If you haven’t read part 1, here at esportsguide we’re diving head first into Overwatch Rostermania. However, instead of just simply listing changes and names, we’ll be trying to give you some insight into the potential of these changes. Accordingly, we’ve devised a ranking system. With Part 1 handling the Western Conference, this week we’re focusing on the Pacific Conference. Let’s get right into it!
Note that before proceeding, we are ranking the potential of the changes and not the ranking of the final roster. A first seeded team from last year making one small change doesn’t have much potential for example, compared to a lower team taking bigger risks. Also, once again the term ‘NS’ stands for ‘new signing’, and we won’t be listing former players or coaching staff.
#1 Los Angeles Gladiators
- Indy “SPACE” Halpern
- Kim “birdring” Ji-hyeok
- Chris “MirroR” Trinh
- Kevin “kevster” Persson
- Kim “MuZe” Young-hun – NS
- Jinseo “Shu” Kim – NS
- Grant “moth” Espe – NS
- Kim “skewed” Min-seok – NS
The Gladiators didn’t put up much of a fight last year – maybe some Overwatch Rostermania could change that. Indeed, by swapping out half of the team, some serious change is here.
And by serious, I’m referring to none other than “moth” – the brilliant young player was a massive part of San Francisco’s dominance from last season. For this reason, Los Angeles Gladiators are at the very top of my radar.
#2 Hangzhou Spark
- Quilin “guxue” Xu
- Kyeongbo “GodsB” Kim
- Hojin “IDK” Park
- Tong “ColdesT” Xiaodong
- Liu “M1ka” Jiming
- Minho “Architect” Park
- Zheng “Shy” Yangjie – NS
- Jia “LiGe” Chengje – NS
- Lee “MCD” Jeong-ho – NS
- Se “BERNAR” Won Shin – NS
- Minsoo “SeoMinSoo” Seo- NS
Sitting at the bottom end of the Conference, I doubt anyone question whether Hangzhou Spark would commit to some changes to the roster. Indeed, to back up some earlier changes from this year, a more severe overhaul has come to fruition.
With a brighter future ahead, they’ve landed some superb signings with the prospective talent of the Contenders Cup. And no, I’m not generalizing – all 5 players have at least claimed gold within the secondary scene at least once. Personally, I think they’ve made some great decisions and it’ll all boil down to working as a team.
#3 Los Angeles Valiant
- Johannes “Shax” Nielsen
- Sanglok “Dreamer” Song
- Jungwon “Lastro” Mun
- Jae “RaiN” Ho Park
- Kai “KSP” Collins
- Adam “Adam” Soong – NS
- Brady “Agilities” Girardi – NS
While change is great, sometimes a team needs to stick together. Although Los Angeles Valiant weren’t too hot last year, it seems that the roster is determined to stick together for the most part and look to break the podium in the 2020 season. The stellar signing of “Agilities” could help sharpen the sword as they plunge into the next season.
#4 Chengdu Hunters
- Xianyao “Yveltal” Li
- Wenjie “Elsa” Luo
- Tianbin “LateYoung” Ma
- Menghan “Ameng” Ding
- Hu “JinMu” Yi
- Xin “Leave” Huang
- Lei “Jimmy” Yujia – NS
- Liu “Kaneki” Nian – NS
- Tan “Nisha” Li – NS
- Qiu “GA9A” Jiaxin – NS
- Cao “Farway1987″ Jiale – NS
Year in and year out, the Chengdu Hunters manage to maintain an entirely Chinese line-up and fanbase, which is admirable.
However, with a 14th place finishing in the Regular Season, nobody was impressed by their performance. The supposed solution comes in the form of 5 fresh faces all of whom are sourced from the Contenders Cup. Such a gamble is definitely worth the risk of having a better season than the last one – an exciting start for the youngsters too!
