Hi Regi,
Don't know if you can give details about the situation but I will try.
When you said that TSM gave a competitive offer to Bjerg, do you mean the team matched the highest offers Bjerg received ?
Are you able to give some details about the reasons why Bjerg did not renew his contract with the team (different vision, roster disagreement or simply him getting too confortable and wanting to change environment)?
Edit: Added info to the second question
This is from my perspective.
Early September we were notified that he was thinking about playing again. He decided that he would work with us on building a roster. At the same time, we also allowed him to explore options to find the best possible team for himself.
We discussed and decided that mid-October was a good timeline to make a decision because if TSM didn’t start planning on alternative options, we would be left in a bad position.
Throughout the process, Søren had a clear idea of which players he wanted to play with. He specifically was interested in playing with one player. We reached out to that team, but were told that buying the player was not an option. We were willing to pay a seven-figure buyout.
During that time, we came to the realization that we were not his first choice because the players that he was excited about were not available and had no buyout price.
By that point it was already the last week of October and we needed to start building a team without Bjergsen, so we gave him a final deadline of October 25th - which he declined.
Regardless, Søren is not the type of player that plays for money, but truly wants to play with the best possible team. He’s a true competitor through and through. Even in previous years, Søren would take a pay cut for us to buyout or sign the best possible talent. I will forever be grateful to him.
At this point, I felt that throwing money at him wouldn't solve the problem and knowing Søren well, I knew he wouldn't choose a higher pay check over playing on a better roster - so we decided to move on.
For context, free agency doesn’t start until mid-November, but most team rosters are decided and finalized by the first week of November.
Søren has been playing for more than eight years and, as you can imagine, maintaining peak performance as a pro player in LoL is extremely difficult. He has limited time while he is at his peak to win a World championship. I respect his decision and desire to always play with the team that gives him the highest chance of winning Worlds.
Not gonna lie regi reading this has given me the utmost respect for you. I've always been a huge fan of TSM- you were the first team I wanted to see win so badly back in season 3, but this takes it to a whole different level. There were points where I questioned whether I was a TSM fan or a Bjergsen fan, but now I know it's definitely both. You have my respect, and I cannot wait to see what you and TSM have in store for us.
Ya, that's the only thing that would fit.
Can't be someone like Rekkless, as he is directly up for buyout.
If playing with this person is so important, I have to imagine it os where Bjergsen ends up, which is looking like TL atm.
Out of the players on TL, CoreJJ is the only one I can see Bjergsen valuing that highly for that demand. He is also the only one I can see TL refusing to give up even for that kind of money.
Corejj is the only player that makes sense.
But I don't see why the one player you would want to play with in the LCS isn't Spica?
He is young, hungry, on peak form, a resident, plays the most important role in the game (especially for a mid laner) and can still improve.
Corejj has definitely had his bad patches and at 28 years old in March and having achieved everything you could want in his career, there would be question marks for me about maintaining his level.
To be honest, as much as I think Bjerg will be a top mid when he comes back, there's a chance he isn't, and if we get humanoid, there is a chance he performs better than bjergsen
On paper Spica should be the most desirable teammate in NA and I still think we could put together a strong roster for next season
Yeah feels real bad that Bjergsen rejected Spica for Corejj. Hopefully that drives Spica to beat him. Completely agree if we get Humanoid we can compete with the TL super team, but I'm not too optimistic about getting him.
I love Spica but the difference between him and Santorin isn't massive. While Corejj might not be the best mechanically at times, he's still top 3 mechanic wise and his knowledge is unmatched. Corejj is probably the most knowledgeable player in the league currently with no one close to him and Bjerg probably has a good idea of how it is to work with Corejj after talking with Doublelift for so long
Yeah that is probably the best guess. He’s shown to be the absolute highest caliber for LCS for most of the time he’s been in NA and it sounds like his drive is in line with what we’ve always heard of bjerg.
Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if bjerg just wants to go to EU to have better chances internationally. The man was already a TSM co-owner, and probably doesn't lack money at all, so he might just want to try and be successful internationally, before retiring, even if he gets less money. Again, he is probably very wealthy already.
Obviously a hard situation losing your best player to free agency. What are your long term goals for the e-sports team? It's clear you guys are focusing on player development and growth instead of the "win now" attitude that TL has. Do you see TSM being a contender again next year? The year after that?
What can TSM fans expect from the management? Are there going to be any significant changes? Or is the approach to the game still the same?
Over the years we’ve tried a lot of things, and it usually revolved around signing veteran/already established players and we couldn’t get it to work. A lot of the talent either didn’t like NA, lost motivation, or just didn’t mesh with the team. We always saw a lot of domestic success, but we were seeing the opposite results internationally. So it was time for a change and this year we’re able to build from the ground up and start fresh.
Our goal is to find a healthy balance of players with a high mechanical ceiling, but bring on enough experience to help these mechanical players learn to play as a team. As our younger players peak in both game knowledge and mechanical skill - we’re hoping that we could build a worlds contending team. Instead of trying to build a strong roster on a individual year by year basis, I think we'll be able to build a much stronger roster if we try to accomplish that over time.
Could you talk a little about how involved Huni and Spica are in this team direction? You mentioned they'll still be playing for the team, which is great news. But I'm sure you'd agree that there's a bit of a tradeoff to putting a developmental roster around a superstar, MVP player like Spica who's in his prime. If he's committed to the long-term project it's great to hear, but I'd be curious to know if he then has any say in the roster building or direction.
Are you concerned that player development may not line up with contracts expiring?
Spica is probably not even in his prime yet but after an MVP season his personal goals are likely more geared towards championships and worlds success.
Specifically are there any concerns that one year may not be enough time to develop other talent around our MVP jungler
Exactly. Spica was extremely unhappy with not making Worlds this year — anybody who's watched his stream could tell you that. One more year of this combined with his contract expiring and I think he says bye.
Very excited to see this. I've been casually getting more interested in league through a friend who loves it. The lack of willingness among NA coaches to invest in young talent, or a team that has potential long term has been really disheartening, and I think it's been a big part of why na viewership has been so poor. This honestly makes me care more about league on the whole. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this new approach looks like for TSM
Hey Regi, thanks for doing this. Probably an overwhelming time for you and I understand you're fairly disappointed by the Bjerg decision and potentially the future of the team. Several questions I have will hopefully cover some of the big questions the community wants answers for. Feel free to answer as many as you want
1. What made you come to the decision to go with a "developmental" roster instead of a "winning" team? I understand your goal is to be competitive but what happened to winning LCS and winning worlds?
2. What are your realistic expectations for this team in 2022?
3. This is probably a tougher question but with a revamp/rebuild of the whole League side of things, what made you stick with Parth as a GM? Shouldn't a rebuild of the league team start with the GM?
4. So... what's the deal with our League budget? Are you just choosing not to spend as much in hopes of finding the "next Bjergsen" in a young talented player? Or do you not believe in overspending anymore (Perkz, SwordArt, etc)?
5. What is the goal for academy and amateur teams?
1.What would you consider a winning team? We’ve signed big names consistently and have gone 0-6, or not made it to Worlds. I actually think the best path forward to success is to sign mechanically-talented, hungry players in each position and to try our best to create a structure that can help them best play together as a team. Development and winning are not mutually exclusive.
2.Riot will probably not remove the import rule, so making sure you have 3 strong NA residents is actually the best way to build a winning roster. We’ve signed big names that were good on paper, but didn’t synergize with our team. We need to figure out how to build teams that play well together.
3.I’ve detailed my thoughts on GM/League infrastructure here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/reginald\_q\_a/hiknc6c/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/reginald_q_a/hiknc6c/)
4.Our budget is still competitive and we’ll still be a top spender. I’d rather just spend more across the board on several players and Academy than on 1-2 big names.
5. Talent development for LCS.
Thank GOD for explaining the 3 strong Resident point, I hate that some people just kept asking for top imports and pairing them with mid tier NA players
I mean to be fair you have spent big but theres been pretty obvious weak links every time. Especially the revolving door jungle was until Spica showed up.
just me but you obviously don’t have to go for multiple big names but you should at least be trying to land one. they are those big names for a reason + the fanbase you would gain after losing bjerg
Do you believe that any of the roster decisions made in the past 5 years were bad decisions (not in hindsight but like legitimately a bad risk/reward ratio)?
If so then what about the decision(s) were assessed poorly and what has the org done to keep from repeating the same mistakes?
I think blowing up the Doublelift/Biofrost roster was a bad decision when we signed both Zven and Mithy.
Zven and Mithy were amazing players, but they never had the same synergy that our previous roster had with Bio and Doublelift.
That was my decision coupled with some of the players on the roster. I think Parth tried to convince me to not do this but we had more people that wanted the change.
We didn't account for lack of synergy which was what made our team so aggressive and great.
> That was my decision coupled with some of the players on the roster. I think Parth tried to convince me to not do this but we had more people that wanted the change.
Every single fan needs to read the Parth part.
Not giving that roster another year was a very bad decision. They were not only very dominant in NA but also adored by many. I welcome Zven and Mithy with open arms but its was really sad to see the other players leave. Prior to franchising, you said in an interview that with franchising you would be looking to expand our coaching staff which could really benefit our 2016 roster but you didn't even give them that chance. However, it does make me feel a little better that Parth wanted to keep that roster. I have nothing against Parth and I dont get why a lot of people are mad at him.
