How Bjergsen’s coaching expertise and TSM’s strategic evolution are reshaping their LCS championship ambitions
The Coaching Revolution in LCS
The seven-time LCS champions find themselves embroiled in an intense four-team championship battle, yet TSM possesses a distinctive League of Legends advantage that sets them apart—the strategic mind of Bjergsen transitioning from legendary player to master tactician.
Though he has retired from active play, TSM icon Soren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjerg continues to exert profound influence over the LCS championship landscape through his coaching methodology—according to bot laner Lawrence ‘Lost’ Hui, this coaching approach will become “the decisive factor” as the Summer season reaches its climax.
League of Legends coaching has emerged as a pivotal discussion point throughout North American competitive circles recently.
The discourse surrounding strategic leadership and its championship implications reignited when Team Liquid parted ways with renowned caster-turned-coach Joshua “Jatt” Leesman following disagreements with their prominent European top laner, Barney “Alphari” Morris.
Simultaneously, analysts attribute 100 Thieves’ remarkable standings ascent to their new strategic leader, Bok ‘Reapered’ Han-gyu, who previously steered Cloud9 through four World Championship appearances and secured a LCS title during Spring 2020.
They currently maintain an uncontested position at the summit of the standings.
Lost elaborated on TSM’s developmental trajectory following their Rivalry Week triumph against Cloud9, emphasizing that coaching staff fundamentally shapes every team’s competitive destiny. They establish the essential framework that enables League of Legends squads to achieve success.
Beyond that foundational role, he emphasized that Bjergsen’s coaching methodology—combined with his nine years of professional playing expertise—will serve as the “critical differentiator” in TSM’s pursuit of the intensifying LCS championship.
“Soren’s extensive background as a professional player generates invaluable strategic perspective. This represents a dimension that many conventional head coaches typically lack,” Lost revealed following his team’s 37-minute victory over Cloud9.
“It involves careful equilibrium. Every competitive roster gradually develops its distinctive approach. This emerges from coaching guidance… perhaps it’s mutually developed. However, players must comprehensively understand their in-game responsibilities and their team’s fundamental winning strategies, while coaches synchronize champion selections that complement that established identity.
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TSM’s Strategic Transformation
The New Zealand professional elaborated further: “It represents approximately equal contribution. Coaching staff significantly influences how teams develop their stylistic approach, though players frequently discover these elements independently through experience.”
This represents the delicate equilibrium TSM currently navigates. They must not only maintain competitive pace against a surging 100 Thieves organization—who ended a historic 757-day streak with their recent flawless 3–0 weekend performance—but also conduct intensive internal strategic refinement.
The League squad’s most significant challenge, Lost acknowledges, involves efficiently concluding games. Elite North American teams historically struggle to establish dominant control comparable to premier Chinese or Korean organizations. This represents an obstacle the complete Team SoloMid lineup aims to overcome before Summer playoffs commence.
“Typically, when you achieve a three or four item advantage, victory should become automatic,” he stated.
“This principle becomes evident when observing eastern regional competition, particularly the LPL, though perhaps less so in LCK. Games should conclude rapidly when establishing substantial leads—significantly faster than our matches typically progress—especially when combined with experience and economic advantages.
“Spectators can clearly observe from our gameplay that our execution requires substantially improved precision. [During the Cloud9 match] they presented challenging opposition, yet we should have demonstrated better management capabilities. They created difficulties, certainly, but this highlights the core issue we’re addressing.
“We’ve intensified our efforts toward proactive play [to better leverage advantages]. Among current LCS teams, 100 Thieves exemplifies this approach; they demonstrate remarkable dominance.”
Strategic Execution: Learning from Eastern Excellence
Professional teams often struggle with converting advantages into victories due to several common pitfalls. The most frequent errors include overextending without vision control, misjudging objective timings, and failing to coordinate decisive engages. Eastern teams excel through disciplined shot-calling, precise objective control, and calculated risk assessment that maximizes lead conversion.
