Play time: The return of Toyz

With a new season comes new stars and new stories. Here is one of the players you should look out for in 2015! Team: Hong Kong Esports Region: Taiwan Position: Mid Rumblings of Kurtis "Toyz" Lau returning to competitive play have circulated for almost a year. That day has finally come. Toyz was immortalized as the original pioneer of Orianna after leading the Taipei Assassins (TPA) to a Season 2 World Championship behind his superstar performances on the champion. "I enjoy being so closely associated with Orianna," Toyz says. "So many fans have told me they play Orianna because of me." However, he decided to retire less than a year after winning Season 2. There has never been a clear narrative on why exactly Toyz retired. While there has been much speculation about his decision, ranging from health issues to internal problems in TPA, Toyz was very honest about why he really decided to walk away. "Since Garena decided to release Stanley, it made me want to quit TPA too," he explained. "The management had many problems and some Taiwanese people don't like people from Hong Kong. Because of this, it made me feel so much pressure. That's why I don't want to play for TPA anymore." Toyz's took his first steps to return to professional play after he was selected for the 2014 All Star Paris Hexakill team opposite retired World Elite legend Misaya. Much to the pleasure of fans, Toyz's Orianna duked it out against Misaya's famous Twisted Fate. "It felt good to play against Misaya. For me, he's just like a friend. We see each other every year." Following his experience at All Stars, Toyz was invited to become the coach of Fnatic for the World Championship. It was an experience he says made him want to become a player again. "Coaching Fnatic made me want to come back to League," he explains. "I missed the life of a player so much. I feel like I belong to esports. That's why I wanted to create a team in Taiwan." Hong Kong Esports (HKE) enabled Toyz to complete his comeback to the professional scene. The team is comprised of some of the best talents of Taiwan, including Toyz's friend and former TPA top laner Wang "Stanley" June Tsan. Following HKE's roster announcement, fans grew excited for the possibility that Toyz was back to once again dominate in professional play. Toyz however is taking things with a grain of salt. "Players from every region are getting better and better," he said. "[Winning in 2015] won't be easy like Season 2." He also emphasized that he isn't getting ahead of himself -- he is focusing on the League Masters Series (LMS) in Taiwan before growing concerned with Worlds. "I want to win LMS… I [want to] show good games to our viewers and fans." As a legend of the game, Toyz's return will be exciting to track as the 2015 season progresses. Check out the full list of players to watch in 2015 right here.