Roster Review: Washington Justice DPS

For the Washington Justice DPS line, most will remain the same. Corey “Corey” Nigra has been resigned, to no one’s surprise, and Ethan “Stratus” Yankel is returning as well on a two year contract. 

The only change to the Justice’s DPS line going into 2020 will be the replacement of Gihyeon “Ado” Chon with Seven’s Ho-Sung “TTuba” Lee. TTuba’s signing was celebrated by many, with fans of OWL eager to see as many minor league players brought up as possible.

With a mostly unchanged lineup, what can fans expect from Washington’s DPS next year?

Corey

Image courtesy of Blizzard

The darling of the Washington Justice DPS lineup (and possibly the 2019 OWL season), Corey has secured his spot on the Washington roster and then some. His signature Hanzo and Widowmaker play will undoubtedly make a fierce return, and coexisting synergy with Stratus should be beneficial.

With all teams having ample time to train without the Role Lock implemented last season, Corey will find himself up against a multitude of talented snipers in 2020. From league mainstays like Byung-Sun “Fleta” Kim to wildly talented newcomers like Ki-hyo “Xzi” Jung, Corey will have to up his already impressive game if he intends to stay relevant in the sniper space.

It is unlikely that the Justice will try to squeeze any other DPS heroes out of Corey, with Stratus and TTuba’s combined hero pool being plenty large enough. Fans can expect to see Corey in nearly every Justice matched. The luckiest of fans will see him in person at one of Washington’s five homestands.

Stratus

Image courtesy of Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment

As Stratus grew in popularity due to his online antics, some may have missed his talent on the battlefield. Stratus’ Mei, in particular, was a treat to watch; fans can expect more crazy dives and wall-offs in 2020.

Stratus was granted a two-year contract by the Justice, signaling the organization’s interest in cementing his larger-than-life personality in the franchise’s history. Leveraging the star power of Corey and Stratus while developing new talent in TTuba makes sense; seemingly a strategy that the Justice will be carrying throughout all player roles.

Both Stratus and TTuba flourish on Pharah; it’s initially unclear who will fill the role of air superiority more often. Preexisting synergy with Corey may be vital, but TTuba’s raw talent on the high-flying hero will be hard to shirk.

TTuba

Image courtesy of Blizzard

TTuba’s flexibility with heroes like Genji, Doomfist, and Pharah earned him a sensibly spot next to Corey and Stratus. Stratus and TTuba will likely focus on different heroes respectively within the large DPS pool and be swapped in and out when deemed necessary.

TTuba gained widespread minor league popularity during his time with Seven in 2018. Washington’s newly appointed Development Coach, Seung-jun “Sup7reme” Han, coached TTuba during this time period. This was likely a massive contributing factor in signing TTuba, and fans can expect to see some significant play from him as a result.

Since his time with Seven, the 20-year old South Korean has found mixed success with other Tier 2 teams. Impressed by his tryout, the Justice will expect him to flourish alongside the well-constructed 2020 Washington roster.

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