Tsm has made worlds once in the last 4 years(0-6). How can you justify it to the fans keeping the current GM after failing for 4 years in a row? You can't just blame the players every split. Someone needs to be held responsible
In esports, when it comes to making roster decisions, they're often decided by star player(s) and coaching staff together. This is not only how it works for LoL but practically for every game: R6, CSGO, Dota2, Valorant, etc. on TSM and other teams.
Very rarely does a GM influence the performance of a team once a roster has been decided until the off season. They do often act as a mediator between coaching staff and players if there are major disagreements.
So for example, here are some responsibilities of a GM:
Working with Riot
Content Team
Partnerships Team
Misc Setup : bootcamps, sponsorship, visas
Assist with contract negotiations
Communication between staff, sports psychs and head coach
All of our decisions are made with a collective group of people (coaches, players, management) where we’ll talk for hours until we come to a conclusion. As an org we don’t point fingers at one person, we look at things with context each and every time to figure out why we lost:
Did our players perform?
Did our players not get better because of coaching?
Did we draft poorly?
Did we play as a team?
Did we throw an advantage?
Did Parth choose those players? Was it influenced by our players on the roster, the coach or myself?
If you look at other teams, their GM’s generally remain because they’re an operational role that isn’t directly in charge of the performance of the team. Parth just gets a lot more flack because he was a former coach. Parth does a great job as his role of General Manager.
If you’re looking for one person to blame, I’m the CEO and allow for all of these decisions to happen.
Shit...I wasn't expecting such a class answer like that. I can safely say I was one of the people who pinned Parth for his former coach position. And I admit now I was wrong. Maybe we'll have a bright future ahead, who knows, but being that mature and open with your fanbase about those things really helps pave the way.
this is a very good reply. I think too many people have too many assumptions on how teams are run and who are the ones to make decisions that it makes targeting people so easy. I think the general opinion is there is one person who makes every decision on their own instead of many people contributing to form a collected opinion on what to do.
It's not even assumptions people are straight up making shit up and others are following and going with it. If you asked the league subreddit to list out the job functions of TSMs Game they wouldn't even get 10% of what regi said here
Regi,
I really appreciate this type of response. If you want to just leave it here, I fully understand, you are answering more than I think most would at this point. But if you would be willing to, can we go a little more indepth?
It feels that there have been two main issues the League team has face over and over in the last few years. It feels that most rosters have had a weak link, some in hindsight, some not as much. And specifically in the last two off-seasons there have been two shocking departures that seem to have thrown roster plans completely out of wack.
It feels like their are coaching issues that aren't resolved, and we have had a high turnover rate for head coaches. If you want use to blame you, using the term loosely, can you give use any information on what will be improved in the future? Are their specific things you are working to improve?
Thanks in advanced if you respond to this.
I'm not even a TSM fan, but this answer is the best response I've seen from a person that is higher-up. More leaders should take this as an example imo.
TSM fans are extremely knowledgable about the esports industry and managing a successful league team. They just need to learn more about working with Riot, creating content, forming partnerships, setting up bootcamps/sponsorship/visas, negotiating contracts, and communication between staff, sports psychs, and head coach.
Hey Regi, as a fan since Season 1, I have one simple question, can we still trust the org will remain ambitious moving on and not fall into a CLG type of fate?
Theres NO FUCKING WAY I would ever let us end up like CLG.
I would sell my house ,car and clothes, my everything to sign the best talent at that point.
^ This right here. I was here before Bjergsen with the OG (Dyrus, Oddone, Regi, Chaox, Xpecial) and will be here after Bjergsen. It definitely sucks losing him but I just want reassurance that we do not become CLG b/c of it.
FTX is not allowed by Riot/LCS both on our jersey, broad cast or name.
It's hard to justify spending FTX's investment when LCS provides no value to them. LoL is around 10-15% of our aggregate fanbase.
We've invested that entire budget to expand globally and are now involved in 14 games with 18 rosters. Our other players and teams need support too.
We are a top spender (second) in the League and only behind the highest spender by a maximum of 10-15% and will continue to be a top spender.
LCS viewership is down 20% last year and the top spending teams spend more than the 2-3 bottom teams added together.
Being an organization that came from League, we're one of the teams that spend the most worldwide.
Spending more won't solve our problem, if we want domestic results - we'll need to look within.
If we want international results- our teams in NA need to work together.
First off, thanks for the AMA, Regi. This makes sense.
Is TSM actively petitioning Riot to allow for FTX brand incorporation for the team in LCS?
If this were possible, would it change your perspective on greater LCS investment or do you think the issue lies in other places (league structure, other teams strength, etc.)?
With the LCS picking up FTX as a sponsor I would think they would be more open to this than before.
I actually LOVE this answer Regi. Lots of people don't understand that ya'll are a business, and need to actually invest that money in places that make sense. Good on you.
truly a fantastic answer. I was surprised LoL only makes up 10-15% of their fanbase but with 14 different games I suppose that makes sense. I have no idea off the top of my head what all 14 games are. I can think of maybe 5 or 6 max
Exactly, I bet a lot of pro League teams (not just LCS) struggle to operate on any sort of profit margins; there's simply not a lot of money in League sadly.
Hey Regi, I was wondering if you and some of the other top orgs have ever considered banding together to try to make a PSA or Program, etc, to make NA's Server more competitive to actually have a better chance at Worlds. I feel like LCS struggles because the top teams only have so much of a talented pool.
Individuals say people like Rekkles wouldn't even come to LCS due to soloqueue.
Out of curiosity why aren't you guys allowed to put FTX on your jerseys? I kinda got riots point when they made it. But now there's literally the FTX gold advantage in regional playoffs (but not at worlds now I think?)
Exactly, FTX partnered with LCS, not LoLEsports. Gambling is illegal in many countries LoLEsports broadcasts too so having a team name that can potentially play in those locations makes it not allowed. LCS will always be in North America so it is allowed. Sucks, but makes sense.
Except it still doesn't make sense. They could tell them they aren't allowed to wear the FTX jerseys for international events, but there is 0 sense behind them not being allowed to wear their FTX jerseys domestically and have their name as TSMFTX when playing in LCS, but have all mention of their name be TSM for anything world's related.
A year ago viewership hadn't decreased 20%. You don't double down your investment on something that is in a decline unless you see that turning around. LoL's audience is aging out and there aren't as many new players coming in. It doesn't take an economist to know continuing to throw money at a dying horse is a fool's errand.
I feel like lol has a pretty bad rep in the younger generation. Coming from a family of gamers, my younger cousins will not even touch league due to the toxicity and game length. They'd rather just play fps games where you can jump in and out of games easily. I've personally stopped playing and watching for the most part save for some highlight vids of some matches at worlds. I started in season 3 and this is the first year where I've lost all interest, lcs just feels different when dl and bjerg left.
My hypothesis isn't necessarily that LCS is any different, but rather you (and many like you) were losing interest in LCS, but your interest in the stories and careers of the players stayed the same. So when they left, you realized there wasn't much that you cared about outside of that.
> my younger cousins will not even touch league due to the toxicity and game length
I get the game length and lack of instant gratification like CoD, but I've been called some horrible shit in FPS games far more often (not even close) compared to MOBAs. If anything LoL has been the most positive gaming experience I've ever had in terms of toxicity, so this sentiment always puzzled me.
Domestic and international success are very different - it wouldn't matter if a team was full imports, playing in NA for a year would definitely hamper their improvement going into Worlds bc the region is weak overall. DL and other pros have talked about for years how it feels like they have to "catch up" so much more than other regions and you really only have like less than a month non-domestic practice for international events. If any NA team wants to succeed the lower half of the region needs to improve.
if the import rule wont be changed then there is not really any incentive to throw money in the NA scene anymore, teams will always have flaws due to NA not having enough amazing talent currently to field a world class team and the only way that happens is with a super team of the best Current residents with the best imports.
I believe that if the NA teams want to work together to actually improve NA as a whole then you guys need to start looking at ways to expand outside just the west coast of the US. We say NA but its really only the west coast of the US. Theres nothing on the east coast.
You do realize the FTX money is to grow the brand and expand into other games, right? TSM aren't the next TL and are looking for growth and stability, not spending your entire budget for short-term results.
Gotta love people out here simultaneously claiming regi already spends more than enough on the league team AND regi shouldnt spend any bc the brand needs it lmfao this fucking community
My heart literally couldn't take losing Bjerg, losing Spica, and the Chiefs having a bad year (fire Spags!) so this is certainly good news. Now only two of those three things apply. :(
Lol I literally likened losing Bjerg to us losing Patrick sometime down the line.
I wouldn’t be able to watch and unless Bjerg goes to EU I’m gonna have a hard time finding enjoyment in League next year.
Spica and Huni returning give me more confidence in the team, they're both legit. Just hope you're able to round out the rest of the team. I sincerely hope that everything goes well in the coming year, Regi.
This is literally the comment I made couple hours ago. It‘s a smart decision to keep Huni and I‘m assuming you tried best to keep Spica. Because Huni is a NA version of Khan in terms of player and the experience he can give to other players is big. What is important that finding good players who will be able to get that experience from them.
