Volamel
2016-12-11 07:50:10
A lackluster performance should not take away from a player’s potential. Placing first in a competition means that you played better than your opposition, on that day. From day to day, variables change. Losing 4 - 0 to any team can, and should sting, but do not count out a star duo that has brute forced their way to the grand final. Through meticulous practice regiments, South Korea may have forged one of the most influential, powerful, and mechanically gifted duo’s in Overwatch in the coming months.
Projectile DPS players have been left in the shadow of their hit-scan brothers in recent meta game shifts. He is a DPS player whose prowess lies in accuracy and a “star-sense” for denying the enemy. He feasts on a frozen lake of tears and the rage that his hero brings to the table. Whether it is raining justice from above, or raising it in the form of a wall, he will come for you. Your dues will be paid. It is without question, that this man's Mei play is something otherworldly. He is Jeong "Recry" Taek-hyun.
Korea is seemingly a vendor for mechanically gifted players in all aspects of competitive gaming, and our next player definitely fits the bill. Causing havoc and mayhem in his travels. Leaving broken spirits and crushed dreams in his wake. The continent matters not to him, you are prey in his eyes. He lurks in the shadows, gorging himself on the delicacy that is fear. His battle cries echo out as he carves the enemy team in two. A contender for the best Genji in the world, he is Jeong "ArHaN" Weon Hyeop.
Afreeca Freecs Blue is what team they call home. A name so befitting to a duo who impose their will onto any given map, in what many would consider a “melee”. I present to you, the Super Bash Brothers.
Their origin: a team illustrious for creating champions, the Maximum Impact Gaming (MiG) Team house. Previously the home to many of the stars and mainstays of South Korean esports, our duo find themselves on Team MiG Frost. Arguable more skilled, they sit across from their sister team, MiG Blaze. The team is approached by the Afreeca organization. Afreeca is a major streaming platform in South Korea. On August 15th, 2016 the Overwatch division of Maximum Impact Gaming (MiG), is bought by Afreeca.
Soon, they are at the top. The ladder that they once had to climb, lies below them.With Afreeca Freecs Red placing second at the APEX Challenger’s Season 1, they seemed to cement their place above sister team Afreeca Freecs Blue. How would both teams fair versus the world in international competition? Constantly grilled and hardened in the forge of practice, both teams arrive at the Overwatch APEX League with high praise and expectations to fulfill but, only one team survives qualifiers: Afreeca Freecs Blue.
The Freecs find themselves faced with giants. Team Rogue sat above them in Group A. Rogue just coming off a win in China at the APAC Premier, they were arguably the best in the world. In a close second was Lunatic-Hai, who placed second at APAC. Followed by, up and coming teams Flash Lux and Rhinos Gaming Titan. Afreeca Freecs Blue had their work cut out for them. This was to be no easy task, but the cream will always rise to the top.
This is the entrance of our duo.
There is a saying in League of Legends called “1 trick”. It means to only play 1 hero and nothing else. Mostly a negative term, used to slander someone's pool of potential, it rarely carries any other connotation. Unless you are so good, that 1 hero is all you need.
Jeong "ArHaN" Weon Hyeop is a leading member of the DPS talent in South Korea. With over 4 hours of professional playtime on the cyborg ninja, Genji, earning the commendation of “master” would be an understatement. He has shown proficiency in other heroes that include: D.va, Reaper, and Mei. His Genji play is so noteworthy, that it earned him a spot amongst his peers at the inaugural year of the Overwatch World Cup. In the semi-final match versus Sweden, it was Arhan to capture the MVP title of the match and march with his team of allstars to capture first at the Overwatch World Cup over Russia, 4 - 0.
Arhan in disguise.
Image courtesy of Blizzard.
Not only a crushing defeat, but on Team Russia was someone special. “Shadowburn”, lie before Arhan. Shadowburn, amongst the top tier Genji players, fell under the arenal that Team Korea brought.
Arhan has been quoted saying that if he can win the Genji one on one, that he feels confident that he can win the game. That level of cerebral play is an outright call out of an entire playerbase. Saying “If I beat you, and only you, my team WILL win”, is bold and something that he has backed up. If the everything was stacked against him, he consistently knocks them down.
Arhan comes from a semi-established background as a former Heroes of the Storm player. He played more of a front-line, tank style in Heroes of the Storm. Becoming a professional is hard enough, but doing so in one of the most competitive regions, changing mindsets away from front-line bruisers to back-line assassins, and in two games is almost unheard of. If Arhan keeps this pace up he will quickly ascend to one of the earliest greats in Overwatch.
In a world where hit-scan is completely too common, and tanks are run in 3’s. A world where NiP is creator, and so called “Kings of the Tanks”. Good projectile DPS is hard to come by, and staying ahead of the curve is something that championship worthy. We are given Recry.
The pea’s to Arhan’s carrots, the Batman to his Robin. Jeong "Recry" Taek-hyun supersedes the role of patient student, under tutelage of teammate Arhan and coach TaiRong. Where Arhan lacks, Recry picks up the slack. He unparalleled use of heroes abilities to control space, compliments an accurate shot that padds his team's slaying power. Think of him as DoA’s favorite catchphrase, “Bloodthirsty Support”.
Recry exploded onto the Overwatch scene originally on Team MiG Blaze, separate from Arhan and MiG Frost. Once the Afreeca organization bought MiG, they moved Recry onto Afreeca Freecs Blue to partner Arhan and company. Known for his projectile DPS heroes, he has not seen much limelight as of recent, due to meta shifts. He has tried his hand at support on Zenyatta, but time after time, relies on Mei to destroy.
:) ggwp
Image courtesy of Blizzard.
Phara, McRee, and Hanzo are positioned highly in Recry’s wheelhouse, but none surpass the hours of professional play on Mei. Combine the projectile damage from Phara and the self-sustainability of Roadhog and you start to see the tip of the iceberg that is Recry’s Mei. He has tormented numerous teams with the frozen devil. Freezing them for absurd amounts of time, I would not be surprised if he did not earn the title of “Tilt Master”.
The amount of times that Recry singles out an opponent with Mei’s Ice Wall, on control point and King of the Hill maps, are something that magnifies issues on positioning. He forces you to play completely honest, with little to no mistakes. The amount of picks that Recry gets as a support/DPS player is absurd.
Afreeca Freecs Blue creates plays off of their hunters. Whether or not it's Arhan cutting them down without mercy, or Recry bombarding the enemy team with icicles. Picks will be had, people will die, and the Freecs will push.
With such a hero pool, the flexibility of Afreeca Freecs is vast. Showing they have what it takes to make their own impact on the meta, when in the final they chose to run a composition with no DPS, 3 tanks and 3 supports. They may not be world beaters, but they are natural showmen, with mechanical skill through the roof, and the ability to entertain a crowd.
No matter the cost, our duo find a way. Recry needs to carry? He does. Arhan supports him with D.va, tanking and blocking hits. Arhan needs to carry? He does. Recry supports him on Phara, diverting attention and adding DPS from above. The brothers do what it takes to club their opponents. Imposing the will of the Freecs on an unsuspecting opponent.
They take their known defense next to IEM Gyeonggi in December 16th, where they face newly reformed EU teams Mifits and Rogue. Also attending is South Korea’s Lunatic-Hai, KongDoo Panthera, and LuxuryWatch Red. Will our boys in blue win? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: there will be blunt force trauma.
