Min-ki “Viol2t” Park has came into the league as a rookie in 2019. But in this short time, he demonstrated that he is one of the best flex-support players in the world. Informally dubbed ‘Jjonak 2.0’, here is a look at how he set out in his rookie season to become arguably the best damage-dealing Zenyattas in the league.
Name: Min-ki “Viol2t” Park
Birthday: April 17, 2000 (19 years old)
Country: South Korea
Jersey Number: 17
Signature Heroes: Zenyatta, Ana, Moira, Widowmaker
Twitter: @Viol2t_OW
Twitch: viol2t_ow
Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Viol2t started his professional career with O2 Blast, a Korean Contenders team. This team has a solid Overwatch League pedigree, with former players including Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee, Sung-hyeok “Highly” Lee and Ho-sung “Ttuba” Lee. Though founded in 2017, the team joined with Ardeont in early 2018 and became known as O2 Ardeont. However, in January of 2019, they merged with StormQuake to become O2 Blast once more.
Viol2t played on this team from 2017 through October of 2018. In this time, they finished second in Korean Contenders Season 1. Yet Season 2 saw them drop to Meta Bellum earlier in the tournament, coming in between 5th and 8th. It was at the end of this month he got the call up to join the San Francisco Shock for their 2019 Season.
Coming into the Overwatch League in 2019 meant a strong understanding of the 3-3 GOATs meta. At the highest level, flex supports became required to play Zenyatta for the power of the Discord Orb as well as Transcendence to stabilize through a Graviton Surge. Nikola “Sleepy” Andrews started the season at this position for the Shock, but they realized the better results when utilizing Viol2t and he claimed the starting spot.
After struggling through Stage 1 with a 4-3 record, San Fran made it to the Stage Finals but lost to Vancouver in a heartbreaker seven-map series. But the team rallied back in Stage 2 and did not lose a single map. In the middle of this stage, though, the Shock transferred Sleepy to the Washington Justice. This left Viol2t alone as the sole flex support on the team. This was not necessarily unusual for the team, as Grant “Moth” Espe was their only main support player.
Continuing through the season, Viol2t consistently showed audiences his skill. At first it seemed mostly mechanical but as the season drew on, his knowledge and decision-making became much more evident. And thus the Shock sustained their dominance with an undefeated Stage 4 parlaying into an incredible playoff showing. Despite a heart-wrenching loss to Atlanta in a seven-map Round 1, they rallied back and did not lose a map for the rest of the playoffs. This included beating Vancouver 4-0 in the Grand Finals.
Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Despite his integral role in San Francisco’s success in 2019, the only recognition Viol2t received was an Honorable Mention in the Role Stars Award. Other teammates may have had more of the flashy plays, but he always makes himself known in team-fights. His mechanical ability coupled with ever-increasing knowledge and strategy makes Viol2t a top competitor not just for the title of best flex support, but one of the best overall players in the league.
As teams move to the 2020 season and adapt to the new hero pools feature, Viol2t becomes a key part of the Shock’s conversation. With no backup, it is crucial for him to play every flex support at the highest level. But he has proven his prowess even on Widowmaker before role lock was implemented. Another potential concern is with burnout due to scheduling and travel. But alongside Moth, they have proven they are in this for the long run and capable of the demands of playing every match. There is no doubt Viol2t will be a player worth watching in 2020 as well as a key part of why San Fran is considered the top of the power rankings.
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