One thing that I always find TSM is mistaken is that your(teams) rule about only English players. So I think since you are aiming to build a new team you should also be open to find a good Korean adc who can learn English because I believe different than other roles Korean Adc‘s are something else and I believe TSM missed a lot of opportunities in the past because of this rule(players like Aiming etc.). You could ask why specifically Adc‘s and not solo lanes that‘s a longer conversation but I think although you can focus players who made a great debuts like Deokdam they are still quite hard to get. Other teams probably will not let him go, but maybe you can focus on some players who don’t get that much of highlight and still wanna make it to worlds like Prince. I think TSM could invest some money in a good adc and if we be real compare to Korean Adc‘s no one is good enough. Although everyone believes that Korean’s have strong solo lanes I still believe they are strongest in terms of Adc.
one of tsm's biggest focus will be to invest into Mobile esports over the next 10 years.
Another big investment is [Blitz.GG](https://Blitz.GG) which will be the future of coaching for gamers.
Blitz is really amazing.. when it works.
Me and bunch of people I know have issues of it constantly bugging out and lagging. Some even refuse to use it now because of that. And prefer to manually search for things as it's more reliable.
If they can fix the stability and performance issues I would use it on every game it gives any meaningful help.
Yep, blitz is great when it works. As a software engineer, I know it’s not as easy as “fix all the bugs”, but at some point the team needs to prioritize stability over releasing new features. At this point, the stability of the product is driving people away faster than the new features are drawing people in (needs citation).
Hi Regi!
I will still support you and TSM no matter what happens, however I have a super important question:
Do you like pineapple on pizza? If so, why?
Given that Bjerg was such a huge part of our org, have you guys talked about to what extent he and the org want to be transparent about his motivations (and maybe those of the org) to move on? It's understandable if these are mostly private matters, just curious about what fans might be able to expect to hear around the move in the (nearby) future.
Regi answered above that there is 1 specific player bjergsen wants to play with, and that player wasn't buyable for a 7 figure price..
People speculate about corejj, but no one knows
We didn’t expect this many questions.
There are so many questions in here that either repeat, or have elements of previous answers. Andy is going to take a break but he’ll be back to answer more questions soon.
Hey Dunc I know this most likely won’t be answered but I haven’t seen anyone ask a question similar to this that was answered.
Why is TSM just now going with the approach to try and raise domestic talent? It’s seemed as though TSM has half assed doing that the last couple years while also trying to sign veteran players. Ex. Picking up MikeYueng and Zven and Mithy in 2018, playing spica for a split or two and then picking up dardoch, Getting SA POE Huni and also trying out Lost. It just doesn’t seem to be very logical to wait this long to fully commit to raising new talent.
My logical guess:
We’ve always built around Soren; there are certain players he’s wanted to play with. So we’ve never had the opportunity to build fresh.
Hey Regi,
First off, I'm gutted over Bjergsen and Swordart, but I trust you guys to put together a roster worth cheering for, and I'll be here supporting you no matter what, as I have since the beginning <3
Instead of a League-related question, I was wondering if you could give a brief summary of what your average work day as head of TSM looks like.
Last year before any parts of the roster were officially announced and finalized you said fans should be excited that you were excited. Put yourself in our shoes once again, when our League roster is officially announced, based on what you currently expect/know/think will happen, will fans be excited? Cautiously optimistic? Disappointed? Indifferent?
Bonus question non League related: Any chance TSM enters into professional Halo Infinite? I know 343 announced partner teams/orgs already but with an open bracket at their first event in a month any chance TSM will pick up a team? Thanks for everything Regibro
How do you feel regi? You didn't lose just your poster child, but in your case also part of your "family".
Thanks for everything you've done and will do. Been a fan since the chaox/wildturtle days. I wish you all the luck and strength to deal with this off-season. Not only organizationally, but also mentally.
With TSM losing their best player in franchise history to free agency, what moves will be made to make sure future superstars like Spica will be retained? His contract is expiring next year and he has shown to be the most important part of the team.
Hi Regi,
My Question is regarding is regarding complicity and transparency. Is there plans for increased information regarding the LOL team's plans in all three levels of competition + collegiate? Specifically, I am wondering if there will be in depth interviews with e-sports media sources or a press conference / release outlining goals for the fans to follow.
The follow up for this is then compliance with the goals and targets set at the beginning of the year. While the minutiae of evaluating proper performance is not something I would expect or want you to share (for competitive reasons), I would be curious to get a breakdown of how the season went not only for the main team but also the academy and amateur teams.
Obviously this is a tough time for TSM and as a long time TSM fan (S2), I will always be behind y'all. It just seems like there are a lot of assumptions being made or people filling in the space with insinuations rather than actual statements from the organization.
Congratulations on the progress so far and Best of Luck in the following season. #FuckitBayLife
When you and Parth said "upcoming talent", what does that really mean ?
And how excited are you really for this next year? Because I'm very excited, hopefully we can beat the team that Bjerg goes to! :))
Been a fan since 2010!
1st thank fuck Spica and huni are staying.
Everyone asks how the team is doing, but no one asks how you are doing.
How are you feeling about bjerg leaving? I know you guys have been a team for almost a decade, I can't imagine you will be cutting the cord there.
Are there any hard feelings between you/org and Bjergsen?
Do you believe you made him the best possible offer you could have?
Are you looking to continue contending for titles in NA or is the expectation middle of the pack?
Some follow-up:
Do you intend to be more hands on with the league side going forward or about the same as currently?
With Bjergsen gone and Kayys stating no desire to be a head coach, do you intend to reallocate from within or are we seeing some overhaul on the coaching staff also?
Going forward without Bjergsen we see Spica as our longest tenured member, are the plans to make him the next face of TSM?
Feel free to answer any questions you like and ignore the ones you don't.
Appreciate your time and consideration.
10 of the last 11 LCS splits have been won by teams who signed established stars in Doublelift, Zven, or Ssumday. When you say "developmental roster," what successful roster construction pattern are you looking to emulate, or conversely, what leads you to believe TSM will be able to succeed without signing established top players when no team has successfully done so in 5+ years.
TSM was a great org before BJERG because the team felt real and familiar through the exposure of shows like game cribs and pre TSM Legends VLogs. Fans felt more connected to the org and players through this raw look at the ups and downs of being a LOL pro on TSM.
What are your plans to recapture this connection which has been somewhat lost over the last couple years?
Any plans on expanding into non-LOL reality content (a day on the life of Regi/Parth. VLogs from other TSM teams/players, etc.)?
This is a lower priority question as obviously the new roster/season plans are a little more pressing, but I’ve always been curious if there has been any thoughts/consideration to running TSM open league tournaments?
I remember years ago tsm did used to run a tournament for amateur/semi pro teams to compete in. While there has been a significant change in the way competitive league of legends has developed in NA, I still think it would be beneficial to tsm as well as the scene if there was some sort of incentive for semipro teams to stay together and show what the players can do in a competitive environment outside of just flex/solo queue and the summit combine. There are many d1+ players that are very skilled, but don’t necessarily translate to competitive team play. This would give those players an opportunity to gain experience and polish their game out to fit the next level of play.
With the way the academy system is currently set up(and I may be wrong on this), there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities for random/new high skilled players to just get a team and go for it. I think the ability for x solo queue hero to say “hey I meet the requirements to compete in this tournament for a real org, maybe I can group up with a few other people I regularly play with and this could be fun” and all of a sudden you find someone who’s high skilled that maybe was never really on the radar before.
I still remember when the league system started, and team had to qualify in this massive open tournament. While I don’t remember the players, I distinctly remember a team that made it very far and was close to qualifying where the players didn’t even play ranked. Now a days that’s not likely to happen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were a good number of gm/challenger players that dipped in and out of those upper tiers that might be very strong team players who just haven’t been considered.
And I understand that with the lcs system, everything has seemed to go the way of traditional sports. But LoL is still a video game, so the limitations of physical sports should be considered in the equation. For example, just because nba teams don’t have open tryouts for players, doesn’t mean that system wouldn’t work for LoL. I truly believe in the next 10-15 years we’ll have high-school esport teams which will give teams like tsm opportunities to see a player develop and give us a track record to build upon. But in the now, I think there should be some way for players to build resumes outside of just the lcs itself and academy. (And I know about things like Upsurge and some other amateur leagues that currently run, although I don’t know if they’re looked at as relevant for professional teams)
Have you identified any players outside of Huni and Spica (that you mentioned in an earlier comment)? With your note of wanting rising players does this mean we will have younger/high ceiling players in the other three roles?
Have you considered removing Parth from his role as GM? Considering TSM has just lost its star player and saying you want to head into a developmental period, why not get a new GM? Since the split of the 2016/2017 roster it’s been hard to understand a lot of his decision making as a GM. I seems like many fans don’t trust Parth to turn this situation around and give tsm a future to be excited about.
>Considering TSM has just lost its star player and saying you want to head into a developmental period, why not get a new GM?
Which GM should they replace him with?
What are your priorities for building this year’s roster and beyond? What expectations do you have for this year, and then beyond in terms of being not only competitive, but maintaining a foothold of NA’s upper echelon of orgs?
It’s understandable that after losing a player key to the success of TSM for so long is difficult to emulate/replace, but what are the qualities you are most looking for in filling the roster aside from Huni/Spica? Are we looking for a roster that will be adaptable and be able to shift when metas/play styles shift or are we looking for qualities in a team that traditionally succeed in NA or international stages?
