League of Legends has a deep esports history, with hundreds of organizations worldwide that have their own rich lineages and stories.
As we continue in the 2022 season, the four major regional leagues internationally — the League Championship Series (North America), League of Legends European Championship (Europe), League of Legends Pro League (China) and League of Legends Champions Korea (South Korea) — are all celebrating their 10th year of domestic play.
To commemorate the occasion, Upcomer will take the franchises from each of the four leagues and ask a simple question: Who is their GOAT (Greatest of All-Time)?
While each writer has their own definition of what “greatest” means, we will choose between the top candidates and decide who their organization’s true League of Legends GOAT is at the end of every article.
Today’s team: TSM (first played in the LCS in 2013)
The Candidates
Andy “Reginald” Dinh: He has to be the first person we talk about, right? The man founded the team while looking for players on the old official League of Legends message board and turned it into a multi-team, million dollar empire. While he only played a year in the LCS before bowing out for some lanky Danish kid, it’s hard to argue that his influence hasn’t been felt across the entire decade of the league’s existence as the franchise’s overarching face.
Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg: Why haven’t TSM built a statue of this man outside their new headquarters yet? When Reginald stepped down for a kid from Europe, no one would have expected the legacy he would create over his illustrious career with the franchise. Bjergsen, during his time with TSM, led all players with four league MVPs, putting himself in a category all his own.
Marcus “Dyrus” Hill: While he was never the ace of the org and often found himself the sacrificial lamb, Dyrus is still considered the heart and soul of TSM to a lot of its longtime League of Legends fans. He connected Reginald’s “Baylife” era and the Bjergsen era in the LCS. It’s hard to think of TSM without thinking of Dyrus and his pillow.
Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng: When Doublelift moved from archrival Counter Logic Gaming to TSM, it felt like the internet had blown up and we were living in an alternate universe. TSM were never respected more on the international League of Legends stage than when Doublelift and Bjergsen teamed up to create what could be considered the best team TSM ever produced.
On the negative side for Doublelift in this argument is that two other franchises might have more extensive claims to him being their GOAT.
Mingyi “Spica” Lu: OK, so Spica isn’t winning this contest. I understand this, and he’s currently the centerpiece on what could be the worst season TSM has ever had in the LCS. Still, he’s a homegrown product in the TSM organization and won a league MVP (plus a title) for them, so I have to mention him. And hey, his career with TSM isn’t over yet.
TSM’s GOAT is … Bjergsen
I could have listed and tried to make arguments for every League of Legends player for TSM during the last decade, and everyone knows we were ending up at the same answer. It’s Bjergsen. Even now, when he is wearing a Team Liquid uniform and beating up TSM at the LCS Arena, it’s hard not to imagine him wearing that black and white jersey.
Throughout his career as a player, he turned TSM into an international mainstay and himself a global superstar with over 1 million followers on social media. I would go to events in China or Europe, and even when TSM wasn’t playing, I’d see locals in Bjergsen uniforms and chanting “T-S-M!” during games. Bjergsen helped turn TSM’s brand from Baylife to just winning — and winning a lot, usually by a lot.
From when Bjergsen first joined TSM, they made eight-straight league finals. It’s a streak that we will probably not see again for a very long time in any of the four major regions. He also helped TSM win their only international time, the IEM world championship, back in 2015 when they 3-0’ed China’s Team WE. It isn’t a Riot title, but it’s pretty much the best you’re going to get in North America.
Reginald will always be the founder and the face behind the TSM brand, but as we honor the 10th year of the LCS, no one can be called the franchise’s GOAT other than that lanky Danish kid who replaced him.
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