Role Star – one of the Overwatch League’s most coveted awards is also one of the most hotly debated honors in the league. When it comes to selecting some of the best players in each role, everyone has a different idea of what defines the “best”. Just last year, the voting group couldn’t even pick just four DPS players and had to select a fifth as the last two had tied for the award.
[Related: Overwatch League Announces Viewership Rewards for the 2021 Season]
It looks like it will be another year of arguing as the 2021 season appears to field of the most talented OWL classes to date. The Role Star award seems to be up in the air for any player, veteran or rookie. With so much uncertainty around potential winners, The Game Haus polled a few writers for their predictions in each role for the 2021 Role Stars.
Brad Killion’s Picks
@BradKillion
The DPS of the Overwatch League have evolved even further this year. Decay, now in a much more suitable environment, is poised to take the season by storm on any hero he wants. Kevster is another player ready to reach full ascension this season once he can make it to the States. The mysterious Swede is essentially an A.I. created for the sole purpose of playing Overwatch. Finally, playoffs MVP Striker is a no-brainer for Role Star. With the departure of Rascal and ANS, he will have plenty of minutes to fill and is expected to dazzle fans and frighten opponents with primer Tracer gameplay.
Christian Wisniewski’s Picks
@TheWiz_SPM
There are too many DPS to pick from, but there are a few clear choices. Fleta is the returning MVP and is on the best team in the APAC region. Glister feels like an under-the-radar choice given the holes in the SF Shock roster. With enough playing time, he is role star-worthy. Lastly, it’s Rascal. He is one of the most diverse and talented players in OWL. With a ton of potential playtime on the horizon, Rascal may finally take his place in the elite of the elite DPS.
Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Bryan Rockwood
@EsportsBrock
2021 is primed to be one of the most exciting years to watch DPS players go off. Decay is in a system that is not only going to let him go wild, but the supporting cast around him should provide him all the resources he could ever need to have a banner year. Meanwhile, when the meta is in flux, look no further than the reigning MVP Fleta. The dark horse for this year is former LA Valiant stand-out Kai – formerly known as KSP. He’s an incredibly talented hitscan player that now joins a promising Atlanta roster. This is the perfect year for the British hitscan to finally break out.
Brad
The tank position this year is fir to explode with talent and it starts with one of the most exciting rookies coming into the league: Mag. Having come from Runaway, he is well conditioned for success and has a stellar team behind him as well. One of these core teammates will be his fellow tank partner in crime: Fury. A veteran of the scene and previous OWL champion, Fury is widely regarded as the best Off tank player in the world and is ready to reward this trust while rocking the red, white and blue. Smurf didn’t get his fair share of praise last season, so now it’s his time to show the world that he is the most dominant main tank in the league.
Christian
The pool of tanks that potentially deserve role star is much smaller than you’d think. Void is the clear-cut number one off-tank on the best APAC team. Smurf is one of the great main tanks playing in NA right now, albeit he splits time with Super. Lastly, the Guxue redemption tour feels like it may be coming. After an MVP caliber first season, COVID and regionalization struck the Hangzhou Spark hard. With a refreshed roster and tons of young talent, Guxue and the Spark may just return to form.
Courtesy of Robert Paul and the Overwatch League
Bryan
While 2021 is going to see plenty of exciting young tank talent join the league, it’s going to be the familiar faces that take home the Role Star nominations. Void and ChoiHyoBin are simply the best off tanks in the league currently. Their consistent high-level play always proves to be the key for their team’s success. Of course, what’s a good offtank without their top-tier main tank. Smurf, alongside ChoiHyoBin, has been the most reliable main tank in the league for the past two years.
Brad
The Support role remains the most fierce competition in the League and picking just a few stars feels Impossible. However, a few support players go above and beyond and shine brightest in a galaxy full of stars. Alarm and Gangnamjin were two of the most explosive rookies last season and are poised to run it back for each of their teams to finally nab a tournament win. Moth as well has a lot riding on this year. Having left one California team for another, he aims to be the sole owner of the Three-peat championship title.
Courtesy of the Overwatch League
Christian
There are so many good flex support players it was impossible to not list three. Alarm and Viol2t will continue to battle for the title of the best flex support. Alarm provides extreme flexibility to pair with talent. Conversely, Viol2t peaks on three to four picks at most. Lastly, Myunbong needs to be talked about more. He was a menace in Korean contenders and had moments last year. With a much better roster around him, he could finally get the recognition he deserves.
Bryan
Alarm and Viol2t are just on another level from the rest of the flex supports in the league. There are plenty of players pushing to reach that next level, but as it stands those two are the easy front-runners for the support Role Star. Shu is another player that can really make a splash this season on a strong team like the Los Angeles Gladiators. After two solid seasons with the Charge, Shu can easily join the conversation as one of the premier flex supports in the OWL.
Featured image courtesy of Robert Paul and Blizzard Entertainment
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