Heading into the 2022 Overwatch League (OWL) season, San Francisco Shock made huge roster changes and released seven of its ten players.
2021 was not very successful for the Bay Area team. Coming off two exceptional seasons, the Shock did not win any of the four OWL tournaments this year. To top it all off, the players only managed to reach fourth place before getting eliminated in the 2021 OWL Playoffs. In response, San Francisco Shock released seven players, hoping to lay new foundations towards a championship-contending roster.
Seven OWL Players
Out of these seven players, four are DPS players. Lee “ANS” Seon-chang, Sean “ta1yo” Henderson, Lim “Glister” Gil-seong, and Charlie “nero” Zwarg must find new teams to play for. As a matter of fact, most players already expressed themselves on social media about their upcoming free agency. nero even expressed his wish to retire from OWL Overwatch esports.
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San Francisco Shock also released Brice “FDGoD” Monscavoir and Lee “Twilight” Ju-seok from its main roster. Finally, Yoo “smurf” Myeonghwan, who was the team’s main tank, has also been shown the door. Because all of these players proved their skill in the competitive scene, there is no doubt they will soon find teams.
San Francisco Shock Roster Changes
San Francisco Shock is now left with only three remaining players. Main tank Matthew “super” DeLisi will enter free agency this year after the end of his contract. The organization is on the clock to resign super, who is currently considered the unofficial face of the Overwatch League. However, retirement is still a potential option for him.
To make things worse, the team declined Choi “ChoiHyoBin” Hyo-bin’s 2022 contract option. For now, only Park “Viol2t” Min-ki holds a future with the team. In the span of two seasons, the era-defining Shock roster could be entirely broken between different OWL teams. To fill the gap, San Francisco Shock could look to acquire an entire roster in one fell swoop. They could also trust young talent to develop over time or surround Viol2t and super with the right players to compete at the highest level.
Written by Charles Fuster
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