Toyz (gamer) explained

Toyz
Birth Name:Lau Wai-kin
Birth Date:9 June 1992
Birth Place:Sha Tin, Hong Kong
Nationality:Hong Kong
Years Active:2014–present
Silver Button:yes
Module:
Embed:y
Header-Color:
  1. DDDDDD
Game:League of Legends
Career Role:Mid
Career Start:2011–2013, 2014
Career End:2015
Coach Start:2014, 2017
Coach End:2019
Years1:2011–2012
Team1:CrossGaming
Years2:2012–2013
Team2:Taipei Assassins
Years3:2014–2015
Team3:Hong Kong Esports
Cyears1:2014
Cteam1:Fnatic
Cyears2:2017–2019
Cteam2:G-Rex
Highlights:
Child:yes
T:劉偉健
S:刘伟健
P:Liú Wěijiàn
Y:Làuh Wáih-gihn
Embed:yes
Charge:Possession of Category Two narcotics with intention to sell
Conviction Penalty:4 years and 2 months in prison
Conviction Status:Incarcerated on 16 May 2024; scheduled for release on 16 July 2028

Kurtis Lau Wai-kin, better known as Toyz, is a Hong Kong esports personality and YouTuber. He is a former professional League of Legends player, best known for winning the Season 2 World Championship as the mid laner for Taipei Assassins. Following his retirement in late 2015, he transitioned to several coaching and managerial roles for esports teams in Taiwan before switching his focus to his YouTube channel.

Lau was arrested by Taiwanese police in late 2021, on suspicion of trafficking marijuana. The following year, he pled guilty to one charge of possessing Category Two narcotics with the intention to sell and was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison. He unsuccessfully appealed the sentence, and began serving his sentence in 2024.

Career

After starting his competitive career by playing for the amateur team CrossGaming in 2011,[1] Lau was recruited by Taipei Assassins in April 2012, with whom he went on to win the Season 2 World Championship.[2] [3] Although he was successful while playing for Taipei Assassins, in June 2013 he was forced to retire from professional play because of carpal tunnel syndrome.[1]

In 2014, he coached for the European team Fnatic during their run in the 2014 World Championship,[4] which ended in the group stage.[5] However, Lau returned to professional play in 2015, forming the Hong Kong Esports team together with former Taipei Assassins teammate Wang "Stanley" June-tsan.[6] Lau left Hong Kong Esports on 14 October 2015, after making a lengthy post on his Facebook account accusing the team's CEO, Derek Cheung, of match fixing on September.[7]

On 12 September 2016, Lau founded Raise Gaming to compete in the Elite Challenger Series (ECS), the secondary league of the League of Legends Master Series (LMS), with the goal of qualifying for the LMS. Under Lau's coaching the team placed first in the 2017 ECS Spring regular season and second in playoffs. The team qualified for the LMS after defeating Team Yetti in the promotion tournament. When the team rebranded to G-Rex on 15 September 2017, Lau stayed with the team as a coach, before becoming the organisation's Director of Esports in mid-2018. He left G-Rex at the end of 2019.

Notable tournament results

DateEventPlacingFinal game
2012-04-30NVIDIA Game Festival 2012 2ndTaipei AssassinsWorld Elite
2012-05-29Go4LoL Pro Asia Season 1 1stTaipei AssassinsWorld Elite
2012-06-17StarsWar 7 1stTaipei AssassinsWorld Elite
2012-07-15IGN Pro League Season 5 Taiwanese Qualifiers 1stTaipei AssassinsCorsair
2012-09-01Season Two Taiwanese Regional Finals 1stTaipei AssassinsCorsair
2012-10-13Season 2 World Championship 1stTaipei AssassinsAzubu Frost
2012-11-172012 Garena Premier League Season 1 1stTaipei AssassinsSingapore Sentinels
2012-12-02IGN Pro League Season 5 3rdTaipei AssassinsFnatic
2013-04-212013 Garena Premier League Spring 1stTaipei AssassinsNo playoffs
2013-05-19NVIDIA Game Festival 2013 3rdTaipei AssassinsOMG
2013-05-26All-Star Shanghai 2013 – Mid Lane Skill Competition 1stToyz Misaya
2013-08-292013 Garena Premier League Championship 2ndTaipei Assassinsahq e-Sports Club
2015-07-262015 League of Legends Master Series Summer 2ndHong Kong Esportsahq e-Sports Club

Arrest

Taiwanese police in Taichung arrested Lau on suspicion of trafficking marijuana on 29 September 2021.[8] He subsequently pled guilty to one charge of possessing Category Two narcotics with the intention to sell on 16 June 2022[9] and was later sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison.[10] He appealed his sentence in 2023, but his appeal was denied.[11] He began serving his sentence on 16 May 2024.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Toyz' story: Kurtis Lau wants to take HK Esports to the world championship of League of Legends . Wong . Tsui-kai . 17 November 2014 . . South China Morning Post Publishers . 2 December 2015 .
  2. News: Taipei Assassins Crowned League of Legends Champions . 24 April 2020 . IGN . 16 October 2012 . en.
  3. Web site: A league of their own . Parkin . Simon . 6 July 2014 . . Gamer Network . 2 December 2015 .
  4. Web site: Fnatic picks up Toyz as a coach for the Season 4 World Championship . Kulasingham . Nilu . 8 September 2014 . . . 2 December 2015 .
  5. Web site: League of Legends World Championships week two round-up . 28 September 2014 . . . 2 December 2015 .
  6. Web site: Hong Kong Esports Reintroduces Toyz and Stanley to Competitive Play . Chen . James . 26 November 2014 . LoL Esports . . 2 December 2015 .
  7. News: Cheung . Karen . Local League of Legends gamer leaves eSports team; suggests manager fixed tournaments . 24 April 2020 . Hong Kong Free Press . 30 October 2015.
  8. News: Biazzi . Leonardo . Former League pro arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking . 2 October 2021 . Dot Esports . 30 September 2021.
  9. News: Popko . John . Season 2 League of Legends World Champion Toyz pleads guilty to drug trafficking charges . 1 July 2022 . InvenGlobal . 20 June 2022 . en.
  10. News: Chien-you . Tseng . 實況主Toyz賣大麻菸彈下場出爐!法院依六個毒品罪判4年2月 . 24 November 2022 . . 24 November 2022. zh-tw.
  11. News: Mclaughlin . Declan . League World champion’s prison sentence appeal denied . Dexerto . 7 December 2023 . en.
  12. News: Toyz劉偉健販毒案 判刑定讞5/16將入監 . Central News Agency. 14 May 2024. 16 May 2024. zh-tw.