Introducing the LOL PCS: Everything You Need To Know About This Region!

The League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (LoL PCS) is one of the intermediate regions in the world and is often debated as the Top 4 region with its spot being contested by North America’s LCS region. With the PCS being almost invisible in international media and social media as well as their schedule being almost inaccessible for western fans, the PCS is a region that’s not always in the conversation so people might not know what they have to offer to the competition.

About the LoL PCS

The LoL PCS region is the combined league of the former League of Legends SEA Tour and League of Legends Masters Series (LMS), which aimed to increase the competitiveness of the region. The countries that comprise the current LoL PCS structure are Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Like most other regions, the PCS also houses 10 competitive teams representing the countries that are involved in this league following the standard LoL esports structure.

The PCS is one of the strongest regions in the world right now. In an era of Eastern LoL Dominance led by China and Korea, the PCS also trails behind this path as a region that the major western teams definitely need to look out for. In the recent MSI 2021, the PCS placed 3rd/4th as their representative – PSG Talon – managed to make the Top 4 cut and managed to take one game off the eventual champions, Royal Never Give Up, in the Semifinals before losing the tournament.

The History of the PCS

The PCS doesn’t have much history since it was established in 2020. Since this league was established at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, they don’t have much of an international presence since MSI 2020 was canceled. One thing about PCS’s history is that they always seem to send teams that have experienced problems regarding their rosters due to health or Visa issues. This has been the case for PSG Talon in both Worlds 2020 and MSI 2021 with their rosters always being incomplete.

Before the PCS, the LMS-side of this league has always been a competitor at the international scene. Hongkong, Taiwan, and Macau teams have always shown dominance, especially during the Mid-Season Invitationals with their teams almost always reaching the Top 4 spot. Even though they’ve shown a poor performance during the past few Worlds Tournaments, teams like Flash Wolves have been remembered for having innovative strategies that highlighted what the region can do.

LoL PCS in 2021

Despite having an underwhelming performance in 2020, the region has definitely looked a lot better in 2021. This region even looks like it’s performing as well as regions like the LEC thanks to PSG Talon’s massive improvement as a League of Legends organization. This team is looking like it will be a top competitor in the international scene and won’t just be another filler region that’s there before eventual China vs Korea tournament that we’ve been seeing recently.

We can expect this region to do well at Worlds so watching games from this region will prove to be entertaining in a competitive sense and not just like the memeable way that North America and Oceania perform in tournaments. PSG Talon isn’t just the only strong team in the tournament since the region has also been developing teams like Machi Esports and Beyond Gaming. PCS has two slots in the tournament so we can expect 2 of these 3 teams making it to Worlds.

Notable Players in the PCS

There are only a few notable players in this league since the region merged into the PCS. The most notable players in this region are probably from the notorious Flash Wolves 2015 roster that made their name in history as one of the greater non-LCK/LPL Asian teams in the world. Let’s take a look at some of the names that most veteran viewers are very familiar with and new fans around the world should know about to know the richness of the history of this region.

1. Maple

Maple is PSG Talon’s mid laner and has made his grand return from the LPL. He has become the centerpiece that made PSG Talon so dominant in 2021 and has definitely picked up some things while competing in China against the strongest teams in the world. In both the Spring and Summer seasons of the LoL PCS, PSG Talon has gone almost undefeated showing a really strong performance in terms of their mid-jungle duo that is miles ahead of anyone else in the region.

PSG Maple is probably one of the Top 10 Mid Laners in the entire world today. In an era where the Chinese and Korean mid laners dominate the tournaments, it’s refreshing to see that someone from another region can make it at the top. It’s always a treat to watch Maple in the mid lane since he has a really wide champion pool. He is also one of the notable members of the 2015 Flash Wolves that shook the world to its core and introduced a region outside of the Major Regions.

2. Hanabi

Hanabi is another former Flash Wolves member but he isn’t a member of the 2015 roster. However, he has been one of the most dominant members of Flash Wolves after that era with this man being able to carry the team or play a weakside lane that opened opportunities for his team. He doesn’t make the most flashy plays that League of Legends viewers want to watch in an esports game but his contributions to the team are absolutely undeniable.

