It wouldn’t be the Overwatch League without several teams making massive changes mid-way through the season. Already teams have decided to move on from their initial rosters in pursuit of better results. Today it appears as though it is the Gladiators’ turn to shake up the OWL news cycle.
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On Wednesday June 28, the Los Angeles Gladiators announced the release of Dante “Danteh” Cruz from their 2023 roster. Danteh joined the team in the offseason heading into 2023 as their only tank player. Notably Danteh transitioned to playing tank full-time, after spending most of last season playing solely Doomfist for the Houston Outlaws.
The announcement comes as a shocking yet reasonable roster move for the Gladiators. Though the team sits in the top half of the standings at 5-3, LA is struggling to keep up with the upper echelon of their competition. Many fans pointed to the subpar tank play of Danteh, as the recent meta has not been favorable to his hero pool. Danteh showed prowess on both Doomfist and Junkerqueen, but struggled mightily on Winston – which was unfortunately the primary tank for the first half of the season.
Danteh has been a mainstay in the Overwatch League since the Inaugural Season. He began his career with the San Francisco Shock, and was traded to the Houston Outlaws. Danteh remained an Outlaw for four seasons, an unprecedented feat for Overwatch League pros.
It is unclear what Danteh’s next steps will be as an Overwatch pro. He did not explicitly state an intention to retire, leaving the door open for the veteran to join a new roster for the back half of the sixth season of the Overwatch League.
Featured image courtesy of the Overwatch League
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