Yesterday, the Philadelphia Fusion parted ways with Spanish support star, Alberto “neptuNo” González. Over the past two years, neptuNo has been a mainstay on the Fusion’s starting roster. His battle Mercy became the thing of legends during the inaugural season, and this season he remained one of the strongest players on the Fusion despite their struggles. Losing neptuNo has been quite the shock for fans; but, most interestingly, sources have rumored that neptuNo has had no offers at all.
These rumors are not that shocking. Despite neptuNo’s talent, he has developed a reputation for being a toxic teammate. In the now-infamous clip from Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson’s stream, neptuNo himself admitted the Toronto Defiant did not want to trial him due to concerns over his behavior. These concerns might severely affect him trying to find a new team.
However, neptuNo’s behavior might be overlooked by some teams in favor of his talent. He is, without a doubt, one of the best main supports in the league. To not have neptuNo back in the league next year would be unheard of. Many teams are doing major roster rebuilds this offseason, and quite a few are in the market for a main support.
Houston Outlaws
One potential home for neptuNo could be with the Houston Outlaws. For the past two years, the Outlaws have been in a strange limbo concerning their finances. Although Houston has re-signed Daniel “Boink” Pence for next year, the future for Chris “Bani” Benell is uncertain. Considering Bani is Canadian, he might also be looking at the Toronto Defiant, much like Lane “Surefour” Roberts and Brady “Agilities” Girardi are rumored to be. Should the Outlaws lose Bani, neptuNo could easily fill that spot.
This move would also be a great fit because of the addition of Harsha “Harsha” Bandi. Recently, the Outlaws announced Harsha as their new head coach. Harsha is known to be a fair but tough coach. One thing the Fusion lacked last season was a strong head coach. Neither Elliot “Hayez” Hayes nor Se-hwi “NamedHwi” Go were able to be the strong leaders that the Fusion needed them to be. If anyone can handle neptuNo’s alleged attitude, it’s Harsha.
Boston Uprising
As per tradition for the Boston Uprising, they have gutted the majority of their roster. Recently, the Boston Uprising announced the departure of several of their players, including Kristian “Kellex” Keller. Last year, Kellex survived the Uprising “Hunger Games” and became the only member of the original roster on the team after the departure of Lucas “NotE” Meissner and Young-jin “Gamsu” Noh earlier this season.
With Kellex gone, Boston is definitely in the market for a new main healer. One good thing about the Uprising is that Boston tends to look towards the Contenders scene for the majority of their talent. However, neptuNo’s experience might be beneficial for the team next season as they look to rebuild. Developing another group of rookies could put the Uprising’s success at risk again next season, especially when one considers all the traveling players are expected to do next season. neptuNo could potentially be a leader for the team as they transition towards the Boston area.
Paris Eternal
Before the 2019 season, expectations were high for the Paris Eternal. A fairly stacked roster, and an even better coaching staff looked incredibly promising. However, the Eternal failed to meet those expectations. Paris proved to be the most consistently inconsistent team in the league. The Eternal’s curse, they would start each stage strong before losing momentum midway through. Frustration got the better of Paris towards the end of the season, and it is no surprise that the Eternal already have made significant staff changes, including the signing of head coach Bumhoon “NineK” Kim.
The signing of NineK is a good sign for fans of Harrison “Kruise” Pond. Kruise has experience playing with Korean rosters, and the Eternal are looking towards crafting a more diverse roster for 2020. Last season, Paris put a lot of faith into the young Brit. Their only main support player, Kruise, played every game during the 2019 season. Kruise is an incredible shot-caller and an, albeit, aggressive player. Having another main support in the wings would take a massive weight off Kruise’s shoulder next season. Paris would be an excellent fit for neptuNo as it would allow him to be closer to his home in Spain, while also providing a reasonably steady opportunity to start next season.
Dallas Fuel
One last possible option for neptuNo could be with the Dallas Fuel. Going off of the clip from Sideshow’s stream, Dallas appears to be interested in trading their main support Won-sik “Closer” Jung. In 2019, the Dallas Fuel struggled, much as they did last season. Closer was one of the Fuel’s off-season pickups last year. Playing primarily alongside Benjamin “uNKOE” Chevasson, the duo did their best to keep Dallas’s dreams of success alive, but the team regularly fell short.
The Fuel have an abundance of problems, but the one thing they lack is a clear leader. This is where neptuNo could come in. He has a lot of experience, and his no-nonsense attitude could be something that the generally more relaxed team could use to succeed next season. Although the Fuel already has Jonathan “HarryHook” Tejedor Rua on their bench, if Dallas were to acquire neptuNo, this could be a chance for Harryhook to go back to his roots as a DPS player (another role that the Fuel desperately needs help with). Harryhook and neptuNo are already friends and are playing together on Team Spain this year with neptuNo taking the spot of DPS. Another potential route for neptuNo could be to transition to DPS full-time, and if that is the case, he could also fill that role for the Fuel.
As a reminder, all of the current offseason changes will be continuously updated in TGH’s Complete List of Overwatch League Offseason Moves.
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