Talon Esports

Talon Esports
Logo of Talon Esports
Short nameTLN, TALN
Divisions
Founded2016 (2016)
Based inHong Kong
CEOXiao "Sean" Zhang[1]
PartnersNew Wave Esports
Websitetalon.gg Edit this at Wikidata

Talon Esports is a professional esports organisation based in Hong Kong with teams competing across the Asia Pacific. Its League of Legends team is partnered with PSG Esports and known as PSG Talon. PSG Talon competes in the Pacific Championship Series.[2][3][4]

League of Legends

Main article: PSG Talon

History

Riot Games announced on 19 December 2019 that Talon Esports would be one of ten teams participating in the newly created Pacific Championship Series.[2][3] Talon Esports' inaugural roster consisted of top laner Su "Hanabi" Chia-hsiang,[5] jungler Kim "River" Dong-woo,[6] mid laner Kim "Candy" Seung-ju,[7] bot laner Wong "Unified" Chun-kit,[6] and support Ling "Kaiwing" Kai-wing.[7]

Talon Esports finished third in the 2020 PCS Spring regular season, qualifying for the first round of playoffs in the winners' bracket.[8] After winning three series and losing one, Talon Esports reached the finals where they faced off against Machi Esports. Talon Esports came out on top after a close series and won their first PCS title.[9][10]

On 18 June 2020, Talon Esports announced that its League of Legends team had partnered with PSG Esports and would henceforth compete as PSG Talon.[11][12] Mid laner Park "Tank" Dan-won was brought in as a substitute for the summer split, but was later promoted to the starting position after the departure of Candy on 9 July 2020.[13]

In a repeat of the spring split, PSG Talon finished third in the 2020 PCS Summer regular season and reached the finals after defeating the same teams in spring. This qualified the team for the 2020 World Championship.[14] PSG Talon later faced Machi Esports once again in a rematch of the spring finals; however, this time Machi Esports defeated PSG Talon, forcing PSG Talon to start in the play-in stage of Worlds as the PCS' second seed.[15]

River and Tank were unable to participate in the play-in stage due to delayed visas, and were replaced with Hsiao "Kongyue" Jen-tso and Chen "Uniboy" Chang-chu respectively. Unified was also unable to participate in the first half of the play-in stage for the same reason, and was replaced with Chen "Dee" Chun-dee.[16][17]

Despite starting the play-in stage with three emergency substitutes, PSG Talon won both their games on the first day of competition, including an upset victory over group favourites LGD Gaming.[18] PSG Talon later topped their group and qualified for the tournament's main event.[19] PSG Talon was placed in Group B for the main event, along with South Korea's DAMWON Gaming, China's JD Gaming, and Europe's Rogue. PSG Talon finished third in their group with a 2–4 win-loss record, ending their Worlds run.[20]

PSG Talon announced the departure of Tank on 31 October 2021[21] and the signing of Huang "Maple" Yi-tang as his replacement on 10 December.[22]

PSG Talon finished first in the 2021 PCS Spring regular season, losing only a single game to second-place Beyond Gaming. The team later reached their third consecutive PCS finals and swept Beyond Gaming to win their second PCS title.[23]

Unified was unable to participate in the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2021) due to recurring cases of pneumothorax. He was replaced with Beyond Gaming's Chiu "Doggo" Tzu-chuan.[24]

For the group stage of MSI 2021, PSG Talon was placed in Group B, along with Europe's MAD Lions, Brazil's paiN Gaming, and Turkey's Istanbul Wildcats. PSG Talon finished second in their group with a 4–2 win–loss record, only losing to first-place MAD Lions, and qualified for the "rumble" stage of the tournament. PSG Talon finished third out of six teams in the rumble stage, advancing to the knockout stage.[25] In the semifinals, China's Royal Never Give Up eliminated PSG Talon from the tournament after a four-game series.[26]

PSG Talon placed first in the 2021 PCS Summer regular season, finishing undefeated. After sweeping J Team in the semifinals, PSG Talon qualified for the 2021 World Championship and their fourth consecutive PCS finals, where they defeated Beyond Gaming after another close series.[27]

PSG Talon's first-place finish in the 2021 summer split qualified them for the main event of the 2021 World Championship. The team was placed in Group C, along with China's Royal Never Give Up, South Korea's Hanwha Life Esports, and Europe's Fnatic.[28] PSG Talon finished third in their group and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.[29]

Current roster

This section is transcluded from PSG Talon. (edit | history)
PSG Talon roster
Players Coaches
Role Handle Name Nationality
Top Azhi Huang Shang-chih Taiwan
Jungle JunJia Yu Chun-chia Taiwan
Mid Maple Huang Yi-tang Taiwan
Bot Wako Tsou Wei-yang Taiwan
Support Woody Lin Yu-en Taiwan
Mid HongSuo Substitute player Guo Bei-yi Taiwan
Head coach

Cheng "CorGi" Pin-lun

Assistant coach(es)
  • Lee "Maru" Sang-hoon
  • Chung "Zero" Chen-hua
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Roster updated 17 December 2023.