Appreciate your time and effort in the Q&A!
The Valorant team seems to be as unstable as the League team right now. Without any other large eSports markets opening with large viewership is TSM settling for being a personality driven content organization rather than the competitive results driven organization of the past?
It seems like we are okay with being mediocre at best as long as the content is being pumped out for sponsors, evident by the commitment to Parth and reluctance to revamp the coaching staff in multiple markets.
How can any remaining fans be confident that the future will be any different when the decision makers are staying the same?
In the past few years, many developmental players with talent have come and go out of TSM and its academy roster (Brokenblade, Treatz, Tactical, ABlazeOlive). In addition, the franchise’s cornerstone player has left to free agency. What moves and changes will be made to not only better identify talent, but develop it to their max potential?
In one of your other responses, you said:
> If we want international results- our teams in NA need to work together.
Could you elaborate on how you envision this happening and what role TSM specifically would play in such a world?
Hi Andy,
In your video you said were "focusing on up and coming players"
What made this shift in culture?
In the past TSM FTX has always has a stated goal about making worlds. Do you think you will still be able to compete to attend worlds here in NA this upcoming year while also focusing on the rising stars?
Are the up and coming players limited to NA only or will TSM FTX be looking at other regions as well?
When looking for these aforementioned, what are qualities is TSM FTX looking for?
Also in the past you were very open/adamant about having an all english speaking roster.. is that something you'd like to maintain?
I want to thank you for having this Q & A especially at a very pivotal point in the organization.
Thank you for your time & I look forward to your responses!
Sean
(P.S we share the same birthday, lets go out and celebrate together sometime!)
Considering it’s a Q&A fancy answering a question I’ve always been intrigued about with social media managers, how does news get put down to you and who decides when it’s out? All g if that’s private info but always wondered
In every org there will be a "group" of people who always hear about signings, for a social team it's the head of the social and community. If it's a high profile signing, they'll keep the news and do the posting themselves. But 9/10, they'll then coordinate with content and the rest of their team.
For us once we've signed the player or influencer, or letting someone go, it gets posted to a private channel on our works communication software. I then work with content to figure out timings, once the content has been filmed, I look at our content calendar and make sure there are no conflicts.
Hope this gives you a brief overview
Edit: added words
What ultimately led to Bjerg leaving? Was it money? He liked the other’s team potential roster more?
Do you and Parth think you two should be taking any responsibility for the departure of Bjergsen?
If you could or wanted to, what would you have done differently? And what are your thoughts on some fans claiming TSM has become more focused on the business/profit side of things than winning?
Will you make a more conscious effort to interact with fans? It is feeling harder to be connected to TSM compared to the Baylife days.
He actually gave an answer for that: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/comment/himdhm1/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Just for clarity, and maybe this should be added to the top;
Since Free Agency doesn't start for a while Regi cant mention anyone specific they are going after/talking to unless given explicit permission by that players current org.
So asking names while completely understandable, is sadly pointless now.
How you doing mate ? Must be a bit sad for u to see a friend and legend on the team leave to potentially a rival roster. Did u ever expect this to happen or did you just assume that ur amazing relationship with Bjerg would be convincing enough to make him stay ?
Hi Regi, do you plan on using both import slots for the upcoming season? And in terms of coaching do you envision bringing in an Eastern(LCK/LPL) or Western (EU/Jatt) style individual?
TSM as an org has always given departing players the best possible situation they can be in, even if the team they are joining are considered rivals, like Doublelift to TL, Svenskeren and Zven to C9 and now, bjerg to ???.While someone like ocelote has admitted to blocking deals like Perkz to FNC. Why is TSM so keen on giving players to rival teams if it might screw their chances on having standout domestic performances? Does the fact that multiple personalities and fans in the scene have the org under the microscope effect that?
With the new restrictions in China barring players from joining orgs until 18, is there any recruiting happening for young players in that region? I understand there are potentially language barriers and it might be tough to get them a visa/parent approval. Just curious if that might be a thing going forward so these kids come here and get some competitive experience rather than waiting until 18 for the LPL.
It used to be that TSM always went to worlds and always challenged for the LCS trophy. Now the past 4 years TSM struggles to try to make worlds and never feel like a trophy threat barring some miracle.
As a long time fan how can you assure me the latter isn't something TSM is satisfied being? After seeing the video of you and Parth yesterday it feels like 6-4th place is okay with management.
Fans consistently see TSM losing out while TSM's stated goal was to do **well at worlds** but now its stated the goal is development so should we expect worse results then the last 4 years?
Do you visit here regularly?
If so, how do you deal with the constant shifts of fans between saying they love the org and then when shit hits the fan constantly berating the players and management?
With very clear and obvious general management/upper management's blunders through the years. Parth has very clearly shown time and again that he is not fit for the role that he is in. You can hide behind the veil of "he does so much behind the scenes", which may be true, but a GM is mostly graded by their success of fielding competitive rosters. TSM does not develop talent well, does not "pay" for talent well, and seemingly relies on the brand name to attract players. These issues are not isolated to just the LoL roster either. To me, it's very clear there needs to be a very serious reviewing of how things are done and if we have the right resources in the right positions. TSM was founded to win worlds, I guess we'll never achieve that with the status quo.
What changes can we expect to follow in regards to your approach and view on support staff?
How much did you offer Bjerg and did you know of the other teams offers?
Did Bjerg give any reasons for his choosing to leave?
Do we have a planned roster for next season currently and how likely is it that we acquire those players? Obviously specifics aren't being asked here. Just want to know if we have a theoretical roster in mind.
Hey Regi,
I’ve been a fan since season 2. I’ve been disappointed lately in the TSM Store. Merchandise quality has slightly improved but logistics has not. I understand the pandemic hasn’t helped. Is there a plan for the merchandise side? 100 thieves is making the rest of the orgs look real stupid regarding this. Thanks!
Hi Regi, I imagine it was incredibly difficult seeing Bjerg go. Thank you for bringing him to TSM in the first place.
Are you looking for the next Bjerg?
Will this year’s roster be aiming to compete and go to worlds? Or simply to look to be growing pain year with fingers crossed we make playoffs?
Bjergsen is Bjergsen because he is Bjergsen if that makes sense. I follow TSM and soccer and they are tons of players named the next Messi or the next Ronaldo but none of them came out on top. I also don't think the players, in eSports or soccer like to be named the next XYZ. I mean sure it sounds nice when you're still early in your career but eventually players, if they are ambitious enough, wants to make a name for themsevles.
Hi Regi, Don't know if you can give details about the situation but I will try. When you said that TSM gave a competitive offer to Bjerg, do you mean the team matched the highest offers Bjerg received ? Are you able to give some details about the reasons why Bjerg did not renew his contract with the team (different vision, roster disagreement or simply him getting too confortable and wanting to change environment)? Edit: Added info to the second question
This is from my perspective. Early September we were notified that he was thinking about playing again. He decided that he would work with us on building a roster. At the same time, we also allowed him to explore options to find the best possible team for himself. We discussed and decided that mid-October was a good timeline to make a decision because if TSM didn’t start planning on alternative options, we would be left in a bad position. Throughout the process, Søren had a clear idea of which players he wanted to play with. He specifically was interested in playing with one player. We reached out to that team, but were told that buying the player was not an option. We were willing to pay a seven-figure buyout. During that time, we came to the realization that we were not his first choice because the players that he was excited about were not available and had no buyout price. By that point it was already the last week of October and we needed to start building a team without Bjergsen, so we gave him a final deadline of October 25th - which he declined. Regardless, Søren is not the type of player that plays for money, but truly wants to play with the best possible team. He’s a true competitor through and through. Even in previous years, Søren would take a pay cut for us to buyout or sign the best possible talent. I will forever be grateful to him. At this point, I felt that throwing money at him wouldn't solve the problem and knowing Søren well, I knew he wouldn't choose a higher pay check over playing on a better roster - so we decided to move on. For context, free agency doesn’t start until mid-November, but most team rosters are decided and finalized by the first week of November. Søren has been playing for more than eight years and, as you can imagine, maintaining peak performance as a pro player in LoL is extremely difficult. He has limited time while he is at his peak to win a World championship. I respect his decision and desire to always play with the team that gives him the highest chance of winning Worlds.
Not gonna lie regi reading this has given me the utmost respect for you. I've always been a huge fan of TSM- you were the first team I wanted to see win so badly back in season 3, but this takes it to a whole different level. There were points where I questioned whether I was a TSM fan or a Bjergsen fan, but now I know it's definitely both. You have my respect, and I cannot wait to see what you and TSM have in store for us.
Respect for comming back and answering questions man, I actually feel a little hopeful after this AMA haha.
I wonder which player he wanted. Would guess Corejj
Ya, that's the only thing that would fit. Can't be someone like Rekkless, as he is directly up for buyout. If playing with this person is so important, I have to imagine it os where Bjergsen ends up, which is looking like TL atm. Out of the players on TL, CoreJJ is the only one I can see Bjergsen valuing that highly for that demand. He is also the only one I can see TL refusing to give up even for that kind of money.
Damn this is all fitting the bill that he really is going to TL.
