Steven R. May 22, 2019
The Toronto Defiant are adding to their stable of tank players.
The organization announced the addition of Daniel "Gods" Graeser and Normunds "sharyk" Faterins to the lineup. They step in for flex and tank duties respectively after being promoted from Toronto’s Overwatch Contenders team, the Montreal Rebellion.
The addition of Gods and Sharyk is sudden. Though the Rebellion has been a solid team in Overwatch Contenders’ North America East division, Gods and Sharyk were only added to that squad in April, playing in just the last two weeks of 2019 Season 1. They helped the team salvage an ugly start to the season and qualify for the playoffs, but fell short of earning a spot in the Atlantic Showdown.
The move comes at an important time for the Defiant. Despite opening the season in impressive fashion with a 5-2 record in Stage 1, Toronto’s esports team fell flat in Stage 2 following the departure of Dong-wook "Don" Kim and the retirement of coach Do-hyung "Stellar" Lee. This led to 2-5 record and the Defiant landing far outside the playoffs.
The addition of Gods and Sharyk gives the Defiant some much needed depth and increased flexibility in-game. The team has been playing with a light bench throughout the year, running with just eight players on its roster. This included one designated tank and one flex player in Gyeong-mu "Yakpung" Jo and Kang-jae "envy" Lee.
The Defiant have not made it known whether the newly promoted members of the team will become members of the starting lineup, but the hierarchy should become clear when Stage 3 begins in June.
As for Montreal, the organization is now in a rebuilding phase. The team has been tinkering with its roster throughout 2019, including a mass release of players in April just after the addition of Gods and Sharyk. The team currently has just four players on its roster and has no tank mains.
The new look Defiant will return for stage three of the Overwatch League regular season beginning on June 6. The Montreal Rebellion will also return around that time as the Overwatch Contenders schedule lists 2019 Season 2 as running side-by-side with OWL stages three and four.