OGE Or No-GE: Looking a Little Closer at the Dallas Fuel’s New New Main Tank

Minseok “OGE” Son will soon be one of the most talked about players in the Overwatch League. Not that his short tenure with the Dallas Fuel has been quiet- after his signing on March 7th. It took only fifteen days for the League to suspend him for four games on charges of account boosting. Dallas Fuel Head Coach Kyle “KyKy” Souder has insisted that OGE has what it takes to fix what ails the Fuel once he’s eligible to play in S3W2. Does he really have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the Overwatch League? 

TALK OF THE TOWN

Benjamin “Unkoe” Chevasson is another new addition to the Fuel, who’s acclimated well given his past synergy with French DPS player Dylan “AKM” Bignet. Will OGE be as successful? Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

KyKy has made some… interesting coaching decisions, so far, in his time with the Fuel. Many have not taken well to the changes, the lack of transparency, and lackluster team record. His seat might be heating up if things don’t improve for Dallas, but this signing might be able to turn all that around, if he’s lucky.

It’s clear what KyKy is looking for from OGE’s play. OGE is a very in-your-face Winston player, who creates distractions and gets up close with the enemy team. This enables his DPS, like former teammates Jun-Sung “Asher” Choi and Minho “Architect” Park, to make the big plays on the sides of a fight. When that mission is accomplished, he assists in taking down key targets (mainly supports) in the mess of a battlefield he’s created.   

In this fight vs. APEX team KongDoo Panthera OGE demands attention all fight long. Clearing space for his DPS players and forcing the enemy team to protect its vulnerable supports instead of taking care of the more prickly members of CONBOX. That allows Architect to take down Void, Birdring, AND Rascal, while Asher and D.Va player Geum-yong “SleepyBear” Lee whittle down KDP’s scattered backline.

WERE IT SO EASY

On paper, that all sounds great. The names listed above are some of the best in the League, right? Executing a plan like that against the LA Gladiators or the London Spitfire would be a one-way ticket to happy days in Dallas. If only it were that easy to pull off. (Spoiler: It isn’t.)

Analyst and former pro player Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson has aired his doubts regarding OGE’s signing, but trusts in KyKy’s ability to use OGE effectively. Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

To be frank, that fight was a rarity for OGE’s old team. CONBOX had a total of 2 series wins in APEX Season 4- one against 12th place Meta Bellum. The other one against then-down-on-their-luck LW Blue. Not really something you’d want on your resume, but good enough to get the Fuel’s attention at least.

That’s not to say that OGE is a bad player, mind you. Low-ranking teams often hold hidden gems, players whose individual skill makes up for their team’s shortcomings as a unit. Asher has been a fantastic fit with the LA Gladiators, obviously, and Architect shows similar promise in San Francisco. OGE could be another example, and there are dozens more from within the APEX circuit alone. Not every player in the league has to be from big name teams like Lunatic Hai or C9 KongDoo to earn a spot. In fact, it’s probably better that that’s not the case.

The thing is, will his skill, even if it is on par with other APEX alumni who’ve since joined the Overwatch League, be enough? And if it isn’t, what will Dallas do next?

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Featured image courtesy of Joseph Carosi and Blizzard Entertainment