Bjergsen Joins Team Liquid: The Start Of A New Era
Not enough words describe Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg’s legendary career.
From his fresh beginnings on European teams, eventually landing on the EU LCS’ Copenhagen Wolves and Ninjas in Pyjamas to his later career-defining uproot to Team SoloMid, Bjergsen has had what many would consider the ideal career. Now that he’s joined Team Liquid, it’s only time for him to add on top of that.
Although relatively unknown in Europe, in many ways, Bjergsen was the original big-name import to go from Europe to North America. In this day in age in which seemingly North America just cherry-picks top talent from the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) until the plant is dead, Bjergsen was the one who started it all.
Like many of the imports in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), the Danish mid-laner was a superstar in the making, a diamond in the rough that was waiting to be picked up by a big name organisation, no matter the region - and that’s where Team SoloMid came in. On the renowned North American organisation, Bjergsen went from soon-to-be superstar to a bona fide one. Be it with his flashy solo kills in the mid-lane with the likes of Zed and Syndra, to what would become often 'one versus nine' carries in the team’s matches. He could do it all.
As aforementioned, Team SoloMid was a renowned organisation, having been there since the start of League of Legends as an esport. They were the organisation that everyone looked at when they thought of domestic rule. This sort of aura came to a halt though as new up and coming home-grown North American talent Cloud9 burst onto the scene. Not only did Cloud9 take a substantial amount of the limelight off of the tenured organisation, but they also dominated them and the rest of the LCS. Team SoloMid needed to get back into the mix of things, and that’s where Bjergsen came in.
Click to enlargeWhen Bjergsen first got to stamp his virtual foot onto an LCS clad Summoner’s Rift, he was nothing short of amazing. He not only took on every single mid-lane matchup there was to be had, but he did so with dominance and confidence. Unfortunately for Bjergsen and the rest of his squad, his first go-around didn’t lead to instant success. Although they didn’t win the 2014 Spring Split, it was still something that he and his team could build on moving forward.
Queue the 2014 Summer Split. After a brief respite from championship glory and a number of needed roster changes, bringing in support Ham “Lustboy” Jang-sik who proved to be a fantastic addition to the team, Team SoloMid was back on top, and it all started with the Bjergsen pick up. This would begin one of the most dominant reigns a player has ever had in any region. Six domestic championships, four MVPs, five trips to the League of Legends World Championship and one often overlooked IEM Katowice World Championship win is what he has to show for - a legendary resume.
Not only was he the rock, or the 'mid' in Team SoloMid, he quickly became the leader. This leadership role continued on through his initial retirement as he became the organisation’s head coach. But in the end, looks like nothing can stop the pro-play itch.
Team Liquid Bjergsen: A Start Of A New Era
What Bjergsen did on Team SoloMid is nothing short of amazing, and something that will go in the League of Legends history books forever, but now that he’s on Team Liquid, it’s time for a new era.
For a player, leaving a team that they’ve been on for most if not all of their career is never easy. These are even rarer finds in the League of Legends space, with legendary North American ADC Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng being one of them after he left his tenured Counter Logic Gaming stay to link up with Bjergsen on Team SoloMid. That’s why Bjergsen leaving Team SoloMid behind after eight years is not only shocking but a breath of fresh air.
Bjergsen has always been a stellar mid-laner, no matter what situation he was put in he’d deal with it - one could see that as a metaphor for his stay on Team SoloMid. But with not only new players around him but a whole new organisation, this is his time to add even more to his legacy. Although Cloud9 were the significant blip in the Team SoloMid regional dominance story, Team Liquid were the closing chapter as they dethroned Team SoloMid as kings of North America years ago.
The Danish mid-laner has always strived to be the best since day one. Now that he’s joined a Team Liquid squad that is on the same page and has consistently proved so over the years, the sky’s the limit for Bjergsen.