#5 Guangzhou Charge
- Yiliang “Eileen” Ou
- Seungpyo “Rio” Oh
- Nam “Cr0ng” Ki-cheol
- Youngseo “KariV” Park – NS
- Kim “Mandu” Chan-hee – NS
- Zou “MYKaylee” Zije – NS
- Choi “ChoiSehwan” Se-hwan – NS
The term ‘above average’ is a pretty accurate way to describe last year’s season for the Guangzhou Charge. Regular 4-5th finishes together with a win at the Summer Showdown begs the question – should they try stick together or inject new blood?
They went for the latter and notably, managed to sign “KariV”, the young gun with a decorated career behind numerous podium finishes and wins. He could be the key, together with signings from the Contenders scene, to reshaping this squad.
#6 Dallas Fuel
- Kim “Doha” Dong-Ha
- Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-han – NS
- Choi “Hanbin” Han-been – NS
- Kwon “Fielder” Joon – NS
- Kim “Rapel” Jun-keun – NS
- Euiseok “Fearless” Lee – NS
- Seungsoo “Jecse” Lee – NS
- Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo – NS
Disappointment of the season for 2019? Yeah, pretty much. This is highly evident as an entirely new team has been formed and entirely South Korean. Bearing a mix of veterans and Contenders, there’s a lot to discuss – but is this a winning formula of players or just a team desparate for a change?
Regardless, things can only go up from here.
#7 Shanghai Dragons
- Minchul “Izayaki” Kim
- Byungsun “Fleta” Kim
- Lee “LIP” Jae-won
- Kang “Void” Jun-woo
- Lee “LeeJaeGon” Jae-Gon
- Panseung “Fate” Koo – NS
- Joon “Erster” Jeong – NS
- Chengzhi “Molly” He – NS
- Minseong “diem” Bae – NS
Despite a strong reign of dominance in this conference last year, a third place finish at the Grand Finals left fans disappointed. Change is merited and everyone’s eye is set on this new roster. Accordingly, a wave of four fresh players have been drawn in, sourced from other league teams – no chances are being taken her on Contenders here.
By reforming this team, a new championship contender is on the horizon and is a highlight of the Overwatch Rostermania.
#8 Seoul Dynasty
- Minseo “Marve1″ Hwang
- Dongeon “FITS” Kim
- Junyoung “Profit” Park
- Jaehui “Gesture” Hong
- Youngwan “Creative” Kim
- Hyunwoo “Toyou” Lim
- Jongryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park – NS
- Taesung “Anamo” Jung – NS
After finishing second at the 2020 Grand Finals, Seoul Dynasty looks to take the conservative approach and keep the majority of their roster. The two respectable additions look to potentially push this team slightly further to the top.
#9 San Francisco Shock
- Matthew “super” DeLisi
- Hyobin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi
- Myeonghwan “smurf” Yoo
- Minki “Viol2t” Park
- Namjoo “Striker” Kwon
- Seonchang “ANS” Lee
- Juseok “Twilight” Lee
- Sean “ta1yo” Taiyo Henderson
- Brice “FDGoD” Monscavoir – NS
- Charlie “nero” Zwarg – NS
- Lim “Glister” Gil-seong – NS
Winning brings with it some serious decisions. Keeping their main chess pieces, San Francisco Shock is experimenting with some signings from other OWL players heading into the next season.
#10 Vancouver Titans
- Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff
- Abtin “ShRedLock” Shirvani
- Randal “Roolf” Stark
- Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin – NS
- Nathan “frd” Goebel – NS
- Anthony “Fire” King – NS
One of the worst teams from last season, a newly formed squad could change that. While they’re not the best signings in the world, the new players all come from better teams – that’s only improvement.
Bearing in mind all of these ongoing changes, the official deadline for the Overwatch Rostermania is arriving. Indeed, 4th January 2021 will see the finalization of every roster for both Conferences.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our spin on Overwatch Rostermania. A final note is that fact that these rosters are not conclusive, but relevant to the date of publishing.
For more esports news visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news
