PSG Talon had an early exit from Worlds 2023, losing the final series of its Play-In stage against Team BDS. As a result, the Europeans advanced to the Swiss Stage, while PSG had to pack their bags. It looks like the loss also meant the end of the pro career for a veteran League of Legends mid laner.
Maple, PSG Talon’s mid laner and a long-standing pro from the PCS region reportedly retired on Oct. 17, according to a report by Sheep Esports’ LCS Eevee. At the time of writing the news hasn’t been confirmed on X or Leaguepedia, but Maple’s contract runs out on Nov. 20, and with a 10-year-long pro career, it’s not surprising to see him finally bid farewell to the pro scene.
During these 10 years, Maple was a renowned player for numerous Asian organizations. He mostly competed in the LMS (which later transformed into the PCS) under the Flash Wolves and PSG Talon’s banners. With both of these teams, he reached numerous international tournaments, including four Mid-Season Invitationals, going all the way to the semifinals in each of them.
Maple also played in seven League of Legends World Championships. Despite trying his luck in the LPL and LCS with teams like Suning and TSM, all of his Worlds appearances were made while playing for LMS/PCS teams.
For local fans, Maple is nothing short of a legend. Despite Worlds and MSIs being mostly rivaled between the four main regions, the LMS and PCS caused a few upsets in the game’s history. In most of these cases, Maple was behind the steering wheel.