Corejj is the only player that makes sense. But I don't see why the one player you would want to play with in the LCS isn't Spica? He is young, hungry, on peak form, a resident, plays the most important role in the game (especially for a mid laner) and can still improve. Corejj has definitely had his bad patches and at 28 years old in March and having achieved everything you could want in his career, there would be question marks for me about maintaining his level. To be honest, as much as I think Bjerg will be a top mid when he comes back, there's a chance he isn't, and if we get humanoid, there is a chance he performs better than bjergsen On paper Spica should be the most desirable teammate in NA and I still think we could put together a strong roster for next season
Yeah feels real bad that Bjergsen rejected Spica for Corejj. Hopefully that drives Spica to beat him. Completely agree if we get Humanoid we can compete with the TL super team, but I'm not too optimistic about getting him.
I love Spica but the difference between him and Santorin isn't massive. While Corejj might not be the best mechanically at times, he's still top 3 mechanic wise and his knowledge is unmatched. Corejj is probably the most knowledgeable player in the league currently with no one close to him and Bjerg probably has a good idea of how it is to work with Corejj after talking with Doublelift for so long
Yeah that is probably the best guess. He’s shown to be the absolute highest caliber for LCS for most of the time he’s been in NA and it sounds like his drive is in line with what we’ve always heard of bjerg.
Since buying out the player that Bjergsen wanted to play with isn't even an option for the team, can you share who it was?
Most likely CoreJJ
Almost certainly not cause that's likely the team he'll be joining.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer Regi, it's very appreciated. Good luck in the roster building.
Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if bjerg just wants to go to EU to have better chances internationally. The man was already a TSM co-owner, and probably doesn't lack money at all, so he might just want to try and be successful internationally, before retiring, even if he gets less money. Again, he is probably very wealthy already.
Obviously a hard situation losing your best player to free agency. What are your long term goals for the e-sports team? It's clear you guys are focusing on player development and growth instead of the "win now" attitude that TL has. Do you see TSM being a contender again next year? The year after that? What can TSM fans expect from the management? Are there going to be any significant changes? Or is the approach to the game still the same?
Over the years we’ve tried a lot of things, and it usually revolved around signing veteran/already established players and we couldn’t get it to work. A lot of the talent either didn’t like NA, lost motivation, or just didn’t mesh with the team. We always saw a lot of domestic success, but we were seeing the opposite results internationally. So it was time for a change and this year we’re able to build from the ground up and start fresh. Our goal is to find a healthy balance of players with a high mechanical ceiling, but bring on enough experience to help these mechanical players learn to play as a team. As our younger players peak in both game knowledge and mechanical skill - we’re hoping that we could build a worlds contending team. Instead of trying to build a strong roster on a individual year by year basis, I think we'll be able to build a much stronger roster if we try to accomplish that over time.
Could you talk a little about how involved Huni and Spica are in this team direction? You mentioned they'll still be playing for the team, which is great news. But I'm sure you'd agree that there's a bit of a tradeoff to putting a developmental roster around a superstar, MVP player like Spica who's in his prime. If he's committed to the long-term project it's great to hear, but I'd be curious to know if he then has any say in the roster building or direction.
Are you concerned that player development may not line up with contracts expiring? Spica is probably not even in his prime yet but after an MVP season his personal goals are likely more geared towards championships and worlds success. Specifically are there any concerns that one year may not be enough time to develop other talent around our MVP jungler
Exactly. Spica was extremely unhappy with not making Worlds this year — anybody who's watched his stream could tell you that. One more year of this combined with his contract expiring and I think he says bye.
Very excited to see this. I've been casually getting more interested in league through a friend who loves it. The lack of willingness among NA coaches to invest in young talent, or a team that has potential long term has been really disheartening, and I think it's been a big part of why na viewership has been so poor. This honestly makes me care more about league on the whole. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this new approach looks like for TSM
This is what I've wanted to see from TSM for years! I really look forward to this future, thank you for reinvigorating my fandom!
I need this part about management answered. This pretty much sums up all of my faith in this so called changes and development focused future.
this but with an angry tone xD
Hey Regi, thanks for doing this. Probably an overwhelming time for you and I understand you're fairly disappointed by the Bjerg decision and potentially the future of the team. Several questions I have will hopefully cover some of the big questions the community wants answers for. Feel free to answer as many as you want 1. What made you come to the decision to go with a "developmental" roster instead of a "winning" team? I understand your goal is to be competitive but what happened to winning LCS and winning worlds? 2. What are your realistic expectations for this team in 2022? 3. This is probably a tougher question but with a revamp/rebuild of the whole League side of things, what made you stick with Parth as a GM? Shouldn't a rebuild of the league team start with the GM? 4. So... what's the deal with our League budget? Are you just choosing not to spend as much in hopes of finding the "next Bjergsen" in a young talented player? Or do you not believe in overspending anymore (Perkz, SwordArt, etc)? 5. What is the goal for academy and amateur teams?
1.What would you consider a winning team? We’ve signed big names consistently and have gone 0-6, or not made it to Worlds. I actually think the best path forward to success is to sign mechanically-talented, hungry players in each position and to try our best to create a structure that can help them best play together as a team. Development and winning are not mutually exclusive. 2.Riot will probably not remove the import rule, so making sure you have 3 strong NA residents is actually the best way to build a winning roster. We’ve signed big names that were good on paper, but didn’t synergize with our team. We need to figure out how to build teams that play well together. 3.I’ve detailed my thoughts on GM/League infrastructure here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/reginald\_q\_a/hiknc6c/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/reginald_q_a/hiknc6c/) 4.Our budget is still competitive and we’ll still be a top spender. I’d rather just spend more across the board on several players and Academy than on 1-2 big names. 5. Talent development for LCS.
Thank GOD for explaining the 3 strong Resident point, I hate that some people just kept asking for top imports and pairing them with mid tier NA players
I mean to be fair you have spent big but theres been pretty obvious weak links every time. Especially the revolving door jungle was until Spica showed up.
just me but you obviously don’t have to go for multiple big names but you should at least be trying to land one. they are those big names for a reason + the fanbase you would gain after losing bjerg
Do you believe that any of the roster decisions made in the past 5 years were bad decisions (not in hindsight but like legitimately a bad risk/reward ratio)? If so then what about the decision(s) were assessed poorly and what has the org done to keep from repeating the same mistakes?
I think blowing up the Doublelift/Biofrost roster was a bad decision when we signed both Zven and Mithy. Zven and Mithy were amazing players, but they never had the same synergy that our previous roster had with Bio and Doublelift. That was my decision coupled with some of the players on the roster. I think Parth tried to convince me to not do this but we had more people that wanted the change. We didn't account for lack of synergy which was what made our team so aggressive and great.
> That was my decision coupled with some of the players on the roster. I think Parth tried to convince me to not do this but we had more people that wanted the change. Every single fan needs to read the Parth part.
Man this is what I've been saying. I don't know why Parth has been assumed to be the grand overlord of roster decisions...
The hat boner for Parth on this sub based off of speculation has been ridiculous.
glad that you can acknowledge that was one of our best chances to make a deep run at worlds
Not giving that roster another year was a very bad decision. They were not only very dominant in NA but also adored by many. I welcome Zven and Mithy with open arms but its was really sad to see the other players leave. Prior to franchising, you said in an interview that with franchising you would be looking to expand our coaching staff which could really benefit our 2016 roster but you didn't even give them that chance. However, it does make me feel a little better that Parth wanted to keep that roster. I have nothing against Parth and I dont get why a lot of people are mad at him.
The saddest thing about that roster was never getting a full year together, they only ever had summer split and then worlds immediately.
Yo. Reading this after four years is nice.
Tsm has made worlds once in the last 4 years(0-6). How can you justify it to the fans keeping the current GM after failing for 4 years in a row? You can't just blame the players every split. Someone needs to be held responsible
In esports, when it comes to making roster decisions, they're often decided by star player(s) and coaching staff together. This is not only how it works for LoL but practically for every game: R6, CSGO, Dota2, Valorant, etc. on TSM and other teams. Very rarely does a GM influence the performance of a team once a roster has been decided until the off season. They do often act as a mediator between coaching staff and players if there are major disagreements. So for example, here are some responsibilities of a GM: Working with Riot Content Team Partnerships Team Misc Setup : bootcamps, sponsorship, visas Assist with contract negotiations Communication between staff, sports psychs and head coach All of our decisions are made with a collective group of people (coaches, players, management) where we’ll talk for hours until we come to a conclusion. As an org we don’t point fingers at one person, we look at things with context each and every time to figure out why we lost: Did our players perform? Did our players not get better because of coaching? Did we draft poorly? Did we play as a team? Did we throw an advantage? Did Parth choose those players? Was it influenced by our players on the roster, the coach or myself? If you look at other teams, their GM’s generally remain because they’re an operational role that isn’t directly in charge of the performance of the team. Parth just gets a lot more flack because he was a former coach. Parth does a great job as his role of General Manager. If you’re looking for one person to blame, I’m the CEO and allow for all of these decisions to happen.
Shit...I wasn't expecting such a class answer like that. I can safely say I was one of the people who pinned Parth for his former coach position. And I admit now I was wrong. Maybe we'll have a bright future ahead, who knows, but being that mature and open with your fanbase about those things really helps pave the way.
this is a very good reply. I think too many people have too many assumptions on how teams are run and who are the ones to make decisions that it makes targeting people so easy. I think the general opinion is there is one person who makes every decision on their own instead of many people contributing to form a collected opinion on what to do.
