Two of the LCS’ most popular teams debuted new rosters in the LCS Lock In today, and neither came out with a win.
Cloud9 and TSM, the two most recent LCS split champions, began the group stage of the preseason tournament with losses. C9, who acquired Perkz from G2 in the offseason, fell to Evil Geniuses, a team debuting some new pieces as well.
Related: LCS 2021 roster tracker
While C9 prolonged its loss in a nearly 45-minute battle, the new-look TSM were steamrolled by 100 Thieves in the first match of the tournament in fewer than 30 minutes. Without LCS legends Bjergsen and Doublelift, who both retired after failing to win a game at Worlds 2020, TSM secured only one kill and zero towers.
Fans of either team should not panic, though, as both have plenty of chances to figure things out before the matches count toward the LCS title and qualifying for Worlds. The Spring Split begins Feb. 5 and the teams will at least have three more games in the Lock In to see how they stack up in the region.
Related: How to watch the LCS 2021 Lock In: Format, schedule, and more
While two historic juggernauts struggled on the first day, Dignitas, the eighth-place team from the Summer Split, defeated FlyQuest to grab a share of the Group B lead with EG. In Group A, 100 Thieves and Team Liquid are tied for first place with Golden Guardians, who had to replace its entire roster in the offseason.
Matches continue tomorrow at 3pm CT, when Immortals make their debut against EG. Group play will conclude Jan. 22 before quarterfinals begin Jan. 23.
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