In MSI 2021, Hanabi retained stability in his lane as a weakside top laner even though his entire team would get gapped by the top-performing teams. In the PCS, Hanabi has been developing his skills outside of the weakside so that his teamfighting and aggressive roaming will be able to find the team more success in the international scene. We should expect more from him if PSG Talon manages to make it to the World Stage when they finally face the top teams.

3. Doggo

Doggo made his appearance in MSI 2021 as a substitute for PSG Talon’s Unified. Despite being loaned from another team, Doggo managed to perform really well in the bottom lane with Kaiwing that made people wonder if they made a mistake to allow this substitute to happen. While a lot of PSG fans argue that the team might have placed higher if Unified had made it to the tournament, it’s still true that Doggo brought a lot to the table during the tournament.

Doggo currently plays for Beyond Gaming, a candidate for one of the two spots that the LoL PCS has for Worlds 2021. Their team isn’t as dominant as PSG Talon but they are still a world-class roster that can definitely take a few games at the Group Stage at least. Former LEC caster Ender once praised Doggo for being so amazing at the tournament that he claimed to be his #1 Fan. Doggo would also reply to Ender’s statement wholesomely thanking him for the support.

4. Unified

Unified is PSG Talon’s main ADC but due to health and Visa reasons, he skipped MSI 2021 and a portion of Worlds 2021. Alongside Kaiwing, they are the best bot lane duo in the LoL PCS so much that no one else can definitely come close to their level. Unified looks really serious whenever the camera pans to him which may hint towards this person’s attitude towards the game as he’s obviously dedicated to always improving his plays at the game to eventually bring home the trophy back to their region again someday.

There’s no doubt that PSG Talon will attend Worlds 2021 again this year but the attendance of Unified at Worlds is in question again. We hope that he won’t encounter any more issues this tournament so that he can show the world what he can do for the team. Maybe this man can help the region reach the Worlds Knockout Stage after years of not being able to do so. If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s definitely Unified.

Notable Teams in the PCS

Despite merging with the Garena SEA regions, the LMS teams still look like the superstars that are miles ahead in terms of skill level when compared to the other teams. Despite that, some of the SEA teams are trying to keep up with the rest of the region to prove that they also deserve the spot given to them after the merge. The LoL PCS has 10 teams in the league, so let’s take a look at the Top 3 teams we think will be able to make it to the World Finals tournament this year.

1. PSG Talon

PSG Talon is the flagship team of the PCS and has an almost undefeated record in 2021. There is no doubt in the region that this team will make it to the World Finals unless they suddenly drop the quality of performance during the playoffs. There’s a good chance that they’ll also place 1st in the Round Robin since it doesn’t look like any other team is even approaching the individual level that the players have in this team alongside the incredible teamwork that they display.

The playstyle of PSG Talon in the LoL PCS is overall domination. They win their lanes, teamfights, and secure every objective that they can lay their hands on. It honestly feels like a top LPL team playing in a minor region at this point. We hope that the other teams provide enough competition for PSG Talon so that they can improve their performance in preparation for their time at the World Stage so that they’ll at least reach the Knockout Stage.

2. Beyond Gaming

Beyond Gaming is next up on the standings and is the 2nd favorite to make it to the World Finals alongside PSG Talon. Their roster isn’t as well-known as that of PSG Talon but they are making a name for themselves as the main competition for their rivals. As mentioned previously, this is Doggo’s team which means that they have a really strong bottom lane that is mostly responsible for most of their wins in the Pacific Championship Series.

The best part about Beyond Gaming is that they are an entirely new team that no one probably knows about. Teams like Invictus Gaming and Funplus Phoenix were unknown teams that nobody really thought about until they suddenly made Finals and started spanking the European teams 3-0. While we’re not saying that Beyond Gaming will be the next team that will take home the title of champion, we’re positive that the LoL PCS will give out a performance that will surprise everybody.

3. Machi Esports

Machi Esports has been making appearances at the Worlds Finals for the past few years but has shown poor standings in both the Group Stage and even in the Play-ins. This year they’re looking to redeem themselves by putting up a fight against the best in the world. With the improved competition in the LoL PCS, Machi Esports look a bit revitalized with their new roster featuring their new mid laner – JimieN – making a groundbreaking appearance in the region.