OWL: Danteh Leaves Houston Outlaws
| Tags: Overwatch
| Author Joseph Shay
Fan favorite team leader Dante “Danteh” Cruz is a free agent for the 2023 off-season.
Houston Outlaws find themselves without need for the most flexible player in the 2022 season.
Words can not capture just how important @danteh was to the Outlaws. Through thick and thin, he was the center piece of our team.
Thank you for everything, Danteh. You are truly a GOAT.
Once an Outlaw, always an Outlaw. pic.twitter.com/FZwInRz079
— Houston Outlaws (@Outlaws) December 1, 2022
Dante “Danteh” Cruz
In the 2022 season, Danteh was seen following in the footsteps of his Head Coach Jacob “JAKE” Lyon. Not only did he switch his main role on the team to Tank for the season, but he willingly filled his former role as a DPS when needed, and even filled the Support rile shortly. This flexibility made him one of very few, maybe only two (himself and JAKE) who have played all three roles in Overwatch League matches. What many don't know is that Danteh didn't just pick up Tank play this season. He began his competitive career as an Off-Tank player, meaning his experience with flexing roles is years deep at this point.
Just like JAKE before him, he was a team leader in game, making him a great fit for the Tank role this last season. With all of these high quality attributes, Danteh comes off of his fourth year with the Outlaws and fifth year in the league as a very high value player.
Houston Outlaws
The Outlaws do still have a bit of a core to build up a roster around. With 2021 Rookie of the Year Se-hyun “Pelican” Oh and Support superstar Jungwon “Lastro” Mun still remaining on the team, there is a solid start for them to build their new team, similar to years past. With only Korean players remaining on the roster, we may also see a build of mostly, or completely Korean players on the roster. Head Coach JAKE has been working heavily on Korean the past year or two, so there may be no need to find a new coach even if the team is entirely Korean. Outlaws could still be set for another successful season despite the talent they've lost early in the offseason.
Joseph is Production Director and Writer with experience in the esports field. He has coached Overwatch teams in North American and Pacific Contenders, and has been an avid esports fan for years now. Outside of esports and media, he is a Creative Writing major based out of Virginia, USA.