Arena of Valor

History

Talon Esports extended its partnership with KFC on 31 January 2022 and gave the fast food chain naming rights to its Arena of Valor team. The team was subsequently rebranded as KFC Talon Esports.[30]

Current roster

KFC Talon Esports roster
Players Coaches
Handle Name Nationality
Top NTNz Somboonprom, Thana Thailand
Jungle DCB Dangurai, Supawit Thailand
Jungle PogPog Piachart, Peerawat Thailand
Mid IpodPro Saethong, Pakkapon Thailand
Bot Deboom Mueangpradit, Natthaphong Thailand
Support Difoxn Pornrattanapitak, Parit Thailand
Head coach

Chakapon "MistGunz" Pompranee

Assistant coach(es)

Lee Pattarapol

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 6 August 2023.

Overwatch

Talon Esports joined the professional Overwatch scene in March 2017 by signing a Taipei-based roster, with Hongkonger Yip "Moowe" Chi-yeung being the only non-Taiwanese player. The team disbanded in late July after failing to qualify for the second season of the Overwatch Pacific Championship.[31]

In early 2018, Talon Esports signed an all-Korean roster to compete in the Pacific division of Overwatch Contenders (later Pacific Contenders). The team has since underwent several roster changes and topped various Pacific Contenders seasons.

Talon Esports accepted an offer for a spot in the Korean Contenders Trials after the Pacific Contenders was discontinued.[32] The team disbanded in September 2022.[33]

Pokémon Unite

Talon Esports announced in April 2023 that it would enter the Pokémon Unite Championship Series with an all-Filipino roster.[34] The team will compete in the APAC-East Regional Qualifiers, where the top three teams get the chance to compete in the 2023 Pokémon World Championships in Yokohama, Japan. The team also has multiple opportunities to qualify for the tournament should they fail to qualify through the APAC-East Regional Qualifiers.

Valorant

On 22 September 2022, Talon Esports was announced as one of the partner teams for the Valorant APAC league.[35]

Current roster

Talon Esports roster
Players Coaches
Handle Name Nationality
Crws Mahatthananuyut, Thanamethk Thailand
JitboyS Nokngam, Jittana Thailand
ban Oh, Joseph Seungmin United States
Governor Oh, Peter United States
Surf Rungapajaratkul, Thanachart Thailand
Patiphan (I) Chaiwong, Patiphan Thailand
Head coach

Hector "Fr0sT" Rosario

Assistant coach(es)

Aaron "b0i" Thao

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 31 May 2024.

Counter-Strike 2

On 2 August 2024, Talon Esports announced its re-entry into Counter-Strike 2, with a roster featuring players from Oceania.[36]

Talon Esports Counter-Strike 2 roster
Players Coaches
Handle Name Nationality
ADDICT Pendleton, Christian New Zealand
AZR Ward, Aaron Australia
hazr O'Bree, Jared Australia
mhL Knasiak, Miłosz Poland
nettik Browne, Corey New Zealand
Head coach

Daniel "djL" Narancic

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 2 August 2024.

Funding

New Wave Esports Corporation, a Canadian company which provides capital and advisory services to esports teams, announced a strategic investment in Talon Esports on 18 November 2019.[37][38][39]

Sean Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Talon Esports, announced on 12 October 2020 that his organisation had secured US$2 million in seed funding from investors.[1]