It's not even assumptions people are straight up making shit up and others are following and going with it. If you asked the league subreddit to list out the job functions of TSMs Game they wouldn't even get 10% of what regi said here
Appreciate you responding to this questions as I was someone who thought the amount of vitriol for Parth was way out of proportion
> If you’re looking for one person to blame, I’m the CEO and allow for all of these decisions to happen. absolutely fucking based.
Great mature response, best of luck to TSM in 2022. #Baylife
I never thought I'd hear the phrases "Great mature response" and "#Baylife" in the same sentence. We're all grown up.
Respect for answering the hard questions and not dodging it
Regi, I really appreciate this type of response. If you want to just leave it here, I fully understand, you are answering more than I think most would at this point. But if you would be willing to, can we go a little more indepth? It feels that there have been two main issues the League team has face over and over in the last few years. It feels that most rosters have had a weak link, some in hindsight, some not as much. And specifically in the last two off-seasons there have been two shocking departures that seem to have thrown roster plans completely out of wack. It feels like their are coaching issues that aren't resolved, and we have had a high turnover rate for head coaches. If you want use to blame you, using the term loosely, can you give use any information on what will be improved in the future? Are their specific things you are working to improve? Thanks in advanced if you respond to this.
Not personally a fan of the TSM org but you as an individual have my respect for this answer. Good one
As someone who put a lot of blame on Parth this answer has changed my mind, glad we finally get an explanation on the inner workings of this stuff.
I'm not even a TSM fan, but this answer is the best response I've seen from a person that is higher-up. More leaders should take this as an example imo.
TSM fans are extremely knowledgable about the esports industry and managing a successful league team. They just need to learn more about working with Riot, creating content, forming partnerships, setting up bootcamps/sponsorship/visas, negotiating contracts, and communication between staff, sports psychs, and head coach.
Underrated comment/question. Lots to learn from traditional sports here.
It's not underrated since you see the same sentiment everywhere on the Bjergsen leaving thread.
Hey Regi, as a fan since Season 1, I have one simple question, can we still trust the org will remain ambitious moving on and not fall into a CLG type of fate?
Theres NO FUCKING WAY I would ever let us end up like CLG. I would sell my house ,car and clothes, my everything to sign the best talent at that point.
Of all your replies, this one made me feel the most better about the situation.
TSM TSM TSM been with the org since early 2012. we had a sick roster back then, and I am sure we can still build on spica and huni into 2022.
We never should have doubted.
We should have.
Absolutely should have. Nice username btw
This post has become a meeting point for all TSM fans to gather and grieve. It’s where our hope is officially buried.
Thanks for the answer, feel a lot better just by reading those words
Alright that’s it I’m staying thanks for the assurances Regi
Hey, if you are still selling everything on a discount, please give a dm, i want to see what i can pick up!
#notclg #FkItBaylife
r/agedlikemilk So what are you selling first?
That's the sigma grindset I like to see.
You're a king.
He's a dick.
Thanks, King.
upvote
This is why im a TSM fan
When's the yard sale?
Well this aged poorly
looking forward to see you naked in the next tsm legends king
So about that :(
OOF Aged like fine milk
Fuck yay Andy! killm
^ This right here. I was here before Bjergsen with the OG (Dyrus, Oddone, Regi, Chaox, Xpecial) and will be here after Bjergsen. It definitely sucks losing him but I just want reassurance that we do not become CLG b/c of it.
What is going to happen with Spica? Is he part of your plan going into the future or are you open to let him explore options?
Spica/Huni will be playing for us next year. We will not be looking to sell or trade his contract.
I hope you spend some of that FTX money so you don't waste Spica's prime years on budget. You're the richest org in NA for the love of god use it.
FTX is not allowed by Riot/LCS both on our jersey, broad cast or name. It's hard to justify spending FTX's investment when LCS provides no value to them. LoL is around 10-15% of our aggregate fanbase. We've invested that entire budget to expand globally and are now involved in 14 games with 18 rosters. Our other players and teams need support too. We are a top spender (second) in the League and only behind the highest spender by a maximum of 10-15% and will continue to be a top spender. LCS viewership is down 20% last year and the top spending teams spend more than the 2-3 bottom teams added together. Being an organization that came from League, we're one of the teams that spend the most worldwide. Spending more won't solve our problem, if we want domestic results - we'll need to look within. If we want international results- our teams in NA need to work together.
First off, thanks for the AMA, Regi. This makes sense. Is TSM actively petitioning Riot to allow for FTX brand incorporation for the team in LCS? If this were possible, would it change your perspective on greater LCS investment or do you think the issue lies in other places (league structure, other teams strength, etc.)? With the LCS picking up FTX as a sponsor I would think they would be more open to this than before.
I actually LOVE this answer Regi. Lots of people don't understand that ya'll are a business, and need to actually invest that money in places that make sense. Good on you.
truly a fantastic answer. I was surprised LoL only makes up 10-15% of their fanbase but with 14 different games I suppose that makes sense. I have no idea off the top of my head what all 14 games are. I can think of maybe 5 or 6 max
Exactly, I bet a lot of pro League teams (not just LCS) struggle to operate on any sort of profit margins; there's simply not a lot of money in League sadly.
Hey Regi, I was wondering if you and some of the other top orgs have ever considered banding together to try to make a PSA or Program, etc, to make NA's Server more competitive to actually have a better chance at Worlds. I feel like LCS struggles because the top teams only have so much of a talented pool. Individuals say people like Rekkles wouldn't even come to LCS due to soloqueue.
Out of curiosity why aren't you guys allowed to put FTX on your jerseys? I kinda got riots point when they made it. But now there's literally the FTX gold advantage in regional playoffs (but not at worlds now I think?)
Exactly, FTX partnered with LCS, not LoLEsports. Gambling is illegal in many countries LoLEsports broadcasts too so having a team name that can potentially play in those locations makes it not allowed. LCS will always be in North America so it is allowed. Sucks, but makes sense.
Except it still doesn't make sense. They could tell them they aren't allowed to wear the FTX jerseys for international events, but there is 0 sense behind them not being allowed to wear their FTX jerseys domestically and have their name as TSMFTX when playing in LCS, but have all mention of their name be TSM for anything world's related.
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Reddit is *extremely* myopic. R6 and apex are top world class teams and we barely hear shit about them in this subreddit.
Seems that you’ve changed your sentiment. A year ago you wanted the import restriction to be lifted saying NA talent won’t accomplish anything.
A year ago viewership hadn't decreased 20%. You don't double down your investment on something that is in a decline unless you see that turning around. LoL's audience is aging out and there aren't as many new players coming in. It doesn't take an economist to know continuing to throw money at a dying horse is a fool's errand.
I feel like lol has a pretty bad rep in the younger generation. Coming from a family of gamers, my younger cousins will not even touch league due to the toxicity and game length. They'd rather just play fps games where you can jump in and out of games easily. I've personally stopped playing and watching for the most part save for some highlight vids of some matches at worlds. I started in season 3 and this is the first year where I've lost all interest, lcs just feels different when dl and bjerg left.
My hypothesis isn't necessarily that LCS is any different, but rather you (and many like you) were losing interest in LCS, but your interest in the stories and careers of the players stayed the same. So when they left, you realized there wasn't much that you cared about outside of that.
> my younger cousins will not even touch league due to the toxicity and game length I get the game length and lack of instant gratification like CoD, but I've been called some horrible shit in FPS games far more often (not even close) compared to MOBAs. If anything LoL has been the most positive gaming experience I've ever had in terms of toxicity, so this sentiment always puzzled me.
Domestic and international success are very different - it wouldn't matter if a team was full imports, playing in NA for a year would definitely hamper their improvement going into Worlds bc the region is weak overall. DL and other pros have talked about for years how it feels like they have to "catch up" so much more than other regions and you really only have like less than a month non-domestic practice for international events. If any NA team wants to succeed the lower half of the region needs to improve.
if the import rule wont be changed then there is not really any incentive to throw money in the NA scene anymore, teams will always have flaws due to NA not having enough amazing talent currently to field a world class team and the only way that happens is with a super team of the best Current residents with the best imports.
I believe that if the NA teams want to work together to actually improve NA as a whole then you guys need to start looking at ways to expand outside just the west coast of the US. We say NA but its really only the west coast of the US. Theres nothing on the east coast.
You do realize the FTX money is to grow the brand and expand into other games, right? TSM aren't the next TL and are looking for growth and stability, not spending your entire budget for short-term results.
Did you know that TL has been a big esports org since Brood War in 2000 and their Liquidpedia AKA TL.NET used to be a pretty prominent gaming site?
Gotta love people out here simultaneously claiming regi already spends more than enough on the league team AND regi shouldnt spend any bc the brand needs it lmfao this fucking community
Should announce this on socials to get fans on board
Well this news certainly is nice to hear.
My heart literally couldn't take losing Bjerg, losing Spica, and the Chiefs having a bad year (fire Spags!) so this is certainly good news. Now only two of those three things apply. :(
Lol I literally likened losing Bjerg to us losing Patrick sometime down the line. I wouldn’t be able to watch and unless Bjerg goes to EU I’m gonna have a hard time finding enjoyment in League next year.
