Maple makes surprising return to pro play with PSG Talon

Mid lane player Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang has announced he will be coming out of retirement and joining Talon Esports, who secured the PSG partnership once again.

Maple returns to LoL professional play after a short retirement period

Maple will be rejoining the team only half a year after he announced his retirement at the end of Worlds 2024. He will be taking up Fofo’s place in the upcoming LCP split. With Maple returning to the roster, he will be reuniting with his former 2024 teammates, with the hopes of making it to Worlds 2025 later this year.

On top of his return, Talon Esports also announced two major partnerships, reuniting with football club Paris-Saint Germain once again after the partnership was not renewed at the end of the year. Talon also announced Qatar Airways, an airline company, as a sponsor, with its logo featured on the front of the jersey.

The rise of the LCP in 2025

After a few somewhat disappointing seasons, the 2025 season marked a new era for the Pacific scene with the creation of the LCP, reuniting the best teams from all the minor regions of Japan, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

The best team from the LCP, CTBC Flying Oyster, is the only organization to have made it to all international tournaments. CFO has proven to be a strong contender in 2025, having finished third at First Stand and in the top 6 at MSI, including a close five-game series with MSI finalists T1.

Alongside the strong international results, the LCP has also grown in terms of the quality of the product, having peaked at close to 500,000 viewers during the LCP Mid-Season Qualifying Series, according to data platform Esports Charts.

Always considered the strongest mid laner in previous PCS seasons, the Taiwanese mid laner will have greater competition this year, given the presence of rookie star Tsai “HongQ” Ming-Hong, who has impressed against the most talented mid laners in the world.