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Academy Roster Debut in MSI Cup Event

Sejuani League of Legends Champion

Team Norse Thunder's Academy were in League of Legends action for the first time since they formed earlier this month and went on to secure 5th place in the MSI Cup. 

The MSI Cup is the latest instalment of the Clash event series, a global tournament that offers teams from around the world a chance to take part in organised play events. The events are broken down into regional tournaments with teams of similar skill levels paired up to battle it out for a trophy. 

Team Norse Thunder's Academy Roster were placed in a tier two bracket - the second-highest available - alongside seven other teams. 

Round one saw Thunder drawn against Tolais TOK, a Gold/Plat average team. Thunder selected Sejuani, Seraphine, Miss Fortune, Lissandra, and Gnar as their composition against Tolais' picks of Kha'Zix, Nautilus, Fiora, Lucian, and Vex. A fairly solid performance saw Thunder set up for victory through the side lanes, but a team fight gone bad turned the tide of the game in Tolais' favour and they went on to win the match. 

In round two, Thunder battled against Get More Gud, a Gold average team, and produced a much stronger performance that carried them to a dominant victory. In the draft, Thunder selected Sett, Kha'Zix, Viktor, Jhin, and Nautilus while the opposition opted for Teemo, Talon, Fizz, Kai'Sa, and Alistair. A near 10k gold lead and a kill scoreline of 32-20 at the end of the match helped ease any potential hangover from the opening round loss and gave the team the opportunity to earn 5th place if they won their round three match.   

Los 5 Partealmexas - another gold average team - stood between Thunder and 5th place, but as preparations for the match began, the opposition withdrew from the event and handed Thunder victory. 

Thunder's League of Legends program had undergone a revamp earlier this month that saw an academy structure built to support the team's flagship roster as they push towards competitive success. Players representing Thunder in the MSI Cup were a mix of players from the Academy Roster and the Community Roster - both of which form part of the overall academy structure. 

Speaking about the team's performance in the MSI Cup, Team Norse Thunder's Dave Scotford said: "It's always good to see a group making their first steps together - they've been thrown in the deep end a little bit as this was their first event together, but a 2-1 record for the day is never a bad start.

"Whenever any group first comes together there's always going to be little things around team play and communication that aren't quite there, but that's the same with anyone. It's now just about working on those things - we've got some really good players involved so we know it will come good in the end."