Florida Mayhem announces all-Korean roster going into Stage 2

Olivia Richman Published 06/04/2019

Florida Mayhem is going into Stage 2 with an entirely Korean roster and staff.

Before their first match took place, Florida Mayhem announced that they were parting ways with two members of its coaching staff and their remaining three Western players. This includes letting go of DPS player Kevyn “TviQ” Lindstrom, the last remaining player from the original Florida Mayhem roster. He’s also the player who infamously drove the team’s bus when there was a lack of staff on hand last season.

Fellow DPS player Damon “Apply” Conti and flex tank Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey were also dropped from the roster. Apply had joined the team in September, and McGravy joined the team at the end of February with his first time playing professionally on stage taking place in week three. Apply reportedly will not be going back to the academy team’s roster either, announcing that he’s now a free agent.

McGarvey said on stream that he was informed of the drastic changes a week ago.

“If the team wants to go full Korean then that’s their decision. If they want to do that then they should stick to their guns,” he said.

Coach Vytis “Mineral” Lasaitis was also let go yesterday. He served as Florida’s head coach since the team’s creation in 2017. Former assistant coach Jun “Yeah” Young-su will also be let go after joining earlier in the year.

Assistant general manager Scott “BEARHANDS” Tester thanked Mineral for being with the team since before the squad had even adapted the Florida Mayhem name and branding.

“He no longer is a great fit for the roster we have,” BEARHANDS said. “We want to bring in coaches who are more aligned with our vision of the future.”

Oh “Insight” Sang-min will be filling the head coaching role. Insight was formerly a part of Korean Overwatch Contenders team O2 Blast. With experience working for the Los Angeles Valiant, Andrew “Korean Mulan” Kim will be taking the Florida Mayhem’s assistant team manager role.

An official announcement from the organization read, “We’re here to win and we’ve not lost sight of that. We’re disappointed with our competitive performance to date and are committed to iterating and evolving until we can compete with the best teams in the Overwatch League.”

This apparently means bringing in an entirely Korean roster and coaching staff.

According to BEARHANDS, this will allow the team to communicate “in their native language” during games and practices.

“It is my belief that this change alone will have a tremendous impact on the team’s ability to coordinate, plan, and execute those plans. Overwatch is a game that requires an incredible amount of teamwork and cooperation,” BEARHANDS said.

The Florida Mayhem finished in 19th place at the end of Stage 1 with a 1-6 record.

More roster announcements should be expected over the next few weeks as the team continues to recruit players that presumably speak Korean.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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