With the Overwatch League releasing some contract information, fans know who is under contract and who is not. With that, it seems as though the Overwatch League may have quite the offseason on its hands. There are currently 33 known free agents, including some pretty major names. The list was whittled down to 20 and with that, here are the TGH top 20 OWL Free Agents.
Note: This list only includes players in the Overwatch League including those referenced in the article that the league posted themselves as the contract status for players in Contenders and elsewhere are not known.
1. Tae-hong “MekO” Kim
For the past two seasons, Meko has been one of the best off-tanks in the Overwatch League on one of the best teams in the NYXL. His D.Va has been incredible and seeing him shift successfully to Sigma shows just how good he is. Without a doubt, there will be plenty of teams vying for his services.
2. Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee
It was surprising to see that the Fusion did not have arguably their best player already re-signed. But, here he is on the market ready to click some heads for other teams. He could easily be demanding one of the biggest contracts in the OWL this offseason.
3. Young-jin “Gamsu” Noh
In arguably the biggest buy-out/trade in OWL’s short history, Gamsu showed that he is not just talented in his play but as a leader as well. The turnaround experienced by Shanghai was incredible and a lot of it can be pointed to when he joined. Now there will be plenty of teams that could use his veteran mentality and equally strong talent for their 2020 season.
4. Lane “Surefour” Roberts
Remember when Surefour stepped back onto the stage as Bastion and just deleted people off the Overwatch League map? Well so do most of the Overwatch League teams. Surefour has the potential to demand quite the contract especially with the many western teams that are looking to build something similar to what the Shock did this past season.
5. João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles
Possibly the most flexible player in the league, Hydration will be a very interesting free agent. Due to the fact that he can fill many different positions he could realistically fit in with almost any team in the League. It has already been rumored according to Sideshow, that he has a big contract incoming.
6. Jun-woo “Void” Kang
After Bischu went down many Gladiator fans were worried if they would be able to fill the void, pun intended. He did this and then some. Void’s Sigma has been amazing and he had so many clutch D.Va bombs for the Gladiators last season. The off-tank will likely be signed once the Meko bidding war ends.
7. Josh “Eqo” Corona
Another surprising Fusion player on this list, Eqo has been a rock for Philly since season one. His experience in the playoffs, making it to the original Grand Finals, will be extremely valuable. Being one of the better projectile DPS in the league should allow him to see a nice multi-year contract.
8. Jehong “ryujehong” Ryu
If for no other reason, Ryujehong deserves to be this high on the list because of his strategy, shotcalling and leadership abilities. He seemed to be the glue holding a strong Seoul Dynasty team together. Now he gets a chance to test the free agent waters and see how much teams are willing to throw at the stalwart veteran.
9. Alberto “neptuNo” González
Finally the first main support on this list. Neptuno like many of these free agents has been a strong player at his role for the two years the Overwatch League has existed. Seeing as though strong supports may be at a premium this offseason, he should demand a high price.
10. Hong-joon “HOTBA” Choi
Until nearly the end of the season, HotBa was the only player on the Charge that had season one OWL experience. This allowed him to show that his leadership abilities along with his play should be considered. While he may not have the same opportunity this offseason, that may be best so that he can add to a team that is already a contender and try to make his way deeper into the playoffs once again.
11. Lucas “NotE” Meissner
After getting trading to Dallas, it was clear that Note was one of the only solid players on either the Fuel or the Uprising this past season. Seeing that he was able to succeed on teams that generally struggled, Note will be another interesting player to watch. Did he show enough for a top tier team or will he have to settle with a rebuilding one yet again?
12. Jin-mo “tobi” Yang
One of the Overwatch veterans, even while being only 25, Tobi has shown that he can be a true boop-god. Being one of the only Korean main supports on the market should also play into Tobi’s favor as he looks for his next adventure.
13. Ji-hyeok “birdring” Kim
What a weird season two for one of the best DPS in the Overwatch League. Because of 3-3, he was not able to do what he does best. Then it came out that there might have been some issues between him and the coaching staff. He is definitely a high-risk player for any team but the high reward could be worth it for plenty of teams.
14. Minseok “AimGod” Kwon
Another player with some coaching and team issues, Aimgod is clearly a player with talent. When Boston were playing at their best he was right there with them. If he can find a team/coaching staff that he is willing to work with, he could be a great signing. If not then Aimgod could even potentially be without am OWL team in 2020.
15. Yeonjoon “ArK” Hong
When Ark came to the Justice many people pointed to him as being a major building piece for the team. Now he is a free agent and one that has seen the great with the NYXL and the really bad with the Justice. That experience should only help him and along with his great abilities, he should get signed pretty quickly.
16. Jong-seok “NUS” Kim
Coming from the Spitfire would have made Nus instantly one of the top players on this list last offseason. Then, 2019 was a weird year for London, dropping out of the playoffs in a fiery blaze. Nus is clearly gifted and should draw a lot of attention. That said, teams will have to check-in on why he was one of the few players not re-signed to London when considering a deal with him.
17. Nikola “sleepy” Andrews
It is hard not to feel bad for Sleepy. The Shock winning it all and him not being on the team must have hurt. That said, after going to Washington, Sleepy was able to prove that he is a great player and instantly made the team that much better. Expect to see a lot of interest from western teams for this flex support.
18. Su-min “SADO” Kim
There are fans who love him and those who, well, don’t. He has plays that make him seem god-like and then those that leave people scratching their heads. It is possible that he sees more of a bench-role in 2020 with a team picking him up with the hope that they can iron him out, but otherwise it may be difficult for Sado to see starting time.
19. Kristian “Kellex” Keller
Everyone thought Kellex would be on Boston forever. Now, this reality may no longer be possible. He will likely be picked up but, expect to see him on the bench or even potentially on a Contenders team, pending some solid trials from the Danish main support.
20. Jun-hwa “Janus” Song
When WizardHyeong brought Janus with him to the Justice, many Washington fans felt that Janus would be the veteran presence they needed. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case. Janus still has plenty of talent, and even showed some strength towards the latter half of the season, but he will need to prove that in 2020 and may be best served to sign a one-year contract in order to do so.
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