LoL - Worlds 2025: PSG Talon, facing a wall too high to jump (4/17)

The League of Legends 2025 World Championship kicks off in Beijing on the 14th of October. A total of 17 teams will compete to, again, succeed T1 at the top of the Riot Games MOBA world hierarchy. On this occasion, Sheep Esports brings you a daily feature on one of the teams taking part. On October 2nd, the fourth episode of our series focuses on PSG Talon.

PSG Talon enter Worlds as the LCP’s third seed and are clearly not among the favorites. At the start of the year, the organization had temporarily rebranded as just TALON following the end of their sponsorship with Paris Saint-Germain. However, the partnership returned at the beginning of the Summer Split. This rebrand came alongside another change: Chu "FoFo" Chun-Lan left the team’s midlane, and 27-year-old Huang "Maple" Yi-Tang came out of retirement to take over for the Summer Split.

Since the organization’s founding, PSG Talon have never gone a year without a title: the Spring Split of 2020, both 2021 splits, a MSI semifinal in Spring 2022, the two 2023 splits, and both 2024 splits. For the first time, the team has failed to secure any national title—a disappointment for PSG Talon. Yet they still reach Worlds, aiming to achieve the impossible: to avoid a blank year by lifting the most prestigious trophy in League of Legends esports, the Summoner’s Cup.

This roster is clearly not the youngest at the tournament, but they make up for it with experience. Toplaner Huang "Azhi" Shang-Jhih is entering his eighth competitive year, having played in three MSIs and two Worlds. Hung "Karsa" Hao-Hsuan needs no introduction: the legendary LCP and LPL jungler has competed in multiple Worlds with Flash Wolves, won MSI with Royal Never Give Up, and claimed the LPL title with Top Esports before returning to his region.

Despite this year’s underperformance, Karsa remains one of the team’s most reliable players, and makes a comeback in the competition after five years. The botlane duo, Lu "Betty" Yu-Hung and Lin "Woody" Yu-En, also bring plenty of experience; at 25 and 27, the pair are in their second year together and seem to have found solid synergy.

Having initially announced the end of his career following Worlds 2024, where the team exited the Swiss Stage with a 1-3 record and a single win against MAD Lions KOI, Maple did not play during the Winter or Spring Splits. As the year didn’t go as planned alongside the legendary FoFo, the two parted ways, paving the way for the return of the LCP king.

Arguably the greatest legend in LCP history, Maple has also competed in the LPL with Suning, LNG Esports, and Anyone’s Legend, as well as in the LCS with TSM. With around ten trophies won since 2013, he has shared many years alongside Karsa, forming one of the most iconic duos in esports. His return brought immense hope for PSG Talon's fans, and he is certainly the player they will look to during Worlds.

When looking at the most played champions by role during the Summer Split, PSG Talon’s preferred style becomes clear: Ambessa on the toplane, Vi in the jungle, Taliyah in mid, and a Corki–Alistar botlane. Their drafts are built to go in and win fights, without many unusual or off-meta picks. Kill participation stats also underline the strong synergy between the jungle–support duo, with both Karsa and Woody sitting around 80% KP as they often move together. In most games, Karsa tends to focus his early pressure around the bot side river.

PSG Talon are far from favorites heading into Worlds. As the LCP’s third seed and without a single split title this year, they arrive in one of their weakest positions in recent seasons. The team has never managed to advance past the opening stage of Worlds, and this year doesn’t appear to be an exception, with their chances of making it through the Swiss Stage looking slim.