The Overwatch League off-season is in full swing with a list of available players that would make your head spin. So many teams have decided to smash the reset button and go for a complete rebuild. Other teams have opted for a different approach, preferring to go for a softer rebuild through keeping the core of players to build around. One such team is the Vancouver Titans. A team familiar with having to rebuild.
Going into the 2021 season, the Titans will have to make a choice about the kind of team they will field. Here is one idea: Vancouver Titans – Team Canada. The time to assemble the Canadian super team has come. A few weeks ago, this idea would seem like the wild pipe dream of a lunatic. Yet, the off-season is a funny thing, as it opens doors long considered closed.
The chance to bring together the best of the best in Canada has presented itself to the Titans. It’s time to take a look at what this Vancouver Titans Team Canada roster would be.
Oh Heck ya Bud
As it stands, the Titans currently have three players confirmed for their 2021 roster:
Main Tank – Abtin “Shredlock” Shirvani
DPS – Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff
Support – Randall “Roolf” Stark
Two of these players, Shredlock and Roolf, are Canadian, with Roof having actually played for the Canadian Overwatch World Cup team in years past. So, the Titans already have literally more Canadians than any other team. The only other team that had a comparable amount was the Toronto Defiant before they went and parted ways with almost their entire roster. They commanded a very respectable three Canadians. However, the Titans now have the chance to swoop in and take the maple crown for themselves!
In order to become the Canadian powerhouse that some fans may think would be rather neat, the team needs to shop free Agency. Here are the most prominent OWL free agency options:
Off-Tank – Lucas “NotE” Meissner
Support – William “Crimzo” Hernandez
DPS – Brady “Agilities” Girardi
Coach – Liam “Mangachu” Campbell
The fun doesn’t stop here though, folks, as the Titans can also dive into NA Contenders to find the other missing pieces of the puzzle:
Main Support – Blake “Zholik” Solberg, Currently with Drifters.
DPS – Jack “Reyzr” Francis, also with Drifters.
Off-Tank – John “iCy” Kazura, interestingly enough also with Drifters.
Meet Your Buddies
The Canadian super team doesn’t have to be a dream. There is talent to be found in Canada – talent that, with the right coaching, could be a threat. A solid roster could be made from the aforementioned pieces. Getting them all would look something like this:
Main Tank:Â Shredlock
Off-Tank(s):NotE, Icy
DPS:Â Shockwave, Dalton, Agilities, Reyzr
Support:Â Crimzo, Zholik, Roolf
This would bring their Canadian count to a whopping eight players and one coach (Mangachu). This roster could potentially have a major hole to fill if Shockwave leaves the team. It is unclear whether this will happen, but there is sure to be a great interest in the young superstar. It would have been nice to say that they could sign the King of Canadian Overwatch: Lane “Surefour” Roberts. However, he did not play all that much in 2020 and has been very quiet about his plans since parting ways with the Defiant. Counting on Surefour to save the day is not wise. The team does still have Dalton, yet losing Shockwave would be rough.
Oh, 2021 Eh?
Canadian Overwatch fans are a very passionate group. Each time the World Cup rolls around, they are consistently amped up and excited to see players from their own backyard take the stage and prove their worth. It’ has mostly been a very successful affair, with the lads taking home a Silver and Bronze Medal in their appearances in the tournament. The move to embrace this fandom would be a good one for marketing purposes. Looking once again at the Defiant, their fandom grew exponentially in 2020 by filling their roster with some of the biggest names in the Canadian scene – players like Agilities, Mangachu, and Lane “Surefour” Roberts.
It’s a similar experience to the World Cup. Pride in your country and the talent it can produce both go a long way. With the Defiant no longer holding any Canadian players, the mantle of Canada’s team could find a home in Vancouver. The Titans are a team that could use some of the goodwill that this would inevitably bring from their home market. The team lost a fair bit of support from parts of the community for their falling out with their former roster. So embracing this identity and utilizing it as a way to improve the region would go a long way.
It also goes beyond marketability, as the Canadian players available would fill the holes in the team’s roster exceptionally well. With the team in desperate need of identity since their falling out with their former roster, embracing the spirit of Canada isn’t a bad place to start.
Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanButler for all your Vancouver Titans, Overwatch League, Valorant and Esports needs.
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