Hunter C. April 3, 2019
Former San Francisco Shock DPS Andrej “Babybay” Francisty has a new home with the Atlanta Reign.
The Reign made the push for Babybay following the retirement of fan favorite Daniel “Dafran” Francesca after the Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs.
Babybay joins a Reign roster that made the playoffs in the first stage of its existence. The Shock placed second in the stage to the former Runaway roster now playing under the Vancouver Titans brand.
Jeong “Erster” Joon and Ilya “NLaaeR” Koppalov will return as DPS players for the Reign.
The move will assure more playing time for Babybay, who was simply the odd man out in a star-studded Shock DPS lineup. The Shock still retain Jay “sinatraa” Won, Minho “Architect” Park, Namjoo “Striker” Kwon, and Dong-Jun “Rascal” Kim, each of whom have the capability to carve out a place on even the strongest of teams. Needless to say, the Shock are not hurting for DPS players.
Though he never saw significant playing time during his time with the Shock, Babybay was one of the team’s biggest public figures. From his antics in promoting esports brand Ateyo as Lil Pump, to the Babybay challenge which saw massive donations to local San Francisco youth mental health organizations, he capably and frequently represented the Shock brand.
With the Reign, Babybay will fit in well as a flex DPS with significantly more hitscan roles available to him, with Erster being more of a projectile specialist and NLaaeR’s penchant for hitscan heroes. Babybay isn’t exactly known for his projectile work, but can play them in a pinch, and his strong Soldier 76 will help fill the gap Dafran left with his retirement.
Babybay will be able to focus on Zarya gameplay until the meta finally moves away from the GOATS composition featuring three tanks and three supports. Replacing Dafran’s role with the Reign would be a tough challenge for anyone, but Babybay should be up to it as the prospect of more playing time is rapidly approaching for the young potential star.