The Overwatch League’s eight new expansion teams have generated a lot of excitement during the off-season. The Hangzhou Spark first grabbed attention with their bright color scheme, but their moves since then have shown that there’s much more to the team than flashy jerseys. The Spark have picked up a solid rotation of players, bolstered by an experienced and familiar coaching staff. If they can harness their potential early on, the Hangzhou squad could prove a major contender in the season ahead.
The Roster
Head Coach: Muho “Mask” Lee
Assistant Coach: Seung-jun “Sup7eme” Han
Assistant Coach: Hang “YinDong” Gao
Main Tank: Xu “guxue” Qiulin
Main Tank: Da-un “NoSmite” Jeong
Off Tank: Sung-wook “Ria” Park
Support: Ho-jin “iDK” Park
Support: Hui-chang “BeBe” Yoon
Support: Hyeong-Geun “Revenge” An
DPS: Jae-hwan “Adora” Kang
DPS: Cai “Krystal” Shilong
DPS: Jun-Ki “Bazzi” Park
DPS: Kyeong-bo “GodsB” Kim
The vast majority of Hangzhou’s roster comes over from two Korean Contenders teams. X6-Gaming, best known as the champions of Contenders Korea Season 1, produced Kyeong-bo “GodsB” Kim, Hui-chang “BeBe” Yoon, Da-un “NoSmite” Jeong, and Sung-wook “Ria” Park. Three more players – Jae-hwan “Adora” Kang, Jun-Ki “Bazzi” Park, and Hyeong-Guen “Revenge” An – come from Seven, a Contenders squad that recently merged with X6-Gaming.
Three rising stars from the Chinese Contenders scene bolster this familiar roster. Ho-jin “iDK” Park hails from Lucky Future Zenith, two-time champions of Contenders China. Cai “Krystal” Shilong and Xu “guxue” Qiulin last played on T1w Esports Club and LGD Gaming, respectively. Both are perhaps better known for their time on China’s 2018 World Cup team, which took second place at BlizzCon.
All in all, the Spark have created a roster worth watching. The existing synergy between members of X6-Gaming and Seven gives the team a leg up on teams with fresh rosters. If they can successfully integrate their new players, their transition into the Overwatch League will be that much smoother.
Coaching Background
Head coach Muho “Mask” Lee, formerly known as “MuHoLee,” is best known as the coach of X6-Gaming. After coaching them through two seasons of APEX, he led them to the championship in Season 1 of Contenders Korea. He brings a solid coaching record and familiarity with his players to the table, and will no doubt seek to improve both on the Spark.
Assistant coach Seung-jun “Sup7eme” Kim also enjoys familiarity with his new roster due to his time as the coach of Seven. He coached them through Open Division, winning Season 1 in 2017 before the team moved up into Contenders. There, Seven had more mixed results, ranking seventh in season 3 Trials before Sup7eme joined the Spark.
Rounding out the coaching staff, Hang “YinDong” Gao serves as the Spark’s Chinese assistant coach. Formerly known as WINTER and wuliD, YinDong started his Overwatch career as a player. He last played on LGD Gaming before transitioning to a coaching role for the team in 2018. Though not as familiar with his new team as Mask or Sup7eme, he does have experience coaching guxue. YinDong took a break from coaching after leaving LGD in June 2018, and his addition to the Spark marks his return to the scene.
Player Background
Tanks
Likely Hangzhou’s best-known player at the moment, guxue found all eyes on him after his performance at the Overwatch World Cup. There, he demonstrated an incredible Winston that took the forefront through Team China’s playoffs run. Prior to his BlizzCon debut, guxue was best known as a proficient all-around main tank for LGD Gaming. His aggressive playstyle has caused the Chinese Overwatch community to playfully compare his Primal Rages to Genji’s Dragonblade, due to their efficiency and deadliness.
Joining guxue in the tank line are NoSmite and Ria, an established tank duo from X6-Gaming. Ria is Hangzhou’s D.Va specialist, and will likely be invaluable to the Spark as their only off tank player. NoSmite primarily plays a defensive main tank, though he also breaks out a flanking style on Reinhardt. Oddly enough, he is also well-known for his Junkrat play during APEX Season 3, during X6’s upset victory over EnVyUs.
In more recent times, however, X6-Gaming has dropped in the rankings. Both NoSmite and Ria have suffered hits to their reputations as a result. The pair will head into the Overwatch League looking to prove that they can still compete at the highest level.
