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PAX North American Regional Finals: TSM vs Dignitas

League of Legends

Phill’s been swept aboard the giddy freight train of the Dota Internationals all this weekend, while we last left LoL eSports in the doldrums of the post-MLG Summer Championship collusion comedown, the disqualification crime for which neither team involved has yet apologised.

But if Curse and Dignitas are feeling the disappointment of a nascent sport weighing on their skinny shoulders, it hasn’t shown in the North American Regionals at PAX, where both teams were in attendance. More than in attendance, in fact.

At the conclusion of PAX’s fourth day, TSM, CLG and a defiant Dignitas have each earned their place in the World Championship.

Curse were forced out of the top three by CLG, who capitalised on a tactical mistake with a ruthless counterattack in their second game.

Dignitas’ confidence, meanwhile, didn’t translate to dominance over TSM in the finals. Mid-game teamfight wins meant TSM had secured a Baron kill 22 minutes in – the earliest of the tournament – and despite a strong Nexus defence from Dignitas, teamfights continued to go TSM’s way, leading to the game’s end at 39 minutes.

In Game 2, Dignitas attempted to launch their secret poke comp strategy used in the semi-finals, but this too was scuppered by forced teamfights, leading to a systematic objective rollover from TSM that earned them the title.

Riot Games have praised TSM’s ChaoX on their blog, who “stands out as not only the most consistently outstanding player, but one who exhibits some of the world’s best intuitive positioning”.

“Repeatedly being in the right place at the right time not only allowed his own teammates to set him up for devastating kills, but forced TSM’s opponents to adjust or abandon their strategies in the face of his crushing DPS.”

TSM ChaoX’s performances earned him the Regionals’ Most Valuable Player award from Riot.