The Inaugural Season of the Overwatch League was bittersweet for the Houston Outlaws. While they showed flashes of greatness, they still failed to make the playoffs. This, in large part, was due to their lack of a Tracer player while Tracer was a key hero in the meta. Outlaws fans hoped that this off-season would bring a player that could fill that void and provide more necessary flex at the DPS position.
That player is here, and his name is Dante “Danteh” Cruz.
Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Danteh excelled with San Francisco before Jay “sinatraa” Won became eligible. He played Tracer at a very high level and has shown he can flex to an impressive Sombra as well. Statistically, Danteh was 12th overall in eliminations per 10 minutes and fourth overall in damage per ten minutes. No other Houston player ranked higher in either category.
With this acquisition and their other off-season moves, the Outlaws now have four DPS players: (Heroes most likely to see in Season 2 based on previous performance and meta changes)
Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
With Danteh clearly being a viable option, Houston will have some serious decisions to make concerning how to best utilize him alongside their other players. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of each player, I’ve come up with three different combinations that could be viable for Houston as well as which two players I believe will be starting for Houston in Season 2.
This pairing might seem counter-intuitive considering these two players have nearly the exact same hero pool. However, JAKE and Danteh are also arguably the most flexible DPS the Outlaws have. With the Outlaws missing a Doomfist player at the moment, I think JAKE will be the first candidate to practice that hero to go alongside Danteh’s Sombra. If the meta stays at it currently is and JAKE gets the nod to play Doomfist, expect to see these two playing together a lot next season.
Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
This pick comes largely due to the fact that Ana is in the meta right now. With Ana, we usually expect to see more Genji play, which suits ArHaN, in order to utilize the Nano-Blade ultimate combination. If Houston chooses to dive with Ana, expect to see Danteh on the Tracer. However, if they opted to play Ana behind a Reinhardt shield, expect LiNkzr to come in and play the Widowmaker.
Looking at Danteh’s incredible numbers from Season 1 and LiNkr’s play on the Widowmaker, this seems like the most logical starting DPS duo for Houston. If each player continues to play to their strengths, this may lead Houston to some lesser used compositions, much like Season 1. Overall, unless significant nerfs come to Widowmaker, Sombra or Tracer, expect to see these two on stage week one of next season.
With the off-season is just beginning, there is still potential for the Outlaws to make more trades. Considering this, as well as the constantly shifting meta, these projections may be subject to change. These sorts of things are always difficult to track. However, pending any sort of earth-shattering changes, the Outlaws are already beginning to look like a team that can be title contenders in Season 2.
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