The Los Angeles Gladiators recently signed two new players, including a new DPS player Gui-un “Decay” Jang. Decay comes in from KongDoo Panthera, alongside Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye. On their current roster, the Gladiators boast the power of Lane “Surefour” Roberts, João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles and now Decay. With this new trifecta of firepower, how will LA delegate and create the optimal lineup, while keeping their players happy?
Surefour and Decay
First possibility would be Surefour and Decay as DPS Partners. Surefour’s Sombra is arguably the best in the Overwatch League. Decay has a very good pocket Zarya. Both have incredible Widowmakers. However, having two specialists can be very dangerous. It would also allow for some revolutionary comps. Running the Orisa-Hog comp, which consists of Widowmaker and Hanzo, would allow them to get highlight reel picks.
If the Los Angeles Gladiators go this way, it will for sure be a risk. Relying on completely new and strange comps is not the safest pick. It is high risk, high reward. Having two players that run similar Heroes can be dangerous, and might cause frustration at times. This combination is unlikely, as head coach David “dpei” Pei shot down rumors that Hydration would be joining the Dallas Fuel.
Hydration and Decay
Next up would be the duo of Hydration and Decay. If rumors are true, Decay cost the Los Angeles Gladiators a pretty penny. To have him sit on the bench most of the season, allowing him to sub in on occasion would be a costly choice. Running a duo of Hydration and Decay allows for Hydration to stay on the Heroes that earned him a place on the USA roster for the World Cup. It would also allow a young talent to shine on the highest level. The synergy between Decay and rOar, as well as former KongDoo player Jun-woo “Void” Kang would be palpable. Combine that with the shot calling ability of Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni, it could be a lethal combo.
This duo has the obvious flaw of benching Surefour. The 2018 All-Star Widowmaker 1v1 winner, who played 45% of his time on stage as Widowmaker during the regular stage, would be missed. During the regular season, averaged 8.5 final blows per 10 minutes played, as well as 7,731.36 damage per 10 minutes. The Canadian ace would be truly missed from the Gladiators lineup. Does Decay deserve to start over Surefour?
Surefour and Hydration
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. There is a strong argument that Surefour and Hydration will continue their partnership. Surefours insane play on Heroes such as Sombra and Widowmaker, combined with Hydrations Doomfist and Pharah, is a dangerous combination. In this current meta, the Sombra/Doomfist partnership works very well. Messing with team synergy can have devastating effects, but with a much different roster than they ended Season 1 with, do the Gladiators need some stability?
The support duo of Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara and BigGoose remains unchanged. In Stage 4, Surefour and Hydration led the Gladiators to a first place finish, finishing the stage 9-1. Decay has a similar Hero pool to Surefour, and many would argue that the already Overwatch League tested Surefour is a better pick. Even during the World Cup, when Canada ran GOATS comp, Surefour ran the Zarya, just like Decay has done in the past.
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Featured Image Courtesy of The Overwatch League
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