Many power rankings are pegging the Chengdu Hunters as a bottom tier team. Seeing the Hunters dead last on a power ranking is not an uncommon sight. Someone in the Hunters front office clearly believed that these power rankings were somewhat accurate.
So, all of a sudden, the team announced Wei “Jiqiren” Yansong. Some nostalgic folks right remember Jiqiren from Miraculous Youngsters, the Chinese team that took the world by storm in 2017 and was considered by many to be one of the best teams around. It’s unlikely that just Jiqiren will be enough to totally revive the MY spirit, but he will definitely help the team out. Here are a few reasons why.
Photo Courtesy of Over.gg
Jiqiren has previously played with three players on Chengdu: Kong “Kyo” Chunting, Zhang “XangXiaoLong” Zhihao, and Ma “LateYoung” Tianbin. Synergy is huge in the team based game of Overwatch. A team can be absolutely stacked and still not do well because of apparent synergy issues.
A main tank needs to have good synergy with his teammates. Jiqiren will have a bit of a headstart on that when compared to other main tank players. This could give the Hunters a boost on its own.
Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Jiqiren’s one of the veterans of the game, having played on Miraculous Youngsters and Team CC. Jiqiren knows his way around the main tank position. He may not be quite the force that he was back on MY, but he was still quite good on Team CC.
Ding “Ameng” Menghan was the likely candidate for starting main tank before Jiqiren joined the team. Ameng isn’t terrible by any stretch, but he is a lot less proven than Jiqiren is. He is especially valuable on the Hunters, who have few proven players. Jiqiren is a seasoned veteran. He definitely isn’t a sure thing, (very little is when it comes to the OWL) but he has a history of being quite good. The Hunters need that more than anything right now.
Photo Courtesy of the Chengdu Hunters
Depth is something that a lot of the expansion teams are going to struggle with.
Most of the teams (Vancouver being the obvious exception) are just grabbing multiple players from the free agent market. There was obviously high demand, and few teams ended up with a full 12 man roster. Chengdu was no exception, as they came away lacking depth in certain positions.
Ameng was the only main tank that was originally picked up. Having only one player for any position puts a team in a precarious position. If that player doesn’t pan out then the team will have a big problem. This is an especially big issue for expansion teams, as they often pack unproven talent.
Having Jiqiren eliminates this issue. There is a much greater chance that Chengdu will have a decent main tank now that they have two. It might even give them some options for subs depending on what kind of composition they want to run. Flexibility is huge in Overwatch, and now Chengdu has more of it.
You can follow me on Twitter @GtSputnik or ping me on Discord (SputnikGT#2845) if you would like to talk Overwatch!
Follow The Game Haus for more sports and esports coverage.
Featured Image Courtesy of the Chengdu Hunters
Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus
“From our Haus to Yours”
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
