In what is one of the biggest deals in LCS history, TSM has announced the arrival of Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh. The Taiwanese star will head to North America having spent over a year at Chinese team Suning, with the 23-year-old set to command the highest salary in the history of the LCS, worth a reported $6 million over two years.
What TSM Have Had to Say on the Deal
The news that the top support has signed was broken by TSM owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh during an interview with the Washington Post, with the former League of Legends pro having said that: “I think it’s a lot of pressure on the players SwordArt is going to be playing with. He’s a Worlds finalist, and there’s a minimum level of expectation to be playing with a player of that caliber.”
TSM have had to deal with the retirement of Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, who has taken over as the teams’ head coach, with Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage having been signed as his replacement in the mid lane. As a result of Bjergsen’s departure, TSM had funds to play with, with SwordArt’s performances at the World Championship earlier this year having alerted many organizations.
Why TSM Has Spent Big to Acquire SwordArt
The deal for SwordArt is believed to be significantly more than the $4.2 million paid by Team Liquid to extend the contract of Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen by three years. However, TSM clearly feel like they are getting good value for money, with Reginald having continued by saying that it will be “a really small investment a decade down the road.” With TSM looking to create a significant legacy, SwordArt potentially has a vital role to play.
The short-term goal for TSM is to reach the World Finals in 2021, with the quarter finals having already been earmarked as a realistic target. However, with the team having not played together as of yet, it is likely to take time for the new look TSM lineup to gel. A host of new faces have arrived ahead of the 2021 season, with legendary AD Carry Yiliang “Peter” “Doublelift” Peng having also recently announced his retirement.