PSG Maple: “I’ve become a leader with this team. This goal of winning Worlds has driven me to grow up and mature.”

Los Angeles, California – It is the 2013 LoL World Championship quarterfinals as the Gamania Bears – the PCS number one seed – walk onto the stage ready to play their first series at Worlds. Brimming with excitement, confidence and internal swagger, Gamania Bears 16 year old midlaner Maple sets up his mice and keyboard ready to become the greatest midlaner of all-time.

It did not happen. 

Instead, the Gamania Bears were swept 2-0 to SK Telecom T1. And as Maple removes his headset, he rises from his chair to shake SKT midlaner Faker’s hand.

SK Telecom T1 went on to win the World Championships that year and eight years later, Faker stands as the greatest LoL player of all-time.

The chase for a LoL Worlds title is one that many players eventually give up on due to continuous failure. Yet, eight years later, Maple still stands with one goal in mind, to win worlds.

Now the leader of PSG Talon, Maple is hoping 2021 will be his year to achieve greatness for himself and the PCS.

Before Maple was the veteran mid laner leading a team of young players, he was a young kid himself.

“I was a fart kid back then.” Maple states honestly.

A “fart kid” is a popular term used in Taiwan to describe a young kid who thinks they know so much more than they do. Maple – who, at the time, was only 16 years old when he qualified for the 2013 LoL World Championships with Gamania Bears – was that kid.

But could you blame him? In just one year, he was dominating every single opponent in his region. He slotted right into the 2013 LoL World Championship Group Stages where he was humbled.

“I was so full of myself back then.” Maple shares honestly. “To exit Worlds after just one series felt embarrassing.”

A memory that still lingers in his head, it is one that continues to drive him to this day.

Gamania Bears eventually became the Flash Wolves in 2014. And after an off-year, the Flash Wolves made a bounce back after that point.

Maple’s time as the midlaner for Flash Wolves is where he found the most success. During his time with the Flash Wolves, he qualified for three MSI events and 4 World Championships. He was a standout midlaner in the Taiwanese region. And he was doing it with some of his closest friends.

Yet – even with the name change – things remained the same.  Each year, the Flash Wolves would dominate in the LMS, but would then falter in the final steps.

“Whenever we went to Worlds we would have one or two bad performances and it just felt like we were always coming up just a little bit short.” Maple states.

The Flash Wolves qualified for four consecutive World Championships. From 2015-2018, they were the LMS’s hope to make any impact at Worlds. Yet, each and every year would end in disappointment. These mistakes live with him.

“Sometimes, I meet with my old teammates to look back at our games and just think.” Maple recollects “We look at those moments and think about what could have been if we replayed that moment with our current mentality.”

Maple and the Flash Wolves were consistently on the precipice of achieving greatness for their region. But it never reached its full potential.

 Even through hardships and international failure, Maple still stands tall. Now, he is a leader.

Maple’s story can be described as, “close, but not close enough”. But this year is different.

With years of hardships on the international stage, Maple is looking for just one thing at this point in his career, a World Championship win.

“I've become a leader with this team. This goal of winning Worlds has driven me to grow up and mature.” Maple explains. “I want to win worlds and I will keep trying until I do.”

With a team of young players around him, Maple is now the leader PSG Talon is going to need if they want to make a deep run at the 2021 LoL World Championships.

PSG Talon are currently 2-1 in Group C after beating both Hanwha Life Esports and Fnatic in the first round robin. They currently are in sole possession of second in the group. Now posing a strong chance to qualify for the Group Stages– which would be the first since 2015 for the PCS– Maple looks to lead his new team to new heights.

Tune in on Sunday October 17 to see if PSG Talon can maintain their hold on Group C and book their ticket to the quarterfinals.

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest League of Legends news and updates, as well as coverage from Worlds 2021.