Hindsight is 20:20. It is easy to say looking back what could have or would have. It is in the moment making those decisions and then proceeding with that which defines a team. That being said the Seoul Dynasty had a lot of movement when it came to the roster. How would the team have done if they had kept all of their members from the previous season? This is all speculation off of the current performance of the players. This to, the players are only one component of the team, therefore a player could be thriving under the instruction of a new coach and wouldn’t have if they had stayed with the Dynasty. That being said let’s use that 20:20 hindsight in reimagine what the Seoul Dynasty could’ve been this season if they had kept all of the players from Season 2.
A side note, Sangbeom ‘Munchkin’ Byun and Chanhyung ‘Fissure’ Baek are not within this list as they left midyear. This list is only players that ended Season 2 with the Dynasty but then left before Season 3 started.
Photo Courtesy of Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment.
Fleta on the team, if he performed as he has been for the Shanghai Dragons, would have been explosive. He was always the Fleta Deadlift for the Seoul Dynasty in the previous season. It was the inconsistencies that riddled his great performances. Now with the Dragons, Fleta was been a solid rock for the team. The Seoul Dynasty could not have foreseen a hero such as Echo to come out, but Fleta has shown that he has a good grasp on not only the hero kit but how to combo the abilities to be the most impactful.
The Dynasty would have had a projectile, and generally, all-around strong DPS, player to go alongside Dongeon ‘FITS’ Kim. Fleta’s ability on Widow and now also Tracer next to FITS’ Genji would be an interesting match up. On the Dragons Fleta is usually on Genji duty, which he looks good at but isn’t a Hyojong ‘Haksal’ Kim or Yiliang ‘Eileen’ Ou, but putting him on his newfound Tracer skills or his comfort pick of Widow could have the Dynasty’s dive look quite scary.
Courtesy of Seoul Dynasty YT
Minhyuk ‘Michelle’ Choi and Zunba overlapped on their off tank responsibilities in Season 2. Though at the end of Season 2, it was Michelle who flexed onto the main tank role as Minseo ‘Marve1’ Hwang started to transition onto the off tank role of Sigma. Zunba, unfortunately, didn’t get to see much playtime during Season 2. Zunba as a flex tank, before the 2/2/2 lock, could be seen on Hanzo or Soldier when the time called or it. As he ventured into Valorant, it became apparent that his aim was just as good as some DPS as he played against and alongside pure FPS DPS players like Jeongwon ‘Esther’ Go of PUBG and his former teammates Munchkin and Junhyeok ‘Bunny’ Chae.
Season 3 could have been really good to Zunba. Even with Michelle and Marve1, Zunba would have been the best Zarya on the team. His performance in the Lunatic-Hai vs Runaway showed that his abilities has gotten even better. The coaches said that Zunba hadn’t logged into Overwatch in over a month. The first time he had opened the game was that match day. He was going head to head and clutching plays for the Lunatic Hai squad the whole match. The Dynasty has been liking to run, if not double shield, a Winston Zarya. Zunba could easily switch between Zarya or a Dva in those dive compositions.
2019-04-27 – Overwatch League 2019 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
The community did not get to see Ryujehong play that much during the Overwatch League while with the Vancouver Titans. He has been in a couple of community Korean Overwatch Tournaments. These performances have shown that his proficiency on Ana and Zen has not diminished. If anything his quick stint in Valorant has improved his already great aim. He has been streaming Overwatch consistently duping with players like Injae ‘Esca’ Kim climbing the ranked ladder.
The meta having Genji back in and one of the aspects that made him a household name was his Ana alongside Genji as well as sleeping Genji. The Dynasty has been playing Zen quite a bit as well. He would be able to slot back into his comfort picks. It is not just his mechanical skills that are missed by the Dynasty, but his leadership within the team. Fans are used to Ryujehong’s goofy and sassy streams, but when it came to the younger players’ mental health and safe he didn’t joke around. He was able to help keep the mental strong and carried the experience of a long time esport pro to guide the younger cubs.
Courtesy of Overwatch, Blizzard
Highly has come into his own on the London Spitfire. It could be that he was thrown into a position on the Spitfire where he wasn’t one of the youngest players, but instead an older and experienced Overwatch League player in a team of rookies. During Season 2, Highly didn’t see much play. He was the second flex support under Ryujehong. The team rarely didn’t run Ryujehong in the lineup. When Highly did play there were signs of potential.
Jinmo ‘Tobi’ Yang has been the Baptist for the Dynasty in Season 3. He has solid performances on the hero. Highly has had outstanding moments where he was had a 3k, and secured a map off of his Baptist play. The Tiger nation could have witnessed a Ryujehong and Highly duo of Baptist and Zen/Ana. To keep Highly another year would’ve given him time to grow as the Dynasty only picked him and Jemin ‘Illicit’ Park up midway through Season 2 around the time of the All-Star Match.
2019-02-14 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Jecse in the offseason joined the Houston Outlaws. In many of the matches, especially in the early bouts of the season, he was a shining star on the Houston team. Unlike Highly, Jecse did get a bit of playtime in Season 2, as Tobi was out resting for a wrist injury.
What is missed is how smartly Jecse plays. The way he thinks and strategizes is what set him apart. He is also a very strong shot caller, which could help the Seoul Dynasty as there are many fights in which they lost uncoordinated. His strong shotcalls could help the Dynasty focus on the correct players to kill and keep track of the enemy ults. That alone could have put him in over Tobi, as they both would run Lucio, but the intangibles that are put into statistics are sometimes more important.
As the Tiger Nation sees their old Tigers move to other teams and thrives it brings up the question, why not on the Seoul Dynasty? Is it a coincidence that all these players glowed up on other teams once they left Seoul? If it isn’t, then what is holding these stars back when on the Dynasty and how can that be fixed in the future. There is no way to say for sure what would have been as situations and players change in the environment and coaching that they receive. Though with the star power and rising talent of the players that left Season 2, it is hard to see the Dynasty being lower than top 8 with the Season 2 roster in the 2020 season.
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