TSM Has Left The LCS After 12 Years
Shopify Rebellion made the announcement that it had acquired Team SoloMid’s (TSM) LCS [League of Legends Championship Series] spot and will be joining the league in 2024 on September 20. With this, TSM, one of the most illustrious and prosperous teams in the history of League of Legends in North America, formally departs from the LCS in order to pursue its ambition of winning the World Championship in a different significant area.
TSM Exits LCS
TSM has been around since the very beginning of League of Legends esports, and has undoubtedly contributed significantly to the growth of North American esports into the powerhouse that it is today.
The TSM League of Legends team will now compete under the Shopify Rebellion brand starting in the 2024 season, which is noteworthy.
Shopify Rebellion Joins LCS in 2024
Shopify Rebellion has formally announced that it will assuming TSM’s position for the upcoming year and will be one of the 10 franchised partners in the LCS in 2024. The New York Times’ Kellen Browning claims that “TSM sold the slot to Shopify for about $10 Million (USD), per source.”
Talking about this new esports venture, Shopify’s Esports Program Director Dario “TLO” Wünsch said, “Entering League of Legends – one of the largest esports titles, with a rich competitive history – felt like an obvious next step for us as we continue to grow our presence in esports. We’re excited to work with the former TSM roster and for them to compete in the LCS under the Shopify Rebellion banner.”
TSM Founder and CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh noted that this acquisition is a milestone moment for TSM and added that the organization believed this will ignite fresh success and elevate the competitiveness in esports.
In the meantime, Carlos “Cacophonie” Antunes, the president of LoL Esports Americas, welcomed Shopify Rebellion to the LCS and praised the company’s dedication to esports. Cacophine added, “These values are very much aligned with Riot’s, and we are thrilled to welcome Shopify Rebellion to the community!”
Following this development, Shopify now fields rosters in the following esports titles:
- League of Legends
- Valorant
- StarCraft
- Dota 2
- Halo
- Street Fighter 6
- Rocket League
TSM in LCS Through the Years
Although TSM (previously SoloMid.net) was established in 2009, it wasn’t until 2011 that the group began deploying players to compete in paid League of Legends tournaments. Over time, TSM was able to add some of the most important League of Legends players and personalities to its lineup and enjoyed great success.
TSM holds the record for most titles won in the LCS with seven, and with 16 top-four finishes, they are second in the league in that category.
The difficulties TSM has faced over the past year or so, both inside and outside of the game, have unquestionably not diminished the accomplishments and awards TSM has accumulated over the years.
TSM announced its departure from the LCS by penned an emotional post on Twitter. It said, “The black-and-white will live on through all of us, through the fans, through our history. It will live on through all our teams that compete with that very same championship mentality and Baylife bravado. Our journey towards more championships doesn’t end here. Thank you for the memories, LCS.”
TSM’s intention to sell its LCS spot was first announced last year in July 2022. Due to the rising costs of the company’s many esports endeavors as well as the game’s declining popularity in NA, TSM thought about selling its LCS place. TSM briefly considered taking Misfits Gaming’s place in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
This year, TSM is not the only organization to sell an LCS slot. Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), one of the most well-known names in the League of Legends competitive landscape in North America, also said goodbye to the league in April 2023. Fans will always miss the friendly competition and the never-ending competitiveness that CLG and TSM provided for the LCS.
