TSM canceled scrims with Clutch Gaming before the North American regional qualifier, according to Clutch mid laner Tanner Damonte.
In an interview with Travis Gafford, Damonte revealed Clutch had several scrims scheduled against TSM after the LCS finals as the two squads prepared for the regional gauntlet. But after a poor showing in the first scrim session, Clutch was left without a practice partner.
“We got pretty dumpstered by TSM in our first scrim set against them,” Damonte said. “And then we had like two more scrims [against TSM] lined up after that,” Damonte said. “And two of our scrim days got canceled on by a team called Team SoloMid. Not sure what happened there, but we ended up losing two scrim days.”
Damonte said the cancellation served as motivation for Clutch, who had to win three consecutive matches in the regional finals to secure a spot at Worlds. After 3-1 victories against FlyQuest and CLG, Clutch exacted their revenge on TSM, who fell to Clutch in a reverse sweep.
The change in scrim partners may have not changed the eventual outcome, but it certainly seemed to help motivate Clutch in what would have been their final series before rebranding to Dignitas. Now, Clutch will have a chance at glory at Worlds while TSM watches from home.
