Overwatch rostermania: San Francisco Shock, Atlanta Reign, Toronto Defiant

The popular Overwatch teams San Francisco Shock, Atlanta Reign, and Toronto Defiant have revealed their roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Overwatch League teams are currently experiencing the most difficult offseason in league history after over 100 professional Overwatch players were released from teams and entered the sizable free-agent pool. Three well-known Overwatch League teams have unveiled their rosters in the midst of all the turmoil and uncertainty as they get ready for the new season.

San Francisco Shock

San Francisco Shock has acquired former O2 Blast member Park “Junbin” Jun-bin to round out its roster ahead of the  Overwatch League 2023 – Pro-Am. The 17-year-old Korean player has been one of the finest Tank in the region, having won multiple Overwatch tournaments in 2022 alone with O2. 

Junbin has won both seasons of the Korean Overwatch Contenders 2021 and all the major region Overwatch Contenders events in 2022, including the Pacific Showdown, Run It Back: Korea, Summer Series A-Sides, and Summer Series B-Sides.

Earlier in December last year, the organization announced the signing of former O2 Blast players Tank Choi “Max” Su-min and DPS Chae “HeeSang” Hee-sang. Many people thought they should get an opportunity to play for San Francisco since they were two of the most hotly anticipated rookie arrivals in the entire league.

San Francisco has also acquired Park “Vindaim” Jun-woo, who spent last year with the Seoul Dynasty as a support p[layer. Furthermore, support player Oh “FiNN” Se-jin and 2022 Rookie of the Year Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun, who will serve as the team’s DPS in the upcoming season, have both been retained by the organization, considering their phenomenal performance last season.

San Francisco Shock’s roster for the 2023 season

• Choi “Max” Su-min 
• DPS Chae “HeeSang” Hee-sang
• Park “Vindaim” Jun-woo
• Oh “FiNN” Se-jin 
• Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun
• Park “Junbin” Jun-bin 

Atlanta Reign

Korean player Kim “Donghak” Min-sung, who was a former tank for Talon Esports, has been added to the Atlanta Reign roster. During the most recent Contenders season, Donghak played for Team 815, which earned a spot in the Contenders Korea Run it Back bracket but lost all seven games in the event. After a relatively fruitful stint in Korean Contenders, Donghak is all set to compete on the biggest stage with a new team.

The Atlanta Reign’s decision to use two tanks appears to be based on the  Dallas Fuel’s success in the Overwatch League 2022 – Playoffs. Atlanta, along with the Boston Uprising, are the first two teams to have two tanks available on their roster for the 2023 season.

With the addition of Donghak, the Reign’s 2023 roster may be full, but with one month until the start of the season, it is still possible that more players will be added. The team definitely hopes to finish above the competition next year with a lineup consisting of fresh hires and new staff.

Atlanta Reign’s roster for the 2023 season

• Kim “Donghak” Min-sung
• Xander “Hawk” Domecq
• Kim “vigilante” Jun
• Jeong “Stalk3r” Hak-yong
• Lee “LIP” Jae-won
• Kwon “Fielder” Joon
• Han “ChiYo” Hyeon-seok 

Toronto Defiant 

Following a disappointing 2022 season, the Toronto Defiant totally dissolved its entire lineup to make room for the famed American Tornado roster, starring head coach Cas “Casores” Andel, for the upcoming 2023 Overwatch League season.

American Tornado was a dominant team in the North American Overwatch scene in 2020 and 2021. Before disbanding in late 2021, the American squad amassed a number of victories and decimated all other teams in the league to establish a reputation for themselves.

First up, Toronto has acquired former Florida Mayhem DPS Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez and support player Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied to recreate a dominant Tornado offense line.  Despite having a long history of competitive play and being a superstar in the EMEA Contenders scene, SirMajed is the only member of the new Defiant team who didn’t play on American Tornado.

Nicholas “Speedily” Zou, who has been a member of the Atlanta Reign since April 2022, is another player who has moved from Atlanta to Toronto. The organization has also acquired Benjamin “UltraViolet” David and Christan “Ojee” Han from Atlanta Reign. Being teammates on numerous rosters over the previous four years has given the two players a wealth of playing experience together.

The organization has rounded out its roster with two former San Francisco superstars. The new season will see Colin “Coluge” Arai take on the role of Toronto’s solo tank, while DPS Samuel “s9mm” Santos will handle the team’s DPS duties. To complete its coaching staff, Toronto has appointed Eric “Wheats” Perez and Wang “NoHill” Fuxing as assistant coaches.

Toronto Defiant’s roster for the 2023 season

• Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez 
• Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied
• Nicholas “Speedily” Zou
• Benjamin “UltraViolet” David 
• Christan “Ojee” Han 
• Colin “Coluge” Arai
• Samuel “s9mm” Santos

Header: Joe Brady/Blizzard Entertainment