MSI Preview: Can the new PSG Talon meet the old expectations?

PSG Talon surprised many people throughout 2021 with their high-level play, but a major offseason shakeup may lead to expectation readjustments. With a couple of new faces, the team’s new roster that will attend the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational features jungler Lee “Juhan” Ju-han and mid laner Park “Bay” Jun-byeong. 

The PCS representative may have won their third domestic title in a row, but things weren’t as clear as daylight for them in the competition. 

Jaxon had the opportunity to chat with LPL and PCS caster Clement Chu, and he gave us plenty of insight into how the competition went for PSG, and the PCS split overall:

Yohan Markov

What is your personal opinion of PSG Talon?

Clement

PSG represent the best macro team that the PCS has to offer. They are well coordinated, well coached, and certainly impressive for a team that had to integrate two Korean players. They should be characterized as an objective based front-to-back team fighting team. However, in my opinion, they no longer represent the best pound-for-pound talent in their own region, and have to rely on brains over brawn.

Yohan Markov

Who would you say is their most important player?

Clement

I see Hanabi as their most important player. This might come as a surprise to those that have seen Flash Wolves and PSG in other iterations, but it is certainly true now that Hanabi is their consistency and their ceiling for gameplay.

Yohan Markov

How did the split go for them? Where they always the favorites for the PCS title?

Clement

PSG found their groove and never let go, coasting to a strong 1st place finish. I expected their post season to be a glide, but it didn’t go that way. Bay’s champion pool issues plagued them, and the bot side laning was turbulent. PSG dropped into the lower bracket, and in the end scraped by CFO, so I would say PSG getting to MSI this year was not a given as in the previous year.

Yohan Markov

Whats the difference between this version of PSG and last year’s with Maple and River?

Clement

Bay and Juhan are much less aggressive players, they are more utility focused, and that has slowed down the pace of play and brought Hanabi more into the carry spotlight in search of damage output. Frankly, I do see Maple and River as also having a much higher mechanical ceiling. Gone are the tempo plays and cross map rotations, expect more grindy teamfights and 40-minute games.

Yohan Markov

Does the community have a lot of expectations from them?

Clement

I would say hopeful optimism. There’s no denying that PCS took a hit with the departure of Doggo, Maple and River. With top talent leaving the league feels compressed, but more contested. I will say Corgi is an amazing coach, and in terms of net strengths that is one area I think PSG will bring to this MSI over previous ones.

Yohan Markov

What is their playstyle? Do they tend to play around bot lane a lot?

Clement

Unified is certainly their main carry, but laning phase has been a bit rough, so they do oscillate between win lane combos or outright hyper carry options. It’s a bit hard to say if they play around a certain lane, because they statistically provided the least early game action out of any playoff team, I would say they look towards the objective set-up as their main engine for advantages rather than anyone lane dominating. When it happens, it comes from Hanabi’s lane though.