The tier two scene in Overwatch is unforgiving. There are many players who are very talented and would make great teammates on academy and Overwatch League rosters. However, these players are unpaid and are scrambling to make professional Overwatch their career. The end of season three of Overwatch Contenders means players are LFT (Looking For Team), preferably on an academy team where they are paid. These are the best unsigned players in the Overwatch Contenders 2019 off-season.
Mangachu
Liam “Mangachu” Campbell competed for team Canada in the OWWC (Overwatch World Cup) two years in a row, with his team placing second and third. Mangachu has also played on XL2 Academy, New York Excelsior’s Contenders team. The XL2 roster placed 5-8 season one of Contenders, took second place season two and just recently placed 3-4 in season three.
Mangachu specializes in projectile DPS, like Pharah, Hanzo, Junkrat and even Torbjörn. Mangachu, like others on this list, XL2 released him at the end of Contenders season three and is now a LFT. His versatile Hero pool could be a valuable asset to any academy or Overwatch League team.
Logix
Andreas “Logix” Berghmans comes from the Overwatch League season one. Logix competed on the Florida Mayhem for season one, where the team did not do well, placing second to last. However, Logix was always a standout player on that roster, outshining the other players. After the team’s OWL season one performance, Logix moved to the Contenders team XL2 Academy for season three.
Logix specializes in hitscan DPS like Widowmaker, McCree, and Tracer. During the Overwatch League season one, a meme formed around Logix performing well regardless of his team, this was dubbed “Thanks Mr. Logix”. Whenever Logix gets an opening pick on an enemy or carries a teamfight, people type that.
Logix is an extremely skilled player and will likely have offers for Contenders teams. Logix’s specialization in hitscan is very useful, as hitscan characters can be worked into any composition. Fans are eager for him to play again, they want the opportunity to thank him for all the hard work he does.
Cloneman16
James “Cloneman16” D’Arcangelo is a main tank player. Cloneman competed for the teams Doot Doot, Rocket Esports and XL2 Academy. While on Doot Doot and Rocket Esports, Cloneman and his team placed first through fourth in weekly and minor tournaments.
Cloneman specializes in Reinhardt and competed for XL2 Academy as the main tank for three season, consistently a top 500 main tank, now LFT.
Goliath
Anthony “Goliath” Pietro is a support player that has been on a number of teams throughout the lifespan of Overwatch, competing in many tournaments and placing high or first in many of them. Goliath played for East Wind, a team that competed in many weekly tournaments, taking first place four times in a row.
After East Wind, Evil Geniuses picked him up. Goliath was on the Evil Geniuses roster for two months, competing in weekly, monthly and minor tournaments, placing third and above all but once. After that, Goliath joined XL2 Academy where he played under them for three seasons.
Goliath has been around the tier two and three scene since the game came out, playing Ana and Zenyatta. Like many players, he can get lost in the shuffle despite his skill. He is a very capable player and well deserving of an academy team.
Chayne
Shayne “Chayne” La Rocque is one of the most well-known main tanks in the tier three scene of Overwatch. Chayne has been around since the beginning, playing in weekly, monthly and minor tournaments. He even trialed for the team Canada roster for OWWC 2018, he was a substitute for Félix “xQc” Lengyel.
Chayne streams Overwatch regularly and has become a well-known face in the community. Chayne has competed in many tournaments to moderate success. Despite this, people such as Justin “Jayne” Conroy praise Chayne on his gameplay statistics and teamwork.
Chayne is a unique case, perhaps all he needs is the right teammates and a good opportunity to show what he can really do. Regardless, Chayne remains a member of the community and a well-rounded main tank that deserves an opportunity to prove himself to everyone in the tier two scene.
MikeyA
Michael “MikeyA” Adams is a British hitscan player that is currently a free agent. MikeyA competed in the 2017 and 2018 OWWC for team United Kingdom, taking fourth place this year.
This British player for some notable teams in the past, like FaZe Clan, Cloud 9 EU, Team United Kingdom and British Hurricane. He became a fan favorite after the 2018 World Cup where he stood up to players like Carpe and Surefour, holding his own.
MikeyA’s contenders team, British Hurricane, was relegated to trials so he joined the team “We Have Org”. This team competed in one tournament before he and others left hoping to be picked up for the next Overwatch Contenders Season. This player shows a lot of potential and has the skill to back it up. He will hopefully be picked up by an academy team before Contenders Season Four.
Second Wind Roster
This team has earned their place in the tier two scene. Second Wind started in the North America open division, made it to Contenders trials and Contenders season two. Their first run in Contenders was not their best, they were relegated back to Trials.
Second Wind took first place in Contenders Trials as well as Jayne’s Tournament of Future Champions. After making it back into Contenders, they weren’t messing around, they took fourth place and ended the season 12-8.
This is the roster that made it to semifinals:
- Adrian “Akawa” Kawa
- Nathan “frdwnr” Goebel
- Chris “MirroR” Trinh
- Corey “Frill” Scoda
- Robert “Haku” Blohm
- Joshua “Tehpwnzorr” Nguyen
All of these players are very talented and deserve to have salaries for how much they have worked. It would be shocking that if none of these players received offers this off-season. There has been situations where entire teams are picked up by organizations and are giving salaries for a season, perhaps that could happen to this team.
Tell Ethan who you think should be signed to an academy team on Twitter @Hearin_Voices.
Player Profiles Courtesy of Liquipedia. Featured Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Follow The Game Haus for more sports and esports coverage.
Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus
“From our Haus to Yours”