Update: After TSM’s news about Bjergsen’s departure, Upcomer’s Tyler “FionnOnFire” Erzberger reported that Bjergsen is being tried out as a mid laner for Team Liquid, with Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen taking up the bot lane position. The original story follows:
On Thursday, TSM announced their legendary mid laner and part-owner, Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, will leave the team to join a different organization for the 2022 season. Bjergsen was rumored to be returning to pro play early September and served as the face of TSM for eight years, both as a player and most recently a coach through 2020.
TSM “made a highly competitive offer to Bjergsen” on Oct. 1, but Bjergsen declined the offer today, confirming both his move back to be a professional player and his move to leave TSM.
An update from @TSMReginald and @parthenaan on our LCS roster. pic.twitter.com/1C0ji7cfGL
— TSM (@TSM) October 28, 2021
“As for plans for our roster, we are currently looking at a variety of options,” TSM CEO and Founder Andy “Reginald” Dinh said. “We tend to focus on up and coming players and to build our team culture around these rising stars.”
TSM staffer, Parth “Parth” Naidu, clarified that the team would not field an all-rookie roster, stating they would focus on the best team for 2022 that also offered good growth potential for future years.
TSM’s current roster is filled with veterans, each with contracts extending at least until 2022, but the duo’s statements implied changes will be made to the team. According to Reginald and Parth, the 2022 roster will not be the same five players who played in 2021. TSM analyst Jack “Kayys” Kayser also tweeted that there were “Lots of moving parts people.”
The team already released their 2021 mid laner, Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage, from his contract last week on Oct. 20.
With Bjergsen making his leave from TSM, he will have to divest his shares in the company. He became a part-owner in 2019, but according to the LCS official rules, he can not own part of one org and play under another banner.
Bjergsen won six League Championship Series trophies on his time with the team, including in the summer of 2020, his last split playing mid lane for the team. Together with TSM, Bjergsen attended five League of Legends World Championships, escaping groups in 2014 but losing to the eventual winners, Samsung White, in the quarterfinals.
Bjergsen has played professionally since the beginning of 2013, joining TSM at the end of that year, spending eight years of his nine-year career with the famous NA org. In response to his departure, the legendary mid wrote, “This is the place I grew up and I’ll be forever grateful for them taking a chance on me as a young player in 2013,” expanding that he was excited to show his fans his next move.
