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5 Main Tanks Seoul Dynasty Could Sign

Volamel 2019-07-26 05:23:05
  With the retirement of Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung, the Seoul Dynasty are left with eleven players on their starting roster. From their beginnings as Lunatic-Hai all the way back in 2017 and even in their season one performance, the Dynasty, as a franchize, has seemingly always put some emphasize on having a large roster. With that said, there is a myriad of players that would make a fantastic fit with the organization, but here are five main tanks that would bolster the Dynasty’s forces leading into the 2020 season further into the reported role lock. Seoul Dynasty started with a 12 man roster in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, and while many of the original staff members from Lunatic-Hai have left the franchize leading into season two there are still themes of player development and enjoying the flexibility of having a large roster. This has come to a head most recently in the third stage of 2019 where the Dynasty has been playing with nearly a unique roster for every opponent. Before their quarterfinal match in the Stage 3 playoffs, Danny Lim gave some insight on exactly why they appreciate having a full roster. This leads me and others to believe that the Dynasty are keeping their options open with regards to their newly acquired 12th player slot, but are more than likely gunning for a main tank at the moment.  The overall strength of main tanks has been blanketed and dulled by the recent GOATS metagame and once Stage 4’s upheaval begins to take hold, this could leave room for experimentation. Throughout Overwatch’s history, the past has taught us that the flex support position and the main tank have some form of direct correlation with success. This leads me to our first potential contestant. He’s someone who doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of other main tanks but purely thinking about the logistics of the acquisition, it makes a lot of sense.  

Oberon

  Ham "Oberon" Eun-sang has been around since the summer of 2017 and has played for teams like BK Stars, Flash Lux, and MVP Space. He now finds himself playing alongside Seoul Dynasty’s academy team, Gen.G Esports.  This key detail could make him incredibly lucrative for Seoul. Not only can they avoid buyout costs, which are a big deterrent for some Overwatch League teams, but Seoul is going to have a better understanding of who Oberon is and if he’d be a good fit for the growing roster.   

Yakpung

  There is a world where Seoul starts to court Jo "Yakpung" Gyeong-mu towards the end of Stage 4 for the 2020 season. With how turbulent the Toronto Defiant have been all season, there is reason to believe he still has some potential to be reached even with the Toronto Defiant dropping an 0-7 Stage 3.  With his team making a slow transition away from, at the very least, a fully Korean roster, he may want to fully explore his options in the coming months. With Seoul, in my mind, would be looking to develop and integrate a young and promising main tank, it feels like a great match.  

Karayan

  The Florida Mayhem has been public in saying that Fate was signed after their initial plan was in place to have Choi "Karayan" San-ha as their starting main tank. The Mayhem could look to make a turnaround and trade or sell him to the Dynasty, which would fit Seoul’s more recent acquisition strategy.  Karayan has made a quiet rise to the Overwatch League playing on Monster Sheild KR, but claimed his stake with WGS Armament in Overwatch Contenders Korea. His Reinhardt always stood out and put him on the shortlist of young main tanks ready for a call up to the main event, but that doesn’t mean he only has a Reinhardt. Karayan more then likely has more potential than that and at the very least, he’d make up for some of Hwang "Marve1" Min-seo’s deficiencies in the coming meta shift.   

Panker

  As a sweetheart of the North American Contenders scene, Lee "Panker" Byung-ho has been on the shortlist of main tanks capable of playing in the Overwatch League for a while. He also brings a deep experience with Overwatch that spans nearly three years. With time spent with KongDoo Uncia and Toronto Esports, Panker has shown his skill on both fully Korean roster as well as mixed rosters.  What allows Panker to stand out from his peers is his flexibility. Not only is he proficient on Winston, but he’s shown that his Wrecking Ball is something that the Legion will utilize from time to time. With the reported 2/2/2 lock, Panker’s skills certainly could be something Seoul Dynasty looks at as they approach the shifting landscape in Stage 4 and beyond. With his two way contract set in place with the Gladiators, Panker might be a far shot for Seoul coming into season three. Another avenue Seoul Dynasty could explore from the Legion is to look at their other starting main tank.  

Stand1

  Seo "Stand1" Ji-won really came into his own after his performance with Team Envy as a substitute main tank for the Atlantic Showdown. However, Stand1 has been around for a surprisingly long time.  He’s played alongside Nc Foxes, CONBOX, and NRG Esports. His performance was so solid that the Los Angeles Gladiator’s quickly signed him thereafter to their academy team. This skillset and quick acquisition hints at a lot of promise for the young main tank. Being able to coordinate with a new team at the Atlantic Showdown and still managed to aid the team in a respectable second-place finish against the like of Fusion University and ATL Academy should be held in fairly high regard.   

Mag

  And last but certainly not least, as an honorable mention, we have Kim "Mag" Tae-sung, the young main tank phenom. He is a fantastic main tank that has been featured in China and now more prominently in Overwatch Contenders Korea on RunAway.  During his stay in Overwatch Contenders China he played with team Legend Young Beyond and has been on a handful of lower-tier Korean teams like Maxtill SomeDay and GC Busan LUCIA. The problem with Mag is that he is only 17 and won’t be eligible for play until June of next year. If we use this season as a guide, Mag would only be available for around half of Stage 3 and all of Stage 4. This would be a costly investment, but with such a deep and developed roster, in my opinion, Mag would be worth the wait even if you stuck him in your academy to be promoted later.
Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLGs of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would to follow his thoughts you can follow him at @Volamel. Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.
 

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