To improve closing efficiency, teams should focus on three key areas: establishing vision dominance around critical objectives, synchronizing power spike timings across multiple champions, and practicing specific end-game scenarios during scrims. The LPL’s aggressive style works because teams maintain constant pressure while minimizing unnecessary risks—a balance TSM aims to achieve.
Roster Dynamics and Meta Adaptation
Lost eagerly anticipates this impending challenge in TSM’s immediate future. “I’m excited about facing them. When we eventually compete, hopefully we can demonstrate otherwise… prove they don’t represent the LCS’s most dominant squad currently.”
Given TSM’s talent-rich League of Legends lineup, Bjergsen’s squad possesses multiple strategic alternatives as LCS Summer playoffs approach.
Tristan ‘PowerOfEvil’ Schrage represents a natural mid lane victory condition, while newly acquired strategic leader Hu ‘SwordArt’ Shuo-Chieh contributes distinctive LPL expertise. Across the top lane, Heo ‘Huni’ Seung-hoon consistently delivers carry performances—when his unpredictable style aligns favorably—and emerging jungler Mingyi ‘Spica’ Lu demonstrates continuous development with each LCS appearance.
Rivalry Week revealed an additional TSM option: Lost himself.
The evolving League of Legends metagame has rapidly shifted toward “powerful bottom lane emphasis,” the New Zealand professional clarifies.
While he doesn’t anticipate receiving automatic priority over established league stars, he has established his credentials as a legitimate TSM victory avenue.
“These exceptionally powerful bottom lane champions with substantial priority that we [Lost and SwordArt] have utilized are already entering the metagame,” he noted.
“All competitive regions have adopted this approach. These selections naturally possess formidable level one capabilities. This enables immediate invasion strategies and early game aggression directly from champion selection. These potent early game compositions have definitively entered the current meta, and avoiding them creates significant competitive disadvantage.
Bot Lane Dominance: Meta Analysis and Champion Selection
The current meta favors bot lane compositions that can establish early priority through strong level 1-3 trading patterns and objective control. Champions like Aphelios, Kai’Sa, and Varus paired with engage supports create immense map pressure that transitions into dragon and Herald control. Teams that master these compositions can snowball games through systematic objective accumulation.
Successful bot lane execution requires precise wave management, jungle synchronization, and back timing coordination. The most effective duos understand when to freeze lanes for safety, when to push for plates, and how to manipulate minion waves to set up gank opportunities. This level of coordination between Lost and SwordArt could become TSM’s secret weapon during playoffs.
Championship Outlook and Execution
Regardless of whether TSM reorients toward bottom lane emphasis, Lost expresses satisfaction: “Bottom lane has become incredibly enjoyable currently! I’m thoroughly appreciating my League experience presently… I hope all players share this sentiment.”
Playoff Preparation: The Road to Championship
As TSM approaches the Summer playoffs, their success will depend on executing several critical strategies. First, they must establish clear communication hierarchies during late-game scenarios to avoid indecision when closing matches. Second, the team needs to develop flexible draft strategies that can adapt to opponent-specific tactics while maintaining their core identity.
The most successful playoff teams typically excel in three areas: adaptive drafting that counters opponent strengths, mid-game macro decision making, and mental resilience during high-pressure situations. TSM’s combination of veteran leadership through Bjergsen’s coaching and young talent like Spica creates ideal conditions for playoff success if they can maintain consistency.
Looking toward Worlds qualification, TSM must balance short-term playoff objectives with long-term international preparation. This involves developing multiple compositional approaches, practicing against Eastern playstyles, and building champion depth across all roles. Their current roster construction suggests they’re well-positioned for both domestic success and international competitiveness.
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Lost: ‘Bjergsen-factor’ can build TSM into LCS juggernauts again in Summer race How Bjergsen's coaching expertise and TSM's strategic evolution are reshaping their LCS championship ambitions