In an attempt to restore some of their lost glory, TSM has reportedly signed Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang as the team’s newest starting mid laner for the 2022 LCS Summer Split, according to a report from Upcomer’s Brieuc Seeger.
The 24-year-old last played for Anyone’s Legend in the LPL, where they finished in 13th place with a disappointing 5-11 record. He is, however, most known for his time in the LMS as part of the Flash Wolves, a Taiwanese League team that attended multiple international tournaments including the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship.
Flash Wolves were a consistent top four team at MSI, and Maple was considered as a top ten player in his position. However, the team only broke through to the knockout stage at Worlds once in 2015 when they topped a group with KOO Tigers, Counter Logic Gaming, and paIN Gaming. They eventually lost to Europe’s pool three team, Origin, in the quarterfinals of the event.
If signed, Maple is one part of a small rebuild for TSM, after the team suffered the worst LCS season in the organization’s history. The perennial North American champions finished as a bottom two team in the regular season for the first time with an abysmal 5-13 record.
They also dealt with some issues on their main roster, after their new rookie support Shenyi was benched after an incident where he locked in a champion on-stage without speaking to the coaches or his teammates
Related: TSM is reportedly replacing Shenyi, signing Estral Esports support Mia for upcoming LCS Summer Split
Should these moves go through, Maple will join former Estral Esports support Mia on TSM’s new-look lineup, alongside superstar jungler Spica, veteran top laner Huni, and North American AD carry Tactical. The team and their supporters will be hoping that these new additions are a better fit than the previous members, especially with the amount of experience coming from the mid lane.
