The offseason brought a lot of changes and shifts to the schedules of every team in the Overwatch League. However, a team that faced some of the most change is the Boston Uprising. With a controversial start to their months off, this team is coming back with fresh faces, a fresh goal and something to prove. Additions to the team to replace what’s been lost are fully in effect. Ever the underdogs, the Boston Uprising are ready to take on this new season with new eyes, new takes and a new team.
Season 1 for the Boston Uprising: A Cinderella Story
During the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, the Boston Uprising came in as a team that no one truly believed would make a splash. Their pre-season showing was poor, and with a team that seemed scrambled, the odds were stacked against them.
However, the Boston Uprising proceeded to go 6-4 in both stage one and stage two. This success put them just below the pack that made it to the stage playoffs. For a team that people were doubting since the beginning, that’s not a bad track record.
However, reaching the top doesn’t happen without a few stumbles along the way. Controversy hit in the beginning of stage three. Boston Uprising’s secret weapon, flex DPS player Johnathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez, came under fire for allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor.
Not more than 24 hours after the news broke, the Boston Uprising terminated his contract and swiftly removed him. Things seemed downtrodden, and one person’s actions shouldn’t have altered the view of the entire team – especially a team that worked as hard as the Uprising to defy all expectations previous set for them.
Boston Uprising: Stage 3 Domination
Luckily for them, they did the impossible. With a dive heavy meta still controlling the way the game was played, the Boston Uprising nearly perfected the formula.
Lead by a superstar team, with Sombra specialist Stanislav “Mistakes” Danilov taking to the stage alongside Tracer mastermind Namju “Striker” Gwon, the Boston Uprising were—and still are—the only team to go an entire stage without losing a single game.
10-0 put them at the forefront of the stage playoffs, where they ultimately fell to the powerhouse of NYXL. It was in stage three that the doubts around the Boston Uprising started to clear up, and people began to see them as true contenders in this League.
Boston Uprising: Stage 4 Decline
Once Brigitte was introduced into the meta, however, the Boston Uprising started to falter. Unable to switch things up in time to match the meta that surrounded her, including tanks like Reinhardt and Zarya, Boston tumbled and lost their footing. Ending 4-6, they missed their chance to reclaim their stage playoffs victory.
However, their impressive display overall earned them a spot in the League playoffs. Unfortunately, they fell to a dominant performance from the Philadelphia Fusion, and their season one journey came to an end. Still, the Boston Uprising are ranked third in the entire League, which means they’ve still got something to show.
Boston Uprising: The Returning Roster
Things changed immensely for the Boston Uprising during the off season, their roster included. With losses of superstars and pick-ups from a variety of Contenders teams, the Uprising are coming back with something to prove. Here’s the returning roster of familiar faces you’re bound to see:
- President of Gaming: Chris “HuK” Loranger
- Assistant Coach: Jackson “Shake” Kaplan
- Assistant Coach: Rollon “Mini” Hamelin
- Main Tank: Noh “Gamsu” Young-jin
- Off Tank: Lucas “NotE” Meissner
- Support: Kristian “Kellex” Keller
- Support: Kwon “AimGod” Min-seok
The core of the superstar team they became in stage three is still present in amazing tank duo Noh “Gamsu” Young-jin and Lucas “NotE” Meissner. Because of this, it’s expected that they’ll find a way to succeed in this rocky start they’re in.
Additionally, strong Mercy player Kristian “Kellex” Keller remains, working wonderfully with late season one addition Kwon “AimGod” Min-seok.
Boston Uprising: Who They’ve Lost
Among the faces they’ve lost are DPS superstars Stanislav “Mistakes” Danilov and Namju “Striker” Gwon. Mistakes has chosen to retire from professional play, and will no longer be seen on the main stage.
Striker has currently signed with the San Fransisco Shock, along with former Head Coach Da-hee “Crusty” Park. Support player SeHyun “Neko” Park has been transferred to the Toronto Defiant.
Woo-yeol “KalioS” Shin played briefly for the Contenders team Skyfoxes, but has since left, and is a free agent. Former Boston alum Mikias “Snow” Yohannes is also playing for Skyfoxes. During the week, support player Connor “Avast” Prince can be seen casting Contenders NA!
Boston Uprising: The New Pickups
- Tank: Min-seob “ Axxiom” Park
- Tank: Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth
- Support: Renan “alemao” Moretto
- DPS: Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang
- DPS: Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse
- Assistant Coach: Jordan “Gunba” Graham
With the departure of some powerhouse damage players, the Boston Uprising were in desperate need of players to fill in those roles. During the off season, the team recruited DPS star Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse to their roster from Uprising Academy (formerly known as Toronto Esports). Previously, Colourhex also played for the Sydney Drop Bears before being transferred to the Toronto Esports roster before their deal with the Boston Uprising to create a Contenders team. Any damage player will help fill out the roster, but someone who can master Genji, Widowmaker and Pharah is sure to bring a sense of stability to the team.
Also from the Uprising Academy is main tank Min-seob “Axxiom” Park. Though Gamsu is a powerhouse on Winston, his Reinhardt play is less than extraordinary. Axxiom can help fill in those gaps, especially going into a GOATs heavy meta.
On a two-way contract with Uprising Academy is Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth, a Reinhardt powerhouse. With GOATs being as prominent as it has been during the entirety of the off season, the Uprising will absolutely flourish with a strong shield tank to match the aggressive nature of Gamsu’s Winston play.
Jordan “Gunba” Graham is also a notable name on this list—picked up by the Uprising after leaving the L.A. Valiant, Gunba has the leadership to steer this team in the right direction. The success the Valiant has seen during season one as well speaks to what Gunba can bring to the Uprising in their hour of need.
