Overwatch: Is the Shock’s Tank Line Primed for Success?

The Shock have really beefed up their roster. Five DPS players and some of the best support players in OWL headline this fearsome team.

Unfortunately it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Every team has a weakness, and the Shock are no exception. Questions still remain about the Shock’s tank line. Is the San Francisco front line equipped for success, or will they drag the rest of the team down?

Main Tank

Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Main tank is one of the most important positions in Overwatch.

A team will not look good if their main tank is having an off day. DPS and supports will have no room to operate if their main tank isn’t properly clearing space.

This is why the Shock’s situation is especially worrying. Matthew “Super” DeLisi and Myeong-hwan “Smurf” Yoo will compete for the starting spot. Both are somewhat unproven. Super was with the Shock for half of Season One. This was definitely the Shock’s better half, but Super still didn’t look particularly good. He wasn’t bad, but he was plagued by consistency issues, which is never a good quality with a main tank player.

So the Shock brought in Smurf!

Who went on to look pretty bad in the California Cup.

This can be chalked up to new team jitters, but it does raise some questions. These players both have potential, but they need to harness it before the Shock can really begin to succeed.

Off Tank

Photo Courtesy of the San Francisco Shock

The off tank position is a little more cut and dry. Andreas “Nevix” Karlsson and Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi have been with the team since Season One.

Neither of them are particularly spectacular but they do get the job done. Off tank was never really an issue for the Shock. The question is whether they can improve.

A top tier off tank can really push a team over the edge. Neither Nevix nor ChoiHyoBin is bad. They aren’t hurting the team by playing. But they should really grind and attempt to put themselves on the map as some of the best off tanks in the game. Both of them have potential to be quite good, they just have some work to do in order to get there.

Can They Succeed?

Photo Courtesy of the Overwatch League

They can succeed. But probably not right away. Tank is a hard position. A tank player needs to be able to coordinate while also making sure that the team knows exactly what is going on.

This is probably why Smurf didn’t do too well in the California Cup. It can take a really long time for a tank player to get to know their team and play with them properly.

The Shock might have some issues later in the season because of this. But watch out once they figure it out.

You can follow me on Twitter @GtSputnik or ping me on Discord (SputnikGT#2845) if you would like to talk Overwatch!

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Featured Image Courtesy of the Overwatch League

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