On 6 May 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and organizers of the Esports World Cup tournament series, announced the 30 organizations (known in the ESWC as Clubs) who would make up the Club Support Program, with Talon Esports being one of them. This program gave Talon a one-time six-figure stipend if they were willing to enter new esports, as well as additional funding each year if they drive viewership and fan engagement to the Esports World Cup.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b "Talon Esports raises $2M seed round to accelerate growth in Asia Pacific". en.prnasia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Talon Esports Secures League of Legends Spot in the Pacific Championship Series". New Wave Esports. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b Tuting, Kristine (19 December 2019). "Here are the teams for the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) 2020". ONE Esports. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. ^ Chen, Ethan (22 December 2019). "League of Legends Pacific Championship Series teams revealed for 2020". Daily Esports. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  5. ^ Zijdenbos, Arend (2 January 2020). "Hanabi joins the Talon Esports League of Legends team". Daily Esports. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b Zijdenbos, Arend (6 January 2020). "Talon Esports complete 2020 League of Legends roster". Daily Esports. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b Zijdenbos, Arend (4 January 2020). "Talon Esports reveal two new players for 2020 roster". Daily Esports. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ^ Tan, Amanda (9 April 2020). "PCS 2020 Spring Playoffs: Everything You Need To Know". ONE Esports. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (3 May 2020). "Talon defeat Machi to claim PCS Spring Split title". Dot Esports. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
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  12. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (18 June 2020). "Paris-Saint Germain re-enters League of Legends by partnering with PCS' Talon Esports". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  13. ^ @PSG_Talon (9 July 2020). "Some sad news today to update everyone... Today we are announcing the departure of Candy. Thank you Candy for your passion and dedication to our team. We will always be grateful of your contribution and wish you the best back home! @lolesportspcs #PCSLOL #BLEEDCRIMSON" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ @lolesports (28 August 2020). "Congratulations to @PSG_Talon on qualifying for the 2020 World Championship! #Worlds2020" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (30 August 2020). "Machi Esports defeat PSG Talon in PCS Summer Split final". Dot Esports. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
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  19. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (27 September 2020). "PSG Talon qualify for Worlds group stage with impressive comeback win over Unicorns of Love". Dot Esports. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  20. ^ Rand, Emily (11 October 2020). "Group stages complete, quarterfinals set: LoL worlds Group D recap". ESPN. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  21. ^ Chouadria, Adel (31 October 2020). "PCS: Tank leaves PSG Talon, becomes free agent". Millenium US. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  22. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (10 December 2020). "PSG Talon signs Maple as starting mid laner for 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  23. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (18 April 2021). "PSG Talon crowned champions of PCS Spring Split 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  24. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (25 April 2021). "PSG Talon to attend MSI without their starting AD carry". Dot Esports. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  25. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (18 May 2021). "PSG Talon lock in MSI 2021 knockout stage spot with win over Pentanet.GG". Dot Esports. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  26. ^ Kay, Meg (21 May 2021). "Royal Never Give Up beat PSG Talon to qualify for MSI 2021 finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  27. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (29 August 2021). "PSG Talon secure Worlds group stage seed, defend their PCS title in thrilling victory over Beyond Gaming". Dot Esports. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  28. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (22 September 2021). "Riot completes group draw for Worlds 2021". Dot Esports. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  29. ^ Ray, Nick (17 October 2021). "Fnatic, PSG Talon eliminated from Worlds 2021". Upcomer. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  30. ^ Šimić, Ivan (31 January 2022). "Talon Esports agrees naming rights deal with KFC". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  31. ^ "With the completion of the Overwatch Pacific Championship qualifiers for season 2, Talon Esports were unfortunately unable to secure a spot in the league ..." www.facebook.com. Talon Esports. Retrieved 7 May 2021 – via Facebook.
  32. ^ No, Stephen (4 September 2020). "Blizzard posts Overwatch Contenders update on tournament format changes, content, and 2-way player policies". Dot Esports. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  33. ^ @TalonKorea (29 September 2022). "금일부로 Talon 오버워치팀의 여정을 마무리 하게 되었습니다" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Torres, Juan Cesar (11 April 2023). "Talon Esports Enters Pokemon Unite Championship". KJC eSports. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  35. ^ "Full list of the teams accepted to Valorant Partnership Program". Blix. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  36. ^ "TALON ENTERS COUNTER-STRIKE". Talon Esports. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  37. ^ "New Wave Esports Invests in Talon Esports". Canada NewsWire via Bloomberg. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  38. ^ Narayan, Niji (20 November 2019). "New Wave Esports Announces Strategic Investment in Talon Esports". European Gaming Industry News. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  39. ^ "Full interview: New Wave Esports invests in Talon Esports as it looks to grow presence in Asia". Proactiveinvestors UK. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  40. ^ Fudge, James (6 May 2024). "30 Teams Selected for the Esports World Cup Club Support Program". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved 9 May 2024.