Rebekah D. April 4, 2019
With the start of Stage 2 of the Overwatch League just around the corner, many teams are adding to and changing their rosters in hopes of improved success.
The Boston Uprising and Atlanta Reign have both hired new team members from outside the Overwatch League ranks.
Boston announced on April 2 that Zion “Persia” Yang had been signed to the team as an additional support player. Before joining the Uprising, Persia’s career had been focused on Overwatch Contenders as a member of Talon Esports. Talon won season two of the Pacific division of Contenders with Persia playing main support.
Playing with Talon had been his first step into the world of professional Overwatch, and Persia had only played with Talon Esports for a single year before his being picked up by Boston Uprising. During the Uprising’s official statement welcoming their new support player, Kraft Group president of gaming Chris “HuK” Loranger promised that Persia would be a “key member” for the team moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Reign will be welcoming two new players to their roster following the recent trade bringing in Andrej “Babybay” Francisty.
Nathan "frd" Goebel has been signed as an additional tank player. frd specialises in Zarya and D.Va play. Before joining the Atlanta Reign, frd had previously played for the Gladiator Academy team, Gladiators Legion. He also has experience playing with Last Night’s Leftovers alongside current Atlanta Reign member Ilya “NLaaer” Koppalov.
The second member to join Atlanta Reign is British support player Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway. FunnyAstro has some experience in professional Overwatch, having previously played for Spitfire academy team British Hurricane. During his time with the Hurricane, the team manage to secure wins during the Contenders Atlantic Showdown and European tournaments.
Unlike fellow new player frd, FunnyAstro will be joining as a two-way player for the Atlanta Reign and the franchise’s contenders team.