Western teams and the dangers of international burnout

(Image Credit: Riot Games)

Coming into Worlds 2016, TSM looked set for success. Despite their initial struggles in spring, they built up one of the strongest rosters in North America and produced a monstrous 17-1 record over the course of the Summer Split. They were the definition of an NA LCS powerhouse, and even casters bought into the narrative that TSM could make a deep Worlds run. 

And then it just… didn’t happen.

TSM struggled to hold their own in the group stage, and while their 3-3 record didn’t look bad on paper, it wasn’t enough to break into the playoffs. Of course, you could go back and argue that TSM ended up in the hardest group of the tournament. They had to go against juggernauts like Royal Never Give Up and Samsung Galaxy, so—in a sense—this result didn’t exactly come out of the blue. Still, it was hard to deny that TSM members made multiple uncharacteristic mistakes and bad judgment calls at the tournament.