Overwatch Esports: Recent Roster Changes

It’s been a busy week for teams in the Overwatch circuit as Contenders Trials around the globe are taking place. Some teams are gearing up by signing new players to their rosters in hopes of taking home first place in Season Four. Here is a recap of what has been going on recently in Overwatch Esports.

Florida Mayhem signs New Assistant Coach

Florida Mayhem have recently shaken things up in their coaching department, to some people’s surprise. Mayhem announced that they were parting ways with Assistant Coach Hyun-jin ‘r2der’ Choi and that they were bringing on Marvin ‘Promise’ Schröder as the new Assistant Coach.

Promise recently coached the Contenders North America team for Florida, Mayhem Academy, and previously coached the Contenders Europe team known as Young and Beautiful. The Mayhem had a rough finish to the first season of the Overwatch League, finishing in 11th place overall. Fans are hoping that the new shakeup in the coaching staff will bear better results for the team in yellow and red.

Mangachu Signed to Mayhem Academy

Perhaps one of the biggest shocks to the Contenders North America scene recently was when XL2 Academy released almost all of their roster to make way for new players and specifically, New York locals to represent them in Contenders Season Four. Fans were taken by surprise when XL2 announced that they were releasing Liam ‘Mangachu’ Campbell from the roster, and it’s not surprising either.

Mangachu has made a name for himself in the Overwatch Esports circuit, having competed for Team Canada two years in a row in the Overwatch World Cup, coming in 2nd place in 2017 and 3rd place in 2018. He also helped lead XL2 to a 2nd place finish during Contenders Season 2, and a 3rd-4th place finish during Contenders Season Three. Now, the Canadian DPS superstar has found a new home, as Mayhem Academy were quick to sign Mangachu after he recently competed in the Open Division tournament, where his team, Mirage, came first overall. With the new addition to the roster, many fans are looking forward to seeing how Mayhem Academy perform as well as awaiting the news of a new coach.

XL2 Sign Kirby and Yaki

With the team releasing almost all of their roster except for main support, Jer, at the end of Contenders Season Three, XL2 have picked up some new players for the team. XL2 Academy have recently welcomed DPS player, Jun-ki ‘Yaki’ Kim, and flex tank, Dong-wook ‘Kirby’ Kim, into their ranks. Both Kirby and Yaki were members of the Contenders Korea team known as MVP Space, where they had mediocre results across the past three seasons. Both players have been crucial in their previous team, so it will be interesting to see what they bring to the table for XL2 Academy when they sign the rest of the players they need to compete in Contenders Season Four.

Samsung Morning Stars Signs Hqrdest

The Samsung Morning Stars have acquired a new and solid DPS player for their roster. Jeremy ‘Hqrdest’ Danton has been signed to the roster in time for Contenders Europe Season Four. Previously, the Morning Stars had mediocre results since their creation in 2017 but recently have shot into the spotlight with a first-place win in the Angry Cup tournament and 3rd-4th place in Contenders Europe Season Three. Hqrdest is a name that European Overwatch fans should know well, as he was previously with One.PoinT and before then; he assisted in leading Eagle Gaming to a first-place victory in Contenders Europe Season Two. Many fans of the Morning Stars are excited to see what Hqrdest will bring to the team, and are hopeful that their results will improve in tournaments to come.

Chicken Contendies Announces New Roster

Contenders Trials team Chicken Contendies has announced their new roster for the season, and here is the full roster:

DPS:
Tanner (Hitscan)
Harbleu (Flex DPS)
BucK (Projectile/Flex DPS)

Tanks:
Chazsy (Main Tank)
Salty (Off-Tank)

Supports:
Zholik (Main Support)
HTPHarold (Main Support Sub)
SuhPoze (Flex Support)

The team recently made it into the Open Division playoffs, falling 2-3 to Alpha Gaming but still earning themselves a spot in the Contenders North America Trials. With notable players like Anthony ‘Harbleu’ Ballo, fans of Contenders are excited to see what competition this team may bring to some of the more well-known teams in the circuit.

Phase 2 Announces New Roster

Another team competing in the Contenders North America Trials is Phase 2, who have also announced their new roster for the season. Here are the players competing for the team in upcoming matches:

DPS:
iTsOnYx
K1ng
Samito

Tanks:
Moopey
Pika
Dupelicate

Supports:
Phaz
Nishik

Phase 2 have gained themselves some notoriety with the signing of Rene ‘K1ng’ Rangel, who is one of the youngest professional players, if not the youngest, in the Contenders North America scene. At just 14 years old, he has proven himself to have a lot of potential, having recently competed with Contenders team known as Skyfoxes. While Skyfoxes may not have had great success in the recent seasons of Contenders North America, K1ng showed his potential to the world, and viewers are excited to see what the future holds for the young gun.

Philadelphia Fusion Signs New Assistant Coach

The Philadelphia Fusion has signed a new Assistant Coach into the team for the second season of the Overwatch League. The team has brought on Christopher ‘ChrisTFer’ Graham, a former professional player who used to play main tank for Mosaic eSports and 6nakes, most recently competing in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup Paris Qualifiers for Team Great Britain before stepping down to pursue coaching full time. ChrisTFer has had some success during his career as a professional player, and with the Philadelphia Fusion proving themselves to the world with a second-place title in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, the team can only get stronger with the new addition to the team.

Coming Up

We are now less than two weeks away from the second season of the Overwatch League, with the season kicking off on February 14th with the match between the Season One champions, the London Spitfire, and the second-place title holders, the Philadelphia Fusion, going head to head at 7 pm EST.

Images Via: Liquidpedia.net, Overwatch League, Misfits Gaming YouTube, Chicken Contendies Twitter, Phase 2 Twitter