PSG Talon will be starting Worlds with a major handicap.
The Pacific Championship Series’ second seed at this year’s Worlds tournament will start the tournament with only half its players.
Both of the team’s Korean players, River and Tank, will be unable to enter China in time to participate in any of the Play-In games. Unified, their AD carry, will also be unavailable for a portion of games due to strict visa requirements.
Tank and River will be replaced for the Play-In matches by AHQ’s Kongyue and Uniboy. In skill, this is no downgrade. Kongyue is widely considered to be the best jungler in the PCS, winning the regular season league MVP.
Fellow PCS representatives at Worlds, Machi Gaming, will loan their substitute bot laner, Dee, to fill in for the game or two that Unified will be unavailable to play for PSG Talon.
Should this team actually make it through Play-Ins and into the Group Stage, they will have the time to be able to reunite their Summer Split roster and make a true go of it from then on.
This is such an unfortunate way for PSG to be entering onto the world’s biggest stage. Talon began 2020 by putting together one of the most star-studded rosters the region had ever seen, even snagging players like Hanabi that had major offers from multiple top LPL teams.
With this roster, they dominated the region. Placing first in the Spring Split and then also nabbing the Mid-Season Invitational trophy against the best teams in neighboring regions. Going from strength to strength, the team was then invested in by Paris Saint-Germain, one of the biggest brands in football worldwide.
Unfortunately, in the Summer Split the team’s starting mid laner Candy left the roster with no public explanation and so PSG Talon replaced him with Tank, who was playing from Korea.
The sudden roster change made the team play uncoordinated, and the high ping made it so Tank wasn’t able to fully display his talent in-game. Because of this change, the team didn’t look quite as strong in the Summer Split.
PSG Talon will look to defy all odds and make it out of the Play-Ins Stage of Worlds 2020 when the tournament begins on Friday, Sept. 25.
