TSM vs TL LCS 2021 Summer W4D3 Analysis
Gordy’s NA Review
I wanted to start doing these reviews to help NA improve as a region. LCS teams are missing certain fundamentals of the game, and the fundamentals that they do have could use a lot of work. In this review, I will discuss how TL could have improved their draft and how both teams could have done a better job setting up objectives.
Starting with draft and looking at phase 1 bans, TSM ban Akali and Gwen because they are S tier picks that they aren’t planning on first picking, and they don’t want to give those away to TL. TL ban Rumble and Volibear as target bans towards Huni and Spica respectively. These bans also accomplish something else. TL purposely don’t ban “must ban” champs in the meta because there are a lot of these champs in the meta, and red side can get two of them. Next, looking at picks, TSM first pick Xin Zhao since he is a very high priority pick in the meta. TL first pick Lee sin and Lulu because they are also high priority picks in the meta and are flex picks. Then, TSM pick Nautilus since he is a high priority support in the meta, and Azir since he is a strong blind pick and they have to blind something here. Next, TL pick Varus because he is a strong pick in the meta. Looking at phase 2, TL ban Jayce and Renekton because they are both strong blind picks, and TL will force TSM to blind a top laner. TSM ban Braum because they don’t know where Lulu is going and Braum is a counter-pick to Nautilus. They ban Diana because if TL take Lee Sin mid, TL will likely need an AP jungler. Moving on to picks, TL pick Olaf due to the synergy with Lulu. TSM pick Ezreal since he is an S tier bot laner in the meta, and Dr. Mundo because they must feel he is a strong pick after his rework and the pick gives them frontline. TL then pick Seraphine due to her synergy with Olaf and Lee Sin.
What is wrong with TL’s draft? They have win conditions with the Varus Seraphine into Ezreal Nautilus matchup and Lulu into Dr. Mundo early. They have champion synergies with Lee Sin and Olaf with Lulu and Seraphine. TL don’t have frontline but that isn’t a hard rule. What is wrong with TL’s draft is that they don’t have an APC playing into frontline, and they don’t have engage other than Varus ulti and Lee Sin/Olaf running at the enemy team. So what should TL have done instead? Since TSM hadn’t shown a top laner going into phase 2 of the draft, TL needed to pick an APC, realizing the potential for TSM to pick a tank. TL also needed to pick some engage. They should have put Lee Sin in the jungle, they could have still taken Lulu top so they could pick an engage support like Leona which has a good matchup into Nautilus, and they could have taken Seraphine mid which does fine into Azir, or they could have picked something like Viktor or Orianna mid.
Next, let’s look at how both teams could have done a better job setting up objectives. At 17:56 game time, both teams should be looking to set up for dragon which spawns in a minute. Dr. Mundo and Azir should push one more wave top and bot respectively. Likewise, Lee Sin should push another wave bot; that is until they see Nautilus. In which case, TL can push the mid wave with numbers advantage and get deep vision, if Seraphine didn’t have to base for wards. Then, Lulu should catch another top wave. Both teams should then look to group mid, using TPs as necessary, for control over the mid wave and control over river. Since TSM didn’t control the mid wave, there was an opportunity for TL to just push mid for the mid lane outer turret while TSM was doing dragon, and since TL didn’t control the mid wave, they don’t get dragon.
Then, at 24:09 game time, Olaf walks into river without vision and without seeing any of TSM on the map. Lulu and Varus follow, and all three get picked. This is pretty game deciding because TSM end up getting baron and dragon. This is another example of poor objective setup fundamentals. TL shouldn’t have based after the fight around baron, and they should have grouped mid to push the mid wave with numbers advantage which would give them control over river and dragon. In order to set up an objective, a team first needs to get wave control to force the enemy to catch waves, thus creating a numbers advantage to control vision. Then, they need to deny vision in river around the objective, and get deep vision in the enemy jungle. Finally, a team needs to re-push waves to prevent the enemy team from trading objectives. Also, when setting up objectives, there are two rules to keep in mind: don’t facecheck and frontline first.
The biggest takeaways from this game for TL are to keep the rules of drafting in mind and to work on their objective setups. TSM could also improve their objective setups. That being said, this was a pretty high level game from both teams when it came to proactivity and trading objectives.
