Overwatch Esports: xQc Joins Gladiators Legion & More

Last minute roster additions are on the menu in the world of Overwatch Esports. With Gladiators Legion taking the spotlight, here's what's happened recently in professional Overwatch.

xQc Joins Gladiators Legion & Sentinels

The Gladiators Legion have shocked their fans with the addition of Félix “xQc” Lengyel to the roster. xQc will take the role of substitute main tank for the Gladiators Legion, with Byung-ho “Panker” Lee as the first choice. The news comes after Panker received a two-way contract, making him eligible to play in the Overwatch League roster as well as the Legion roster. Sentinels also announced that xQc will be an influencer for their organization.

But this decision has not gone down well amongst the community. Fans have taken this news with negative results, as xQc is not known for being a positive force in Overwatch. Before he joined the Legion, xQc was a member of the Dallas Fuel, playing as their main tank. After several incidents that sparked controversy, the Fuel dropped him from the roster. Homophobia and racism were some of the infractions, and xQc received severe punishment. Other prominent members of the community have also spoken out about the addition. Chairman of the LA Valiant, Noah Whinston, tweeted that he hoped teams would consider their community's values over numbers.

Other fans are being lenient, willing to give Lengyel a second chance to redeem himself. With xQc's addition to Contenders, it's likely that viewership for the tournament will increase, as his fans will be eager to watch him play. Contenders viewership is low, and with the Overwatch League taking place, steps will most likely happen to increase this. xQc's addition is likely one of these steps, and if no more infractions take place, the acquisition will pay off.

Gamsu joins Shanghai Dragons

The Shanghai Dragons have acquired a new member for their lineup. Youngjin “Gamsu” Noh has joined the team to take up the role of main tank, covering for Eui-Seok “Fearless” Lee. Fearless is currently recuperating at home in Korea with ill health, so main tank duties now fall to Gamsu.

Gamsu was key to the success of his former team, Boston Uprising, in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League. After fantastic results and a perfect stage finish, the Uprising was looking to be one of the best teams. But the final stage proved difficult, and they began to deteriorate in rankings. In the offseason, the Uprising have acquired new players and let old ones go, including Gamsu.

Fans of the main tank expressed their relief that he had found a new team. During the season, rumors spread that members were unhappy on the Uprising due to the management. It was also said that the team had divided into two sides, creating tension and anger in scrims for the players. Now Gamsu has found a new home with the Dragons; fans are eager to see what he brings to the table for the Shanghai team.

Fusions Signed to Boston Uprising

With the release of Gamsu, the Boston Uprising needed to find another main tank player, and fast. Luckily, the team had one ready to go. Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth has been recently promoted to the main roster as the main tank. Fusions was the main tank for their Contenders team, Uprising Academy, and had a two-way contract. Now, with the final piece in place, Boston looks to have a strong lineup for the season. Fusions will play main tank along with Park “Axxiom” Min-seob also taking the position.
The Uprising Academy have had relative success in their seasons of Contenders. First known as Toronto Esports, they came second in Season One of Contenders North America, losing to Fusion University in the finals. After a playoff run in the second season, the team encountered some management issues. The team were re-branded as Uprising Academy and reached the playoffs in Season Three.

Wub and Curryshot Join Mayhem Academy

The Contenders team for the Florida Mayhem have recruited two new pieces for the new season. Cameron “Wub” Johnson and Rohit “Curryshot” Nathani have signed onto the team for 2019 Contenders North America. Wub will be playing DPS for the squad, while Curryshot has joined on as the strategic coach. Curryshot was part of One.PoinT as their head coach before joining the Mayhem Academy. Wub was the DPS player for teams such as Kungarna and Phase 2 and was crucial to the teams with his skills.

Coming Up

The Overwatch League Community Countdown is ending, as the second season is almost ready to go. The final matches of the countdown will take place on February 13th with a community showmatch. Once they've concluded, the second season of the Overwatch League kicks off on February 14th. The league begins with a match between Season One champions, London Spitfire, and runners up, Philadelphia Fusion.

Images via Gladiators Legion and Shanghai Dragons