OWL fans were concerned about the Shanghai Dragons roster heading into the 2023 season. Their roster had several players role-swapping, the most baffling being former MVP DPS player Byung-sun “Fleta” Kim trying his hand at tank. We’ve seen other DPS players in the past make the jump from damage dealer to front liner, but the success rate is pretty low. After the first half of the Overwatch League season it appears as though Shangai has seen enough of the Fle-tank this year.
[Related: Boston Uprising Release Dongsu, Welcome Mobydik as New HC]
Late on Tuesday June 27, the Shanghai Dragons announced that Fleta would be shifting away from playing and into a coaching role. This will be Fleta’s first foray into coaching in the Overwatch League. It is unclear from the announcement if Fleta is fully retired as a player.
To fill in for Fleta, the Dragons look towards a familiar face to close out the 2023 season. Shortly after Fleta’s coaching announcement, the Dragons reveled that Pan-Seung “Fate” Koo will be joining the roster once more. Fate previously played for Shanghai the past two seasons, leading the team to a OWL Championship in 2021.
Fate spent the past few months competing in Korean Contenders with PANTHERA. In Contenders, Fate continued to prove he was one of the more reliable players in the role, and even helped his squad reach the Overwatch League by placing in the top four of the Spring Stage Open. While the the team failed to go far into the Spring Stage Knockouts bracket, Fate showcased just enough that Shanghai has decided to give the veteran another shot.
Stay Connected
Featured image courtesy of the Overwatch League
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook! And make sure to follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other TGH writers.Follow Bryan on Twitter @esportsbrock for more updates on Overwatch, VALORANT, and the LCS