Supports
Lúcio specialist iDK has played professionally since the APEX days. He began his career on Afreeca Freecs Blue, competing with them for two seasons of APEX before playing briefly with Lunatic-Hai. He is perhaps best known for his time with Lucky Future Zenith, a Chinese Contenders team with significant success. During his time on LFZ, iDK picked up two Contenders championships, as well as first place in Chengdu’s 2018 LanStory Cup. On the Spark, he’ll be looking to keep that winning record alive.
BeBe previously played as the flex support for X6-Gaming, and has gained a reputation as a rising star in the Korean Contenders scene. He became famous for his aggressive Zenyatta play, though he also plays a strong Ana. His solid record and proven abilities make him an especially strong pickup for the Spark, and he’ll be looking to prove himself against some of the league’s notorious Zenyatta players.
Flex support Revenge rounds out Hangzhou’s support lineup. Previously playing for Seven, Revenge is best known for his Zenyatta, although he’s a consistent support player all around. He will likely take the back seat to BeBe at the beginning of the season, but he’s demonstrated his potential with Seven, and a spot on the Spark’s roster could give him the resources to grow.
DPS
Much like guxue, Krystal picked up a lot of attention playing in the Overwatch World Cup this year. He also has experience playing with T1w Esports Club, and is highly regarded in the Chinese Overwatch scene. A hitscan specialist with a deep hero pool, Krystal is considered among China’s best DPS players at the moment. Time on the Spark will give him the chance to demonstrate why.
GodsB has developed a reputation as a strong and extremely flexible DPS player. During APEX, he became famous for his McCree, but has since expanded his hero pool, and plays both hitscan and projectile heroes at a professional level. That flexibility will likely land him a spot on the starting roster, and will prove invaluable in the event of meta changes.
Both Adora and Bazzi join up from Seven. Bazzi, who played with Seven since Open Division, is a hitscan player best known for his skill on Widowmaker. Adora, who competed on Foxes before joining Seven, is well known as a Tracer specialist, but often flexes to projectile heroes. Both have more to prove than some of their Hangzhou teammates, but they have found themselves on a team that could enable their growth over the season.
The Schedule
The Spark begin Stage 1 at a disadvantage, as Krystal will be serving a one-game suspension for account boosting. Following that, however, the stage provides them with a chance to set expectations for the season ahead. Early-season matches against the Los Angeles Valiant, London Spitfire, and Los Angeles Gladiators provide Hangzhou with the opportunity to take on some of the biggest names of Season 1. If they can pull through with a solid record, expect them to go far through the rest of the season.
Hangzhou will participate in two of the three Homestand Weekends throughout the season. In April, they travel to northern Texas for the Dallas Fuel’s road games, where they will take on the Chengdu Hunters and the Paris Eternal. The Spark are also on the schedule for the Los Angeles Valiant’s road games. There, they close out their season the same way they began it, taking on the Shanghai Dragons. Keep an eye on that matchup to get a feel for both teams’ growth through the season.
By the time stage 4 rolls around, the Spark will have provided a clear idea of what to expect, performance-wise. Still, their August 9 match against the New York Excelsior could serve as a defining moment. If the Excelsior build on their Season 1 performance, beating them will be the mark of a truly great team. Defeating them is a surefire way for Hangzhou to end the season on a high note, so keep an eye out to see if they can pull it off.
The Road to Playoffs
The Spark begin the season with some nice pockets of built-in synergy. Both the X6-Gaming and Seven alumni have old teammates and coaches to work with, while Krystal and guxue can build off of their shared World Cup experience. In order to make the jump from solid team to playoffs contender, the Spark need to link those pockets together to create a single unit.
Time and experience will certainly help with pulling the team together, but integrating the Spark’s two Chinese players is an absolute necessity in this regard. Krystal and guxue are among the best players China has to offer, but if the team’s language barrier is not properly addressed, they run the risk of not reaching their full potential. If they continue to work through it and learn together, the Spark could be a true force to be reckoned with.
The Hangzhou Spark are shaping up to be one of the stronger expansion teams. The question remains if they can prove they belong among Season 1’s top talents. If they make the most of their preexisting advantages and identify any holes in their roster early on, their future in the league could be as bright as their team colors.
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Featured image courtesy of the Hangzhou Spark.
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