Team Liquid ease past TSM and move to the 2021 LCS Mid-Season Showdown finals

The 2021 LCS Mid-Season Showdown is nearing its end, with Team Liquid dominantly defeating TSM before facing Cloud9.

TSM and Liquid previously faced each other in the winner's bracket clash of 2021 LCS MSS, but yesterday was a must-win scenario for both North American heavyweights.

The situation for the semifinal was straightforward. The winners would take on Cloud9 in the finals, whereas the losers would return home empty-handed.

Team Liquid look flawless in game four and close out the series 3️⃣-1️⃣ over TSM. #LCS @Cloud9 are their next challenge in the finals of the 2021 Midseason Showdown! pic.twitter.com/dsapJwoVyW

— LCS (@LCSOfficial) April 11, 2021

Fans expected a close contest, but Liquid performed way above everyone's expectations to secure a victory by a 3-1 scoreline.

Though the matches were held at the Greek Theatre, the gallery was 90% empty due to COVID-19 restrictions.

---

Team Liquid's stopgap jungler turned out to be a menace to his former team in the 2021 LCS MSS semifinal

Image via Team Liquid - LCS

Liquid started their game on the backfoot as their reliable first-team jungler Lucas "Santorin" Larsen had to be replaced with their backup Jonathan "Armao" Armao, as the former had been suffering migraines since morning.

Salutes to Captain @armao_lol 👨‍✈️ pic.twitter.com/tzfZR8mMF7

— Team Liquid LoL (@TeamLiquidLoL) April 11, 2021

The substitution turned out to be a boon in disguise for Liquid as the former TSM jungler ran riots against his old team, registering a first-game K/D/A scoreline of 5/5/3.

Armao also played a significant role in the fourth and final game of the semifinal series, where Liquid managed to win by an astonishing kill score of 19:0.

Alphari impressed in his team's 3-1 win over @TSM today, earning him a well-deserved Player of the Series! #LCS pic.twitter.com/hLbMdgFHcf

— LCS (@LCSOfficial) April 11, 2021

The series, though, wasn't a clean sweep for Liquid as TSM managed to pull the game back quite unexpectedly. This slight bit of inconsistency might be a concerning factor for coach Joshua "Jatt" Leesman and his boys.

Liquid will face Cloud9 today in the finals, and the board has still not yet confirmed the availability of Santorin for the grand final.

The 2021 Mid-Season Showdown Finals are SET! @Cloud9 will face off against @TeamLiquidLoL tomorrow for the trophy and a spot at #MSI2021! #LCS Countdown begins at 12PM PT / 3PM ET followed by a special performance by PENTAKILL in our opening ceremony, presented by @Mastercard! pic.twitter.com/xPDIGezptO

— LCS (@LCSOfficial) April 11, 2021

The LCS Mid-Season Showdown final between Cloud9 and Team Liquid will kick-start today at 1 p.m. GMT. The winner will represent the North American region at the Mid-Season Invitational, scheduled to be held in Reykjavík, Iceland.