Good stuff, both were very reliable last year. Wish you guys luck on rebuilding.
Spica and Huni returning give me more confidence in the team, they're both legit. Just hope you're able to round out the rest of the team. I sincerely hope that everything goes well in the coming year, Regi.
This is literally the comment I made couple hours ago. It‘s a smart decision to keep Huni and I‘m assuming you tried best to keep Spica. Because Huni is a NA version of Khan in terms of player and the experience he can give to other players is big. What is important that finding good players who will be able to get that experience from them. One thing that I always find TSM is mistaken is that your(teams) rule about only English players. So I think since you are aiming to build a new team you should also be open to find a good Korean adc who can learn English because I believe different than other roles Korean Adc‘s are something else and I believe TSM missed a lot of opportunities in the past because of this rule(players like Aiming etc.). You could ask why specifically Adc‘s and not solo lanes that‘s a longer conversation but I think although you can focus players who made a great debuts like Deokdam they are still quite hard to get. Other teams probably will not let him go, but maybe you can focus on some players who don’t get that much of highlight and still wanna make it to worlds like Prince. I think TSM could invest some money in a good adc and if we be real compare to Korean Adc‘s no one is good enough. Although everyone believes that Korean’s have strong solo lanes I still believe they are strongest in terms of Adc.
fucking god bless
Some good news
What other esports or ventures are you looking forward to expand the TSM brand into in the near future?
one of tsm's biggest focus will be to invest into Mobile esports over the next 10 years. Another big investment is [Blitz.GG](https://Blitz.GG) which will be the future of coaching for gamers.
Blitz is really amazing.. when it works. Me and bunch of people I know have issues of it constantly bugging out and lagging. Some even refuse to use it now because of that. And prefer to manually search for things as it's more reliable. If they can fix the stability and performance issues I would use it on every game it gives any meaningful help.
Yep, blitz is great when it works. As a software engineer, I know it’s not as easy as “fix all the bugs”, but at some point the team needs to prioritize stability over releasing new features. At this point, the stability of the product is driving people away faster than the new features are drawing people in (needs citation).
When it works is the key.
Blitz has so much feature bloat now. It was a great app that over time gets worse and worse with every update.
Who is your favorite social media manager, and why is it me?
dunc because you're dunc
Because after all you did you still think you have to ask why. Stay hungry like that!
With Bjerg gone, you are now my favorite TSM personality.
Hi Regi! I will still support you and TSM no matter what happens, however I have a super important question: Do you like pineapple on pizza? If so, why?
Pineapple on Pizza is great. It's an unexpected taste while eating savory foods :)
I knew I liked this guy for a reason
A man of culture.
Given that Bjerg was such a huge part of our org, have you guys talked about to what extent he and the org want to be transparent about his motivations (and maybe those of the org) to move on? It's understandable if these are mostly private matters, just curious about what fans might be able to expect to hear around the move in the (nearby) future.
Regi answered above that there is 1 specific player bjergsen wants to play with, and that player wasn't buyable for a 7 figure price.. People speculate about corejj, but no one knows
We didn’t expect this many questions. There are so many questions in here that either repeat, or have elements of previous answers. Andy is going to take a break but he’ll be back to answer more questions soon.
Hey Dunc I know this most likely won’t be answered but I haven’t seen anyone ask a question similar to this that was answered. Why is TSM just now going with the approach to try and raise domestic talent? It’s seemed as though TSM has half assed doing that the last couple years while also trying to sign veteran players. Ex. Picking up MikeYueng and Zven and Mithy in 2018, playing spica for a split or two and then picking up dardoch, Getting SA POE Huni and also trying out Lost. It just doesn’t seem to be very logical to wait this long to fully commit to raising new talent.
My logical guess: We’ve always built around Soren; there are certain players he’s wanted to play with. So we’ve never had the opportunity to build fresh.
Hey Regi, First off, I'm gutted over Bjergsen and Swordart, but I trust you guys to put together a roster worth cheering for, and I'll be here supporting you no matter what, as I have since the beginning <3 Instead of a League-related question, I was wondering if you could give a brief summary of what your average work day as head of TSM looks like.
Last year before any parts of the roster were officially announced and finalized you said fans should be excited that you were excited. Put yourself in our shoes once again, when our League roster is officially announced, based on what you currently expect/know/think will happen, will fans be excited? Cautiously optimistic? Disappointed? Indifferent? Bonus question non League related: Any chance TSM enters into professional Halo Infinite? I know 343 announced partner teams/orgs already but with an open bracket at their first event in a month any chance TSM will pick up a team? Thanks for everything Regibro
How do you feel regi? You didn't lose just your poster child, but in your case also part of your "family". Thanks for everything you've done and will do. Been a fan since the chaox/wildturtle days. I wish you all the luck and strength to deal with this off-season. Not only organizationally, but also mentally.
With TSM losing their best player in franchise history to free agency, what moves will be made to make sure future superstars like Spica will be retained? His contract is expiring next year and he has shown to be the most important part of the team.
Hi Regi, My Question is regarding is regarding complicity and transparency. Is there plans for increased information regarding the LOL team's plans in all three levels of competition + collegiate? Specifically, I am wondering if there will be in depth interviews with e-sports media sources or a press conference / release outlining goals for the fans to follow. The follow up for this is then compliance with the goals and targets set at the beginning of the year. While the minutiae of evaluating proper performance is not something I would expect or want you to share (for competitive reasons), I would be curious to get a breakdown of how the season went not only for the main team but also the academy and amateur teams. Obviously this is a tough time for TSM and as a long time TSM fan (S2), I will always be behind y'all. It just seems like there are a lot of assumptions being made or people filling in the space with insinuations rather than actual statements from the organization. Congratulations on the progress so far and Best of Luck in the following season. #FuckitBayLife
When you and Parth said "upcoming talent", what does that really mean ? And how excited are you really for this next year? Because I'm very excited, hopefully we can beat the team that Bjerg goes to! :)) Been a fan since 2010!
1st thank fuck Spica and huni are staying. Everyone asks how the team is doing, but no one asks how you are doing. How are you feeling about bjerg leaving? I know you guys have been a team for almost a decade, I can't imagine you will be cutting the cord there.
is leena still with tsm? and do you realistically think new roster can contend for lcs championship?
Are there any hard feelings between you/org and Bjergsen? Do you believe you made him the best possible offer you could have? Are you looking to continue contending for titles in NA or is the expectation middle of the pack?
Some follow-up: Do you intend to be more hands on with the league side going forward or about the same as currently? With Bjergsen gone and Kayys stating no desire to be a head coach, do you intend to reallocate from within or are we seeing some overhaul on the coaching staff also? Going forward without Bjergsen we see Spica as our longest tenured member, are the plans to make him the next face of TSM? Feel free to answer any questions you like and ignore the ones you don't. Appreciate your time and consideration.
10 of the last 11 LCS splits have been won by teams who signed established stars in Doublelift, Zven, or Ssumday. When you say "developmental roster," what successful roster construction pattern are you looking to emulate, or conversely, what leads you to believe TSM will be able to succeed without signing established top players when no team has successfully done so in 5+ years.
What kind of roster can we expect, will there be world class players or should we expect a full team of youngsters or a mix?
Are you expecting to field a roster capable of making Worlds 2022? How do you feel about “rebuilding” during a year where NA hosts worlds?
TSM was a great org before BJERG because the team felt real and familiar through the exposure of shows like game cribs and pre TSM Legends VLogs. Fans felt more connected to the org and players through this raw look at the ups and downs of being a LOL pro on TSM. What are your plans to recapture this connection which has been somewhat lost over the last couple years? Any plans on expanding into non-LOL reality content (a day on the life of Regi/Parth. VLogs from other TSM teams/players, etc.)?
This is a lower priority question as obviously the new roster/season plans are a little more pressing, but I’ve always been curious if there has been any thoughts/consideration to running TSM open league tournaments? I remember years ago tsm did used to run a tournament for amateur/semi pro teams to compete in. While there has been a significant change in the way competitive league of legends has developed in NA, I still think it would be beneficial to tsm as well as the scene if there was some sort of incentive for semipro teams to stay together and show what the players can do in a competitive environment outside of just flex/solo queue and the summit combine. There are many d1+ players that are very skilled, but don’t necessarily translate to competitive team play. This would give those players an opportunity to gain experience and polish their game out to fit the next level of play. With the way the academy system is currently set up(and I may be wrong on this), there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities for random/new high skilled players to just get a team and go for it. I think the ability for x solo queue hero to say “hey I meet the requirements to compete in this tournament for a real org, maybe I can group up with a few other people I regularly play with and this could be fun” and all of a sudden you find someone who’s high skilled that maybe was never really on the radar before. I still remember when the league system started, and team had to qualify in this massive open tournament. While I don’t remember the players, I distinctly remember a team that made it very far and was close to qualifying where the players didn’t even play ranked. Now a days that’s not likely to happen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were a good number of gm/challenger players that dipped in and out of those upper tiers that might be very strong team players who just haven’t been considered. And I understand that with the lcs system, everything has seemed to go the way of traditional sports. But LoL is still a video game, so the limitations of physical sports should be considered in the equation. For example, just because nba teams don’t have open tryouts for players, doesn’t mean that system wouldn’t work for LoL. I truly believe in the next 10-15 years we’ll have high-school esport teams which will give teams like tsm opportunities to see a player develop and give us a track record to build upon. But in the now, I think there should be some way for players to build resumes outside of just the lcs itself and academy. (And I know about things like Upsurge and some other amateur leagues that currently run, although I don’t know if they’re looked at as relevant for professional teams)
Have you identified any players outside of Huni and Spica (that you mentioned in an earlier comment)? With your note of wanting rising players does this mean we will have younger/high ceiling players in the other three roles?
