TL;DR
- Westrice ranks TSM as second-best LCS team following Treatz support upgrade
- Cloud9, Team Liquid, and TSM projected to secure World Championship spots
- FlyQuest showing concerning performance decline despite creative approach
- LCS teams demonstrating significant improvement in summer split
- Support role changes proving crucial for team identity and performance

Cloud9 assistant coach Jonathan “Westrice” Nguyen revealed during his recent streaming session that he currently evaluates Team SoloMid as the league’s second strongest roster.
During the interactive broadcast, viewers questioned Westrice about comparative strength assessments among elite LCS organizations. The C9 coach emphasized TSM’s strategic decision regarding their player swap in the support position, bringing up Erik “Treatz” Wessén to assume starting duties over Vincent “Biofrost” Wang in the bottom lane.
“My preference leans toward TSM currently. Scrimmage observations indicate they’ve established clear strategic direction and understand their win conditions. Treatz represents substantial improvement compared to Biofrost. He’s dominated Academy competition extensively while remaining undervalued,”Westrice stated during the analysis.
Westrice elaborated on his surprise regarding Biofrost’s initial selection as TSM’s primary support, considering Treatz’s consistently elite performance in developmental league matches. According to the Cloud9 strategist, integrating Treatz into the starting lineup “positions them as a second-place caliber team” within the LCS hierarchy.
Professional gaming analysts frequently observe that support role transitions create significant team dynamic shifts. Successful integrations require approximately 3-4 weeks of coordinated practice to establish synergy with the AD carry and jungle coordination.
Westrice doesn’t see FlyQuest repeating spring LCS success in the summer
One organization that surpassed preseason expectations this competitive year is FlyQuest, though Westrice highlighted his assessment that FlyQuest appears “to be regressing” despite maintaining innovative strategic approaches, leading to his expectation they won’t secure World Championship qualification this season.
FlyQuest astonished both enthusiasts and professional competitors during the 2020 LCS Summer Split by advancing to the championship match, ultimately falling to Cloud9. Presently, FlyQuest shares fourth position standings with an even 6-6 match record and hasn’t rediscovered the competitive drive that propelled their previous split performance.
Later during the discussion, Westrice provided his perspective on the three LCS World Championship qualification slots. He immediately responded that Cloud9, Team Liquid, and TSM will most likely capture the three available positions for the North American region.
Teams experiencing mid-split performance declines often struggle with meta adaptation and opponent preparation. Consistent top-tier performance requires maintaining strategic flexibility while executing practiced compositions with precision timing and coordination.
Throughout his evaluation of LCS team dynamics, Westrice noted that Cloud9 has corrected their trajectory following unexpected defeats against 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses, emphasizing that LCS organizations demonstrate substantial collective improvement during the current summer split compared to spring season performances.
The evolving competitive environment showcases improved macro strategic execution and objective control prioritization across multiple teams. This development reflects enhanced coaching staff influence and player decision-making maturation throughout the league ecosystem.
Common strategic errors during split transitions include overemphasizing previous successful compositions rather than adapting to meta shifts. Teams should allocate 15-20 hours weekly specifically for meta analysis and counter-strategy development to maintain competitive advantage.
Action Checklist
- Analyze support role impact on team identity development using TSM’s Treatz integration as case study
- Review scrimmage versus stage performance differentials across top LCS teams
- Track mid-split performance trends to identify teams with rising or declining championship potential
- Monitor meta adaptation success rates as indicator of coaching staff effectiveness
No reproduction without permission:Game Guides Online » C9 Westrice says TSM is the second best team in the LCS C9 coach Westrice analyzes LCS power rankings, TSM roster changes, and World Championship predictions
