Shanghai Dragons
As mentioned previously, Geguri finally found her way onto an Overwatch League roster. The woman known as the "God Zarya" has been very vocal about wanting to be judged by her skills like every other player, and Shanghai was the team to take her up on that. Not surprisingly, Geguri played a lot of D.Va in her first outing - a hero that she's been training a lot with to give her hero pool more depth. She performed adequately, but there wasn't a lot to write home about. That's not necessarily a bad thing, given the massive stage she suddenly found herself on. Expect to see a lot more of her in tank-heavy compositions where her skills will shine. Until she's comfortable, she will probably be alternating games and maps with Dongjian "MG" Wu.
[caption id="attachment_103224" align="alignnone" width="600" class="width= "] Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment[/caption]
Geguri has added depth to Shanghai's tanking options, but they were also in desperate need of a decent Genji player. That's where Gihyeon "Ado" Chon comes in. Another new acquisition from South Korea, Ado had the crowd in the palm of his hand more often than not with flashy Dragonblades and expert harassment. It was such a treat seeing Ado fill such a crucial role with downright filthy play. I would be incredibly surprised if he hasn't already locked down a permanent DPS spot for Shanghai. They've needed a player like this for months, and he will be crucial to any success this team might find going forward.
Florida Mayhem
Florida still has quite a journey ahead of them, but they've looked much better lately. In an attempt to add another top killer to their DPS ranks, they also went to South Korea for answers - and they came back with a massive pickup in Meta Athena's Sayaplayer. No stranger to the spotlight, Sayaplayer's value to Florida's roster was felt immediately. This guy is just unfair on Widowmaker, as we saw from his performance on Route 66 against the Philadelphia Fusion (14-8).
[caption id="attachment_103223" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment[/caption]
Even though he's quite good, Florida's existing DPS stars Kevin "TviQ" Lindström and Andreas "Logix" Berghmans aren't exactly pushovers. My initial thought is that Sayaplayer will see the bulk of his time on Widowmaker, allowing Logix and TviQ to stay on their specialty heroes. If there is an odd man out, it's probably TviQ, who is prone to inconsistency. But even then, his Sombra will be needed in this new meta, so it's going to be interesting seeing how Florida juggles their DPS options this stage.
San Francisco Shock
San Francisco has always been very up and down despite their talent. If there was an area they were suffering through more than others, it was tanking. Luckily for them, Super just met age eligibility. A long-awaited roster addition, Super provides something that San Francisco has been desperately needing - an aggressive tank that gives their DPS the time and space they need to be effective.
[caption id="attachment_103225" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment[/caption]
Looking at their game against Los Angeles last week, San Francisco might need a little time to get used to Super's pacing. Simply put, he's nuts - and that goes back to his days with Luminosity Gaming. But he is one part of a pair that will undoubtedly make San Francisco a team to beat from here on out - the other being Jay "Sinatraa" Won, flex DPS madman and former star of the US World Cup team. This is an entirely different team now, and their future is very bright.