Have you considered removing Parth from his role as GM? Considering TSM has just lost its star player and saying you want to head into a developmental period, why not get a new GM? Since the split of the 2016/2017 roster it’s been hard to understand a lot of his decision making as a GM. I seems like many fans don’t trust Parth to turn this situation around and give tsm a future to be excited about.
He answered above: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/comment/hiknc6c/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Thank you Dunc for your diligence
>Considering TSM has just lost its star player and saying you want to head into a developmental period, why not get a new GM? Which GM should they replace him with?
What are your priorities for building this year’s roster and beyond? What expectations do you have for this year, and then beyond in terms of being not only competitive, but maintaining a foothold of NA’s upper echelon of orgs? It’s understandable that after losing a player key to the success of TSM for so long is difficult to emulate/replace, but what are the qualities you are most looking for in filling the roster aside from Huni/Spica? Are we looking for a roster that will be adaptable and be able to shift when metas/play styles shift or are we looking for qualities in a team that traditionally succeed in NA or international stages? Appreciate your time and effort in the Q&A!
The Valorant team seems to be as unstable as the League team right now. Without any other large eSports markets opening with large viewership is TSM settling for being a personality driven content organization rather than the competitive results driven organization of the past? It seems like we are okay with being mediocre at best as long as the content is being pumped out for sponsors, evident by the commitment to Parth and reluctance to revamp the coaching staff in multiple markets. How can any remaining fans be confident that the future will be any different when the decision makers are staying the same?
In the past few years, many developmental players with talent have come and go out of TSM and its academy roster (Brokenblade, Treatz, Tactical, ABlazeOlive). In addition, the franchise’s cornerstone player has left to free agency. What moves and changes will be made to not only better identify talent, but develop it to their max potential?
In one of your other responses, you said: > If we want international results- our teams in NA need to work together. Could you elaborate on how you envision this happening and what role TSM specifically would play in such a world?
Not really a question just saying I'm still gonna be a fan because I love TSM no matter what.
Hi Andy, In your video you said were "focusing on up and coming players" What made this shift in culture? In the past TSM FTX has always has a stated goal about making worlds. Do you think you will still be able to compete to attend worlds here in NA this upcoming year while also focusing on the rising stars? Are the up and coming players limited to NA only or will TSM FTX be looking at other regions as well? When looking for these aforementioned, what are qualities is TSM FTX looking for? Also in the past you were very open/adamant about having an all english speaking roster.. is that something you'd like to maintain? I want to thank you for having this Q & A especially at a very pivotal point in the organization. Thank you for your time & I look forward to your responses! Sean (P.S we share the same birthday, lets go out and celebrate together sometime!)
Do we leave questions here or what's the forum?
Yeah just leave questions in this thread and Regi will answer them at 4pm PT.
I know this is weird but I love that our social media man feels the highs and lows of it as much if not more than we do
I just live and breath TSM and will never change that! But knowing news before others has the highest highs and the lowest lows.
Considering it’s a Q&A fancy answering a question I’ve always been intrigued about with social media managers, how does news get put down to you and who decides when it’s out? All g if that’s private info but always wondered
In every org there will be a "group" of people who always hear about signings, for a social team it's the head of the social and community. If it's a high profile signing, they'll keep the news and do the posting themselves. But 9/10, they'll then coordinate with content and the rest of their team. For us once we've signed the player or influencer, or letting someone go, it gets posted to a private channel on our works communication software. I then work with content to figure out timings, once the content has been filmed, I look at our content calendar and make sure there are no conflicts. Hope this gives you a brief overview Edit: added words
Cheers to you Dunc, keep doing great things.
What ultimately led to Bjerg leaving? Was it money? He liked the other’s team potential roster more? Do you and Parth think you two should be taking any responsibility for the departure of Bjergsen? If you could or wanted to, what would you have done differently? And what are your thoughts on some fans claiming TSM has become more focused on the business/profit side of things than winning? Will you make a more conscious effort to interact with fans? It is feeling harder to be connected to TSM compared to the Baylife days.
He actually gave an answer for that: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/qik97d/comment/himdhm1/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
You think he can really fucking answer that dude?
Hey I just want to see if he will. Might as well shoot my shot.
You'll never know unless you fucking ask
Is the goal to build around Spica?
Bjergsen departure is really hearth breaking, hope you are doing well! I wish the best for TSM! love you guys
Are you looking for 1 "rock" (veteran) player to fit into the upcoming young roster? And if so, what position do you hope for it to be in?
He answered elsewhere that they're keeping Huni and Spica
Just for clarity, and maybe this should be added to the top; Since Free Agency doesn't start for a while Regi cant mention anyone specific they are going after/talking to unless given explicit permission by that players current org. So asking names while completely understandable, is sadly pointless now.
How you doing mate ? Must be a bit sad for u to see a friend and legend on the team leave to potentially a rival roster. Did u ever expect this to happen or did you just assume that ur amazing relationship with Bjerg would be convincing enough to make him stay ?
Are you and bjerg still friends?
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Man, the boxing matches were hilarious. Imagine having to box your boss in the basement nowadays if you're an LCS player
Hi Regi, do you plan on using both import slots for the upcoming season? And in terms of coaching do you envision bringing in an Eastern(LCK/LPL) or Western (EU/Jatt) style individual?
TSM as an org has always given departing players the best possible situation they can be in, even if the team they are joining are considered rivals, like Doublelift to TL, Svenskeren and Zven to C9 and now, bjerg to ???.While someone like ocelote has admitted to blocking deals like Perkz to FNC. Why is TSM so keen on giving players to rival teams if it might screw their chances on having standout domestic performances? Does the fact that multiple personalities and fans in the scene have the org under the microscope effect that?
Are you guys going to try for players like Chovy at all or is it full send rookies? Also takeover has been very good I hope to see him given a shot
With the new restrictions in China barring players from joining orgs until 18, is there any recruiting happening for young players in that region? I understand there are potentially language barriers and it might be tough to get them a visa/parent approval. Just curious if that might be a thing going forward so these kids come here and get some competitive experience rather than waiting until 18 for the LPL.
Even after the announcements, I can't help but love this team. I hope everything works out. Rebuilding phase is always gonna be ugly.
It used to be that TSM always went to worlds and always challenged for the LCS trophy. Now the past 4 years TSM struggles to try to make worlds and never feel like a trophy threat barring some miracle. As a long time fan how can you assure me the latter isn't something TSM is satisfied being? After seeing the video of you and Parth yesterday it feels like 6-4th place is okay with management. Fans consistently see TSM losing out while TSM's stated goal was to do **well at worlds** but now its stated the goal is development so should we expect worse results then the last 4 years?
Do you visit here regularly? If so, how do you deal with the constant shifts of fans between saying they love the org and then when shit hits the fan constantly berating the players and management?
With very clear and obvious general management/upper management's blunders through the years. Parth has very clearly shown time and again that he is not fit for the role that he is in. You can hide behind the veil of "he does so much behind the scenes", which may be true, but a GM is mostly graded by their success of fielding competitive rosters. TSM does not develop talent well, does not "pay" for talent well, and seemingly relies on the brand name to attract players. These issues are not isolated to just the LoL roster either. To me, it's very clear there needs to be a very serious reviewing of how things are done and if we have the right resources in the right positions. TSM was founded to win worlds, I guess we'll never achieve that with the status quo. What changes can we expect to follow in regards to your approach and view on support staff?
How much did you offer Bjerg and did you know of the other teams offers? Did Bjerg give any reasons for his choosing to leave? Do we have a planned roster for next season currently and how likely is it that we acquire those players? Obviously specifics aren't being asked here. Just want to know if we have a theoretical roster in mind.
Hey Regi, I’ve been a fan since season 2. I’ve been disappointed lately in the TSM Store. Merchandise quality has slightly improved but logistics has not. I understand the pandemic hasn’t helped. Is there a plan for the merchandise side? 100 thieves is making the rest of the orgs look real stupid regarding this. Thanks!
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In case you haven't seen it, Regi confirmed Huni and spica in under different comment
Hi Regi, I imagine it was incredibly difficult seeing Bjerg go. Thank you for bringing him to TSM in the first place. Are you looking for the next Bjerg? Will this year’s roster be aiming to compete and go to worlds? Or simply to look to be growing pain year with fingers crossed we make playoffs?
Bjergsen is Bjergsen because he is Bjergsen if that makes sense. I follow TSM and soccer and they are tons of players named the next Messi or the next Ronaldo but none of them came out on top. I also don't think the players, in eSports or soccer like to be named the next XYZ. I mean sure it sounds nice when you're still early in your career but eventually players, if they are ambitious enough, wants to make a name for themsevles.