Around the OWL: Toronto and Hangzhou sign players, Seoul Dynasty add depth with tanks

Overwatch 2

October 9, 2018

Nicolas Vera

With the Free Agency period in full swing for all Overwatch League teams, roster moves are about to start happening at a breakneck pace. The Toronto OWL organization have made headlines recently as they have put pen to paper on former LA Valiant off tank Kang-jae “envy” Lee. Meanwhile, Guangzhou OWL have made their first string of signings as Chara, Happy, Rio and WonJaeLee have all agreed to contracts with the Chinese side.

Seoul Dynasty continues to get scarier and scarier with new additions at Main Tank and Off Tank roles, and the Houston Outlaws finally part ways with KyKy as both parties look for ventures elsewhere.

Gaining traction

After Paris and Atlanta made a splash with their recent roster announcements, the rest of the expansion team regions have yet to make an impression with the Overwatch community that can rival the Dafran hype that was first brought to the table.

As the pickings get slimmer for teams still holding trials and testing out different players, many fans of these new teams are left waiting in anticipation as the newly founded organizations start to make their moves. For Toronto OWL, the capture of Envy at Off Tank is an excellent pick up as he can slot into any team composition with his high-level D. Va mechanics.

Although he’s a great building block for a roster, Toronto will need much more if they want to compete with the best and brightest the Overwatch League has to offer and Canadian fans will keep their ear to the ground as more signings are sure to come within a few weeks.

After bursting onto the scene as one of the four new Chinese teams entering the Overwatch League, Guangzhou have finally made player signings of some high-level talent. Guangzhou OWL has purchased a quartet of players formerly of Meta Bellum, the players include; Jung-yeon “Chara” Kim, Seung-pyo “Rio” Oh, Jung-woo “Happy” Lee and Won-jae “WonJaeLee” Lee.

Meta renewed

This group of players have real potential for success within the OWL, Meta Bellum came in 3-4th place during Overwatch Contenders: Korea and this group of players specifically are geared for success within the league. Starting with WonJaeLee, the former LW Red Support has made a name for himself within the Korean scene for a few years now. His expert play on Zenyatta has made highlight after highlight within the Contenders scene, and now he will show his talents on the grander stage.

On the DPS line, Jung-woo “Happy” Lee, formerly named Vesta, is yet another young Korean DPS talent that has the potential to make it big. At just 19, Happy is making his talents well known and his lethal McCree and Widowmaker have the pedigree to compete with the best in the league.

While the four players of Meta Bellum are great additions, its still going to take a few more quality additions to make this Meta Bellum lineup surge. With the newer Chinese sides, it seems they’re willing to disregard national ties and the integration of Korean talent is fundamental to any teams success as an organization, but the ability to have great Chinese substitutes could be a possibility depending on team direction.

Seoul Dynasty add more role players, Kyky parts ways

With their acquisition of Fissure in the Main Tank role, Seoul Dynasty has been rebooted for a stellar Season Two run and the additions are still continuing for the Korean organization. The coaching staff have scouted two players from the Overwatch Contenders: China scene, both from the number one ranked team in the region, Lucky Future Zenith.

Min-hyuk “Michelle” Choi and Min-seo “Marve1” Hwang are two Korean prospects that are well travelled in the Eastern Overwatch scene and their credentials have matched the Seoul Dynasty pedigree. Michelle has placed first in two separate regions as his teams have performed exceedingly well in 2018. In all competitions he has starred in for his team, they have finished first on every occasion.

These moves from Seoul Dynasty are part of a larger scheme to bring in quality young players that can mimic and possibly exceed the behaviours of their teammates in starting roles. With veterans like Ryujehong and Fissure in the lineup, it’s important that the wealth of knowledge that’s shared between the seasoned pros can get passed down in an efficient manner. Players like Michelle and Marve1 have proven they can adapt to new surroundings and this chapter in their careers will be their biggest test yet.

Finally in the league, Houston Outlaws have announced another departure from their team. This time, the move comes from the coaching staff as Assistant Coach Kyle ‘KyKy’ Souder has been relieved of his duties for the team. Although KyKy didn’t spend much time with the roster, he did share time in Houston’s rollercoaster season and the Outlaws made sure a proper send-off was in order before KyKy looks for greener pastures.

As of right now, job prospects are still nowhere near decided but an extended run with an Overwatch Contenders: North America team may be a possibility given KyKy’s track record in the scene.

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