TSM reveal major LCS roster shakeup

TSM have announced major changes to their League of Legends Championship Series roster, replacing three of starting lineup’s five members as the team continues to struggle.

The team will field a new top laner, ADC, and support when they face Cloud9 on July 16.

TSM announce mid-split rebuild

For the third time in 2022, TSM are once again rebuilding their LCS roster. After mass departures following the 2021 season, the organization built around top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon and jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu. After the new roster completely failed during Spring 2022, they made further moves, namely at mid laner and support.

Now, entering Week 4 of the LCS Summer split, TSM have revealed their latest lineup.

Huni leaves the top lane after 18 months with the organization, transitioning to a coaching role in order to address a recurring wrist injury. Meanwhile, the bot lane duo of Edward “Tactical” Ra and Choi “Mia” Sang-in find themselves demoted to the Academy roster.

To fill the absences, TSM have promoted Academy top laner Alex “S0ul” Luo and ADC Tony “Instinct” Ng. They also acquired support Johnathan “Chime” Pomponio from Golden Guardians Academy. Former starting support Wei “Shenyi” Zi-Jie, who TSM acquired during the 2021 offseason and demoted to the Academy during the 2022 Spring split, has reportedly been released by the organization.

According to a Reddit post by AGM Yang “Glen” Po-Jen, the bot lane change was necessitated due to “ongoing personal and performance issues” for Tactical and a need to build confidence in Mia.

TSM look to right the ship

Entering Week 4, TSM have a 2-5 record and are tied for eighth in the LCS. While eighth is a playoff spot, it’s a far cry from where the organization likely hoped to be.

However, TSM have chosen, once again, to rely primarily on perceived talent rather than experience. Solo and Instinct will both make their LCS debut when they take to the Rift on July 16. Chime previously served as Golden Guardian’s starting support during the 2021 LCS Summer split.

While Huni’s departure was unexpected, the organization has also made the decision to install a bot lane tandem that has never played together professionally and has just a single split of LCS experience between the two players.

While things weren’t going right for TSM, fans will likely question if these were the correct adjustments, especially if results continue to disappoint.

TSM’s new roster doesn’t have an easy first outing, as they face a surging Cloud9 on July 16, before taking on a FlyQuest team in the thick of the playoff conversation on July 17.

Header: LCS, TSM