OWL 2022 Power Rankings - #10 Hangzhou Spark

Hangzhou Spark keep the strongest to lead their pack through the OWL 2022 season.

In the direct middle of the pack is a team that has always been hit or miss. The Hangzhou Spark have kept only their strongest players, adding some of the most successful Contenders player to join them. The goal now is roster retainability. Something unseen in the Spark's last two seasons. This mixed Chinese and Korean team has always impressed at some level, but is it time for them to win some titles?

Hangzhou Spark 2022 Roster

Tank

Xu “guxue” Qiulin
Se-won “BRENAR” Shin
Jia “LiGe” Chengjie

Its often times a good sign when a team keeps an entire line of players. We already that both guxue and BRENAR are top tier Tank players on their respective roles. Hangzhou Spark are one of the teams that may try to get maximum use out of their Tank roster. Having two high level Tanks is nothing to take lightly. This team will likely lead the charge as the early metas change.

LiGe will be the player to keep an eye on. For the entire last season, he was on the roster, but didn't see play time in any games. He is now a two-way player with the Spark and Bilibili in Contenders. If he doesn't become a full time player for the Spark within the next two weeks, he is likely going to continue playing in Contenders and forfeit his ability to play in the first stage of the season.

Support

Hyeong-woo “irony” Kim
Wu “Superich” Genguto

Although they may come from different Contenders teams, these two rookie Supports share not two, not four, but six Contenders Championships between them. They are each at the highest class of rookie Supports for the 2022 season. The Spark have not opted for only two Supports because its all they could recruit. These two players are all Hangzhou needs to solidify a very stable backline.

The backline last season saw uncertainty in starting players, and then disruption by means Jeong-ho “MCD” Lee being removed from the team. To go from that to such a stable backline is a fix for the team's most major issue last season. This puts Hangzhou in a more able position to succeed in every layer of the team.

DPS

Minho “Architect” Park
Zheng “shy” Yangjie
Li “Pineapple” Zhuo
Jun “AlphaYi” Kim

Two legendary DPS players with very suitable backups. This is not a DPS roster built on flexibility or depth. It is a roster meant for assurance. In the case that Architect or shy, for any reason, need somebody to fill in, they will lose almost no value in skill by replacing them with AlphaYi or Pineapple respectively. Whether it be for performance issues, communication, or health. Hangzhou will never be short on solid DPS options.

Architect is an Overwatch League Champion and World Cup Bronze medalist. Alongside World Cup Silver medalist shy, there is no explainable reason for these two not to be the starting DPS duo. This is one of the DPS duos with the most synergy, and it would be foolish to break them up.

Coaches

Chang-geun “Changgoon” Park
Jin-hyun “Miro” Gong
Se-hyeon “Neko” Park

Your eyes don't deceive you. Seoul Dynasty 2018 Main Tank Miro and Boston Uprising 2018 Flex Support Neko will join the first ever Overwatch League Champion Coach Changgoon to guide the Hangzhou Spark this season. Some of the greatest minds in esports as a whole.

Hangzhou Spark 2022 Power Rankings

With extreme talent guided by two legendary players and a Championship Coach, its easy to see a road where Hangzhou take their division by storm. With star player guxue not guaranteed a full season of play, along with a completely rookie backline, it may take time for this team to realize their potential. League Points are everything when it comes to playoffs, so the later they come into their season prime, the lower chance they have at success. They are ranked in the middle of the league because their is potential for this team to both win, and lose against any team. That being said, we are now in the territory of top ten where any team that hits their stride at the right time can qualify for the playoffs, and become Overwatch League Champions.