Bjergsen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bjergsen's professional journey began in 2013 within the European League of Legends Championship Series as a member of the Copenhagen Wolves. Due to Riot Games' age restrictions, he missed the first two weeks of competition until turning 17 on February 21, 1996, at which point he joined the main lineup alongside teammate cowTard. After the Spring Split, the Copenhagen Wolves roster was signed by Ninjas in Pyjamas for the Summer Split, with the players moving to the new organization. On November 2, 2013, Bjergsen made history by moving to North America to join Team SoloMid, becoming only the second player to cross from the EU to the NA LCS. Early in his time with TSM, he faced a setback when Riot Games fined him $2,000 on January 23, 2014, for violating rules regarding soliciting a contracted player from Lemondogs.

In Their Own Story

The rivalry between Team SoloMid and Cloud9 defined an era of North American League of Legends. In the Spring Split of 2014, TSM finished second in the regular season with a 22–6 record, only to fall 3–0 to Cloud9 in the finals despite Bjergsen winning his first MVP. Redemption came later that year when TSM defeated LMQ in a close 3–2 series to reach their fourth consecutive finals against Cloud9, finally overcoming them to win their first LCS Championship. The dominance continued into Spring 2015, where TSM secured another title with a 3–1 victory over Cloud9 in the finals, though they would suffer a 3–0 sweep by Counter Logic Gaming in the Summer Finals. In 2016, after a slow start to the Spring Split that ended in sixth place, TSM swept Cloud9 3–1 and 3–0 respectively in playoffs before losing to CLG in the finals. However, they rebounded in Summer with a dominant 17–1 record, sweeping CLG in semifinals and defeating Cloud9 3–1 in the finals to secure their third title.

Reader's Guide

Bjergsen's career is characterized by an unprecedented level of consistency and individual accolades. He secured six First Team All-Pro selections, never finishing below fourth in voting, and claimed four MVP titles throughout his tenure. His team's playoff runs were legendary; TSM reached the finals ten times, a feat unmatched in LCS history. Despite their domestic dominance, international success remained elusive. Bjergsen qualified for the League of Legends World Championship five times but advanced past the group stage only once. In 2015, they finished last in Group D with a 1–5 record. Similar struggles occurred in 2016 and 2017, where TSM finished third in their groups with 3–3 records. The 2018 and 2019 seasons saw the team fail to qualify for Worlds entirely due to Regional Gauntlet losses. His final championship came in Summer 2020, where he secured his sixth title by defeating FlyQuest in a tournament format run through the losers bracket, though TSM went 0–6 at the subsequent World Championship.

Did You Know?

• Bjergsen was the second player to cross from the EU LCS to the NA LCS, following Edward's move to Team Curse.
• He missed the first two weeks of his professional career with Copenhagen Wolves because he was under the age requirement until turning 17 on February 21.
• TSM went 0–6 in their group stage matches at the 2020 World Championship, placing last in Group D.
• In Summer 2016, Team SoloMid dropped only a single game to Immortals during the regular season, finishing with a 17–1 record.
• Bjergsen held the all-time LCS kills record temporarily before Doublelift surpassed him during the 2022 LCS Summer Split.

The Golden Era of Team SoloMid

From 2014 to 2020, Bjergsen served as the starting mid laner for Team SoloMid, leading them to six LCS Championship titles and ten finals appearances. During this period, he was a perennial MVP candidate, winning four regular season MVP awards and three playoff MVPs. His team achieved a 17–1 record in Summer 2016 and a 15–3 start in Spring 2017. Key victories included defeating Cloud9 to win the first LCS title in 2014, another championship in Spring 2015, and titles in Summer 2016, Summer 2017, and Summer 2020. The era was marked by frequent finals matchups against Cloud9, Counter Logic Gaming, and Team Liquid.

International Struggles and Regional Dominance

Despite domestic supremacy, Bjergsen's international record with TSM was mixed. He qualified for the World Championship five times but advanced past the group stage only once. In 2015, TSM finished last in Group D (1–5). In 2016 and 2017, they placed third in their groups with identical 3–3 records, failing to advance. They missed Worlds entirely in 2018 and 2019 after losing Regional Gauntlet matches. Their sole international triumph came at IEM Katowice 2015. At the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, TSM finished fifth with a 4–6 record.

Early Career and Transition to North America

Born on February 21, 1996, in Mejdal, Holstebro, Denmark, Bjergsen grew up playing Counter Strike Global Offensive, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Diablo 2. He joined the Copenhagen Wolves in 2013 but could not play until Week 3 due to age restrictions. After turning 17, he played for the remainder of the split before his team rebranded as Ninjas in Pyjamas. On November 2, 2013, he moved to North America to join Team SoloMid. In January 2014, he was fined $2,000 by Riot Games for violating LCS rules by encouraging a player from Lemondogs to leave.

Legacy and Life Beyond Competition

Bjergsen retired from competitive play in April 2023. Between his playing stints, he transitioned to head coach for TSM in October 2020. Under his coaching, the team placed fifth in Lock-In, third in the Mid-Season Showdown, and fourth in Summer 2021, failing to qualify for Worlds. He later returned to play, joining Team Liquid on November 24, 2021, where they won the 2022 Lock-In. In 2023, he joined 100 Thieves, reuniting with Doublelift, before announcing his retirement after an early playoff loss to Golden Guardians.