Overwatch League’s 2021 Offseason Winners And Losers

The 2021 Overwatch League season will be the most competitive season to date. We’ve established this time and time again, and most of that comes down to how well most teams have done with their offseason moves. With its litany of trades and rookie acquisitions, the Overwatch League offseason’s chaos is easily one of the most anticipated moments all year. And with BlizzConline in the books and the 2021 Overwatch League season schedule and format formalised, it is time to review which of the franchises made the most impactful moves and who has been perpetually behind the eight-ball.

Winners - Washington Justice

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Not only has the Washington Justice massively improved this season, they easily win glow-up of the year. 

Landing Jang "Decay" Gui-un for the 2021 season is a success in and of itself, but then Justice went a signed one of the most promising rookie main tanks, Kim "Mag" Tae-sun. Then you add in that fact that Kim "Fury" Jun-ho has taken his talents to Washington, and you’re already mid-table with three players. This was supposed to be a normal offseason, not a fantasy draft of top players. On top of that, the roster is filled with other established names that have graced the stage before. That said, expectations are high around the Justice, and for good reason. After having two disappointing seasons, the team they’ve assembled is simply impressive. 

All in all, when you contrast this pre-season narrative to one last year, you’d swear we’d be talking about different franchises integrity. Kudos to you Justice, we love what you’ve done with the place. 

Winners - ...Whoever Signs Rascal

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The boy is good. The boy brings fans. And frankly speaking, the league would be better if he was in it. Whoever has the opportunity to, or whoever already has, should sign Kim "Rascal" Dong-jun.

Not only have fans been waiting to see where he would land after assisting the San Francisco Shock in their 2020 title victory, but he is one of the most experienced and flexible veterans in all of Overwatch. With that in mind, Rascal would be a great benefit to nearly any team in the league, especially with the hero pool format making a return. As someone who has shown to be a star while also maintaining full role fluidity, Rascal has a skill set that lends itself to the format. 

Whoever lands Rascal, pre or midseason, most certainly will see a performance bonus, one that could push a bubble-team into a possible trip to Hawaii, but we cannot leave one of our last remaining stars on the shelf. Rascal deserves a home. 

Losers - Los Angeles Valiant

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Didn’t expect this one, did you?

While the Los Angeles Valiant are an obvious shout as a team that has ‘underperformed’ in the offseason, it might not be for the reasons you suspect. If they wanted to, the Valiant could cobble together some of the talent left as free agents and still end up with a decent enough team on paper. Realistically speaking, that’s unlikely to happen. Not only does that sound fairly expensive, but once you also take into consideration the logistics, the daydream quickly does an Icarus style nose dive.

Let’s face the facts; the Los Angeles Valiant start their 2021 season on April 17th. Nearly two months out and this franchise have been radio silent outside of who their operating partner is for the season. No coach as of yet, no core, and frankly dwindling chances that this team really has a chance especially at May Melee. Weirdly enough, their situation is not too different from the 2020 Vancouver Titans implosion last year. By the end of the season, we could speak about the Valiant in a different light, but with so little to work with and with declining expectations, the Valiant feel woefully underprepared coming into their 2021 season debut. 

Losers - Paris Eternal

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Let us be crystal clear, there is no shade or no intended disrespect toward any Paris Eternal staff or their players in any way shape or form. That said, the 2020 Paris roster was nearly title-contending. This season's roster is a far cry away from challenging the best teams in the world. To be fair to Paris, it would be a tough, and fairly expensive, ask to improve this roster but the direction it went is, unfortunately, at the cost of performance. Replacing stars like Choi "Hanbin" Han-been, Kim "SP9RK1E" Yeong-han, and Kim "NineK" Bumhoon is no small task, but the 2021 roster simply is not a lateral move. Do they have the potential to exceed expectations? Can they punch above their weight? Most certainly, but again, it would be a tough ask to retain those expectations and performance level after losing such a strong lineup.  

However, the fact of the matter is this; the 2021 Paris Eternal has taken steps backwards when it comes strictly to competitive performance. They are helping the pipeline of talent, fostering a more local fan base, and much more, all of which are incredibly commendable, but this has come at the cost of a truly special roster. 

Again, no disrespect Paris fans, this is strictly business. 

Winners - Toronto Defiant

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The 2021 Toronto Defiant? Thumbs up!

Much like the Justice, the Toronto Defiant has blossomed this year into becoming quite the competitive powerhouse. While their 2020 roster seemed fairly promising, the results frankly never materialised. While there isn’t anyone inherently to blame, this franchise has needed a rebuild for some time, and they’ve built something that would even make the Maple Leaves blush. 

Leading the charge you’ve got a coach who often doesn’t see much credit. The fact that Toronto landed Philadelphia’s former head coach, Kim "KDG" Dong-gun, should put fans and supporters at ease. Now you can’t have such a glowing review of your offseason without a rookie star and Lee "Na1st" Ho-sung fits the bill nicely. Since his debut alongside Meta Bellum, Na1st has been on scouting lists forever, and we finally get to see him not only play against some of the best teams in the world but also alongside what looks to be a very competitive team. And most recently, the Defiant has landed former flex support for the Los Angeles Valiant, Mun "Lastro" Jung-won. 

Top to bottom this team looks like a contender and when you contrast that to their previous seasons, it really is a night and day difference. Canadian Overwatch League fans deserve at least one decent team and Toronto aims to be that team.

Images via Blizzard Entertainment