After three years, Jin-hyuk “Miro” Gong is back in the Overwatch League. The Miro Overwatch League redemption arc has arrived. On November 15, 2021, the Hangzhou Spark hired Miro as an assistant coach. The last time he stepped foot on the Overwatch League stage was in late May, 2018.
Since then, Miro has gone through the wringer as he tried his best to make a comeback. His journey has been full of challenges. But at last, he is ready to make it up to the fans after his disappointing 2018 stint. Here’s a look at Miro’s Overwatch League redemption journey.
Learning From Failure
Miro faced incredible adversity on his quest to make it back to OWL. It all started when things took a turn for the worst on the 2018 Seoul Dynasty. At the start of the Inaugural Season, the Dynasty was a favorite to win it all. Additionally, Miro was considered to be a top tank player in the world.
As a part of Lunatic Hai, he helped bring home back-to-back Apex championships. Along with that, he was widely regarded a top Winston player. In fact, many fans consider him to be the pioneer of Winston and dive.
Needless to say, he had high expectations at the start of 2018. However, the season went anything but how the fans expected it to. Seoul crumbled in the second half of the season. They ultimately missed out on the Playoffs as internal issues started to show through the cracks.
As Seoul lost against their rivals seemingly constantly, the team’s confidence faltered. Miro in particular took it hard. It got to the point where the team benched him, which truly did spell the end of his playing days. At the end of 2018, Seoul released Miro. And by the time the next season came around, it was clear that Miro would not be coming back.
Attempting a Comeback
The Miro Overwatch League redemption arc initially started with him still trying to play Main Tank. However, he quickly realized this wasn’t going to work out. So naturally, he did what any former player who still has passion for a sport does. He tried his hand at coaching
Miro landed his first coaching job on January 26, 2021 with Team Diamond out of Korean Contenders. As an experienced veteran, he put his knowledge in an assistant coaching role to good use. While Diamond never finished better than top seven in Contenders during his tenure, the team seemed to like his style.
Lack of success or not, Miro remained with Team Diamond for nearly 10 months. He possessed promise as a coach. He wouldn’t have been held onto for so long if this wasn’t the case. And clearly, the Spark felt the same way.
Redemption
Now joining the Overwatch League for a second time, Miro will attempt to right the wrongs of 2018. A story years in the making has finally come to light. It may be in a different role now, but Miro likely does not care. At the end of the day, he finally reached his goal.
As a historic player of this game’s competitive history, he was expected to do more back during his time on Seoul. Miro wants to show the world that he has lived and learned. And if the Spark can have a decent performance in 2022, that might allow for him to stay in the scene for years to come.
It’s not entirely up to him on if this works, but he surely will do everything in his power to make sure he succeeds. Miro has the skills, experience and attitude to go far as a coach. Now it’s a matter of execution. It all comes down to the performance of the 2022 Spark.
Putting Experience to Use
This may be Miro’s first Overwatch League coaching job, but fans have reason to feel optimistic about what he can contribute. As an experienced veteran who has been around since 2016, Miro has accumulated immense knowledge. As a former player and champion, he can think about this game strategically and from a player’s point of view. He knows what it takes to win.
All fans will watch with anticipation as he takes on a new chapter. The Miro Overwatch League redemption story is ready to unfold. 2022 will be very telling on what his future holds.
Noteworthy Achievements
-2016 World Cup Gold Medalist
-2016 World Cup MVP
-APEX Season 2 and 3 Champion
-Pioneer of the dive composition
-Pioneer of Winston
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