Boston Uprising: How These Picks Benefit the Team
The Boston Uprising have also obtained Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang, another DPS superstar. With a peak niche in a character like Doomfist, blasé is sure to bring something new and interesting to the meta. Being able to deal heavy damage and get in the faces of the enemy team is exactly what blasé is here to do.
Lastly, given the GOATs domination, it makes sense that the Boston Uprising have signed another support player in Renan “alemao” Moretto. While Kellex and AimGod give the Uprising strong Mercy and Zenyatta play, alemao provides with top tier Lucio action. After an extremely impressive display at the Overwatch World Cup with Team Brazil, he’ll be ready to show the Overwatch League what he’s made of.
Boston Uprising: The Coaching Staff
Currently, the Boston Uprising are being led by Jordan “Gunba” Graham, Jackson “Shake” Kaplan and Rollon “Mini” Hamelin. Gunba has the experience needed to both lead the team and see things from the players’ perspective. Having played before for Blank Esports, Gunba’s been in the game for a long while. He also coached the L.A. Valiant first before switching over to the Boston Uprising, giving him an entire season’s worth of experience with these players.
Shake is also a previous player. Both teams he joined, compLexity Gaming and Counter Logic, contained a variety of players now in the Overwatch League. This gives Shake a good idea as to how certain teams will operate. Lastly, Mini is a previous tank and support player himself, having been with three teams before joining the Boston Uprising coaching staff. In a meta that heavily favors both tanks and supports, Mini is the best among them to understand how to make GOATs work effectively for this team. This gives them a competitive edge going into season 2.
Boston Uprising: Stage 1, Week 1
Going forward, there’s a handful of matches that the Boston Uprising should be watching carefully. The first is their debut game on opening day, February 14. They’re facing off against, statistically, the best team in the league: the NXYL. One of their newest damage additions, Colourhex, will be on the bench for suspensions dealing with account boosting. With only one damage player performing, this first showing of the Boston Uprising will give everyone in the League a taste of what is expected from them.
After facing the NYXL, the Boston Uprising will have to face the Houston Outlaws. Though they’ve outplayed the Outlaws in the past, their tank line up is impressive and extremely suitable for GOATs. It’s unclear how well the Uprising will succeed against powerhouses like Austin “Muma” Wilmot, Matt “coolmatt” Iorio and Alexandre “SPREE” Vanhomwege. Ideally, they have the correct amount of specialty players in both tank and support roles to bring something to the table. However, it’s uncertain how strongly they will perform against a well-seasoned team.
The Boston Uprising: Finding Victories In Synergy
They might see a first win against the Shanghai Dragons in the first week. However, the Dragons aren’t to be counted out. After a multitude of new additions, the Dragons roster is looking stronger than ever. The lack of coordination that the Boston Uprising will have due to missing a damage player might give the Dragons both the upper hand and their very first win of the entire League.
It’s safe to say that the first couple of weeks will be hard for the Boston Uprising. Until every team settles into what the new meta will be—GOATs, or something more damage-heavy, dependent on the Reaper changes—it’s unclear of how well they’ll fare.
There’s certain teams that the Uprising can take on—the Florida Mayhem, for example, who’ve been making questionable off season choices. The Washington Justice as well, who are among the lowest ranked team in power rankings across the OWL talent scene.
Boston Uprising: The Matches to Watch
The match most people will have their eyes on is the first game for the Boston Uprising. It’s seemingly fate that the old Boston vs. New York sports rivalry is starting to flair up in the Overwatch League scene.
It’s also fitting that the Boston Uprising will be put to the test immediately against the strongest team in the League. By holding their own, regardless of the outcome, the Boston Uprising will be showing what their new team is made of against the best of the best.
Dependent on the results of this year’s Superbowl Sunday, there could also be a teasingly fun hype around games versus the Los Angeles teams. Last year, the casters poked fun at the Uprising and Fusion match in a post Superbowl world.
They could see some of the same this year, both against the highly favored L.A. Valiant and the L.A. Gladiators. Both teams have a strong core of players that have been working hard for a year. With hard work, the Boston Uprising can put them back in the game and give them a shot at playoffs victory.
The Boston Uprising: The Player to Watch
When it comes to players to keep your eyes on, all eyes fall to the captain of the team, Gamsu. As a main tank player and one of the main pieces in retaining the glory of the Boston Uprising in season one, Gamsu is someone that everyone focuses on.
He’s amazing on the field as one of the best Winstons in the League. His dedication towards showing the League what the Uprising have in store is admirable. With his aggressive style flowing perfectly with that of his Reindhard counterpart Fusion’s, Gamsu will have all eyes on him as the season begins.
Boston Uprising: How They Can Achieve Playoff Victory
For the most part, the Boston Uprising have their priorities in the right place. Right now, the number one thing that plagues the future success of the Uprising is the lack of damage players. On top of that, there’s little discussion among the team that gives their audience an idea of what they can expect when the season starts up.
In order to see a playoffs appearance, the Boston Uprising need to focus on their roster.They also need to make sure that they’ve got what they need to succeed against the best of the best. As the only team in the League to go through an entire stage undefeated, the Boston Uprising have something to live up to.
They exceeded expectations last season, where most talent put them dead last in terms of success. Going into the new season, people are also underestimating how well the Boston Uprising will perform.
The Boston Uprising: Moving Forward
The Boston Uprising certainly have their work cut out for them. That said, die hard fans and believers are fully aware that they can bounce back. If they can manage to succeed while one of their new players is on the bench, the Boston Uprising have a chance to show everyone what they’re made of.
A fuller roster would definitely help, and going forward, whether or not they choose to expand and pick up key players will play into their overall success in the League.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other TGH writers.