The Seoul Dynasty before the playoffs of the Countdown Cup put out a trailer. It showed the disappointments that the Dynasty had faced during this monthly tournament. The video started in a black and white. The old video style was reminiscent of the silent films. As the video went on, the content started to slowly turn more positive and in the end the black and white footage was in brilliant color. Though during the Countdown Cup Seoul didn’t explode into color, it wasn’t all black and white. The Seoul Dynasty showed bright moments are within the still colorless footage of the Countdown Cup.
Hope
There is a moment for all the Tiger Nation members, when there is a sliver of a thought that it could be a 3-0 win. This moment is integral in understanding the Seoul Dynasty. There is a second where there is a possibility of a 3-0, meaning that they are leading 2-0 before the break. The positive aspect that the team has played well enough that they have gone up two maps. This shows that they have something to be proud of off of the match that they lost. The match wasn’t a stomp. It isn’t as if the meta was wrong, that a player had an off day, or there was no hope; it illustrates to the fans that a few tweaks and it could’ve been a win.
The deep down feeling that today would be the day that the Seoul Dynasty would be praised for their play. That they would get the recognition for all their hard work and effort. It wouldn’t be the narrative that they have so much potential. The Countdown Cup unfortunately isn’t that day, but as always that reverse sweep shows the Tiger Nation there is something there that can be developed.
The Positives
It is easy to focus on the negatives, what one player should’ve done or coach could’ve strategized. The positive moments need to be celebrated as well, as they can easily be forgotten when a team loses. Though heartbreaking, for the Dynasty to have a 2 -0 lead at the half meant that there is a lot that they did do well in their match against the Hangzhou Spark
Hyunwoo ‘Toyou’ Lim
The Tiger Nation got to view Toyou in his first debut match. He was just announced as a two-way contracted player for the Dynasty. His addition brings another sub-tank into the mix. As a player he is a combination of both Minseo ‘Marve1’ Hwang and Minhyuk ‘Michelle’ Choi. Toyou is considered a Sigma and Zarya specialist as well as being able to flex between the two heroes, which intially was split between Marve1 and Michelle, he has played in matches as a DPS. This gives better flexibility to the roster.
Though Toyou’s debut match was a defeat, he showed how his addition to the team can revamp the play style. Toyou on Eichenwalde when on Zarya consistently had high energy of 60 or higher. His Sigma on Route 66 was getting massive damage done at the close spawn hold. Though Marve1 was one of the best Sigma’s when the hero came out, it seems as if he has fallen off, giving a ghost of the fate that Jinhyuk ‘Miro’ Gong had on Winston. Toyou brings a new energy to the team that is promising. It is unfortunate that he is a two-way player as that restricts his amount of playtime he can have. This shows the development that Gen.G puts into their younger talent that gives the Tiger Nation hope for the future iterations of the team.
Eichenwalde
The community might view Map 1 of Busan to be a fluke win for the Seoul Dynasty; more of the Hangzhou Spark losing than the Seoul Dynasty winning it. Eichenwalde showed what the Seoul Dynasty is and could be. Their meticulous analysis of the situations allowed them to react in the best way and put on a showcase in how a team should play the map. The team didn’t get greedy and invest ultimates, there wasn’t any mis-used ultimates, timings were on point and focusing players down happened quickly. It was great to see the players play as a unit and at the capacity that the Tiger Nation knows they can.
DPS
The last time that the Dynasty played the Spark was the first week of the Countdown Cup. The team lost in a 0-3 fashion. There were mistakes that were made, but it was an off day for the DPS line. This rematch showed that they DPS for the Seoul Dynasty still has that it factor. Not only was Junyoung ‘Profit’ Park and Dongeon ‘FITS’ Kim were making impactful plays individually, but also working together to clean up kills and force positioning. These two players have what it takes to be the massive threats that previously they were seen to be and Eichenwalde showed the community that fact.
The Countdown Cup
The Seoul Dynasty is still looking for their color. Everything is on the edge of ‘almost there,’ but almost doesn’t cut it in the Overwatch League. The Dynasty has three make-up games before play offs and this is the perfect time to hit their stride. The Tiger Nation will have their fingers crossed that the Dynasty will burst into color and make a deep run into playoffs.
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