TSM Solo on postseason chances: “It’s anybody’s game once we get into playoffs”

The 2022 LCS Summer Split regular season is moving into its last week. Since making their most recent set of roster changes, TSM has stabilised with a 2-2 record with those losses coming against Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses. Those two victories have kept them in the mix for a playoff spot as they currently reside in seventh place with a 5-10 record - just one victory about Immortals and Golden Guardians.

Following TSM's week seven day one defeat against EG, Esports.gg's Piratechnics sat down with veteran top laner Solo for an exclusive interview.

Pira: It was a rough game today – but your opponents were Evil Geniuses who are the reigning champions. As a very experienced player, what can you take away from a loss like that?

TSM Solo:  Honestly, I thought the way that they played was kind of bad. But it just worked out. I think we just, I mean, more specifically, like, a lot of the game, they're just surfing the map and going for kills. And I think that you know, during that game, like, it worked out a lot, because of their playstyle like going around the map for kills, but I think, yeah, I don't know, I think that's kind of a bad play style when you actually play against people who are ready for it.

So I mean, I think they did well. And that's kind of a cool way of playing. But like, all game they were running around for kills instead of getting dragons or objectives. And I think if we just handled it a little bit slower, or we were more prepared for it, I think that it would have been difficult for them to win that game.

Pira:  So do you think given [the game vs] one of the top squads in the LCS, that you're feeling maybe a bit more confident going up against just about everybody else in the league?

TSM Solo: Yeah, I still think that we have a long way to go. But I can kind of get how it feels to play against them. So I mean, everyone plays a little bit different. I know that game we were kind of getting rolled a bit. But during the game, it just felt like they were kind of playing solo queue, more than they were playing a competitive match. So maybe they're innovating. And this is like the future. But to me, it just seemed like they were playing for fun. Yeah, I mean, we still got a long way to go as a squad, and I'm not super worried about beating EG like [right] now, but I think that it seems a lot more attainable than I originally presumed.

Pira:  Well, there you go! How was it being back in the LCS? You've gone and come back a number of times, but it always feels like the game changes and the league changes. What's different for you this time?

TSM Solo: I mean, a lot of it's the same. I'm pretty used to coming back and joining mid-split. But so a lot of it feels pretty familiar. I'm glad that you know that we get to play on stage, that is pretty fun. Since it was kind of off and on for a while. But yeah, I'm just grateful to be back. And this is what I love doing. So it's great to be involved in some capacity.

Pira: It's good to see you there. Now. I believe you played for six LCS teams, including TSM – A lot of them aren't even around anymore. You've quite a pedigree – not a lot of people can claim that. What feels different about this particular squad? Or is it also comparable to another team you've played on before in this league?

TSM Solo: Comparable, I mean, in a lot of ways it feels similar to GGS last year, just because, you know, we do have you know, some younger players, I mean, we have Instinct who is like [a] brand new LCS player, right? So it's kind of got that similar vibe, where are you working on the team? Obviously, Chime is a little bit more experienced, but he was on that team as well. It's just kind of like, the roles are a little bit squished instead of having like a rookie, jungler you know, we have a rookie carry AD carry.

Pira: Okay, now, we heard from you at the beginning of the game you're talking a little bit about impact playing up against him. You've also been pretty vocal in the past about kind of being a player that plays more or less whatever the team needs. Given that you are known as such a big playmaker is that specifically what TSM needs? Do they need somebody that's going to be able to step up and, and make the difference in these fights and the skirmishes on the sidelines?

TSM Solo:  I mean, what TSM needs is what every team kind of needs, which is just, like experienced top laner, who knows how to win games. I mean, that's just kind of what every team needs. I mean, all the top teams in the league have top laners who are super stable, can play just about anything, but just know how to win games and not so much care about the individual stats or prowess, like this is all about what the team needs and how you got them at points in the game, even though it feels bad. So I mean, like Ssumday and Impact, those are the best players. So that's kind of just how I've always tried to play.

Pira: I like that – it doesn't matter if you make the small misplays or you're behind in lane as long as you get the win. So how do you – Solo, make the most out of your time here? Looking ahead to the rest of this season and potential postseason run.

TSM Solo: Yeah, I mean, I think we all think, you know, we're gonna be [in the] postseason. I don't know what seed we're gonna end up being. But, you know, we should be better than at least four of the teams so far. And so, you know, we don't have a ton of time to get into where we need to be. So a lot of it's just, you know, getting scrims and getting into our matches, and just winning the matches, we need to. It’s anybody's game once we get into the playoffs, right?

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