organization to spend 3 months of resources on a player they are unlikely to get more than a single split out of. Taking these kinds of all-in gambles in Summer with Worlds on the horizon make more sense. Those same 3 months of training could instead be used to mold young talent; a much lower risk, higher reward proposition.

Last split, team owner Reginald indirectly admitted he had made a mistake by signing veteran support Yellowstar. In a video released by LOL Esports, Reginald had this to say about his off-season roster moves:

“I paid a premium for veteran players, because… I wanted them to be to run my team for me. I wanted them to be autonomous. I forgot about how TSM has been successful throughout the years. We’ve been the team known to pick up new talent, amateur and challenger players, and making them stars.“

This spring, TSM has a prime opportunity to groom a young and upcoming AD carry to fit their exact needs as a team. Surely the team has received many applicants from hopeful Challenger level players looking to make a name for themselves. Imagine how much progress a promising ADC prospect could make under a full split training with TSM? Just look at CLG’s Stixxay for an example of what’s possible.

Doublelift has claimed he will be attempting to reclaim his spot on TSM for the Summer Split. Assuming he is able to maintain his current skill level, there is nothing stopping TSM from accepting Doublelift back onto the team in summer, while also retaining an up and coming ADC talent as a sub. Fast forward to Spring 2017 and TSM now has a promising ADC prospect, who isn’t using up an import slot, with 1 full year of competitive experience, and a full split under the wing of veteran AD carry Doublelift. Not bad.

Overkill

As good as TSM would look with FORG1VEN carrying their bot lane, they don’t need him. Even without Doublelift they will remain the clear favorites to win the Spring Split. TSM have an opportunity to invest in a young and upcoming player that would pay off in spades going forward. This is another opportunity for team owner Reginald to prove he’s building a dynasty, not a super team.