If Maple and Bo head to the LCS, which teams will they join?

LPL players Huang “Maple” Yi-tang and Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo are rumored to be making their way to North America, but where could Maple and Bo end up in the LCS?

According to a recent streaming clip of Chinese pro player Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang, it is suggested that the previous FPX jungler and Anyone’s Legend mid laner are looking at heading to the LCS. Both of these players have plenty to offer to North American teams. Could they end up in the same team, or will Maple and Bo be facing each other down come LCS 2022 Summer Split?

What LCS teams might need Maple and Bo in summer split?

There are a few teams who could be considering picking up Maple and Bo, mostly those eliminated from the ongoing spring split playoffs. One of the obvious possible homes for the two could be TSM, the superstar organization that has had a rapid fall from grace, finishing ninth out of ten teams in the LCS. TSM’s attempt to index into Chinese and Taiwanese talent in the first split of the year went disastrously, but the organization is heavily committed to growing its Chinese fan base.

[Rumour] According to Doinb's stream, he has mentioned Maple and (that person) will come to NA together, and this rumour is almost confirmed. pic.twitter.com/j4fBNS84nq

— Rita (@cutebchu) April 11, 2022

Maple would be an obvious replacement for mid laner Zhu “Keaiduo” Xiong, who spent time being swapped in and out of the main roster alongside Chinese support Wei “Shenyi” Zi-Jie. The increased focus on an Eastern fanbase matches up with TSM’s global goals, but seeing the squad drop Mingyi “Spica” Lu would be a surprise. Other teams who might be looking at the two LPL talents are Immortals Progressive and Dignitas QNTMPAY.

Following comments from Doinb on Maple and another player deduced by fans to likely be Bo making their way to NA, the rumors picked up steam on Reddit and other social media platforms. Both players are unlikely to show up on teams with rosters still in contention for the title, so low-ranking competitors makes the most sense.