Hunter C. April 3, 2019
The Dallas Fuel and Boston Uprising have put a bold trade in motion.
The Fuel are sending Richard “rCK” Kanerva to Boston, and the Uprising will send Lucas “NotE” Meissner to Dallas in return.
With this move, Kellex will become the last remaining original member of the Uprising’s original lineup remaining on the roster.
The Fuel will pick up a capable off-tank that has previous experience working with assistant coach Justin “Jayne” Conroy, and the Uprising gain a new talent on the rise.
The change also upgrades Dallas’ potential use of D.Va, a position the team has lacked in since the retirement of Brandon “Seagull” Larned.
The Fuel went 4-3 in Stage 1 of Season 2, narrowly missing the playoffs. The Uprising also went 4-3, but advanced to the playoffs on the strength of the squad’s superior map count. Boston fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Vancouver Titans, who went on to win the Stage 1 championship over the San Francisco Shock.
One of the key differences between the two off-tanks is their relative proficiency on Sombra. rCK is a very strong Sombra player, while NotE is stronger on off-tank hero D.Va. Both teams seem to be focused on shoring up their apparent GOATS weaknesses ahead of Stage 2, where the controversial composition is expected to remain at the forefront of the competitive Overwatch meta.
Even with these moves, it’s hard to see either team breaking into the upper echelon of the Overwatch League. Vancouver Titans, New York Excelsior, San Francisco Shock, and Philadelphia Fusion all look like they’re head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
The competition in the league’s middle class has never been more fierce, as five teams went 4-3 and a whopping eight teams went 3-4 during Stage 1.
The arms race in that middle class is on in earnest, and the Fuel and Uprising seem to believe that they’ve found the answers to staying in that playoff hunt. Fuel will shore up their basic GOATS needs, and Uprising get a strong Sombra with their addition.