Spyder is newest addition to T1’s Valorant team
Former Overwatch League player Jung-woo “Sayaplayer” Ha, now known as Spyder, is the newest addition to T1’s Valorant team.
Spyder is a former member of the Florida Mayhem OWL team. He was a prominent hitscan player, specializing in Widowmaker and McCree. Spyder has played with the Mayhem since the birth of the OWL in 2018. His Widowmaker was one of the best in the league all three years running, and he even competed in the All-Stars Widowmaker 1v1, ultimately losing to Philadelphia Fusion’s Carpe.
Since the OWL is entering its off-season, it comes to no surprise that players are starting to move to Valorant, which just announced its next global tournament, First Strike which begins November 9. Former San Fransisco Shock player and 2020 MVP Jay “Sinatraa” Won moved to the Riot Games shooter mid-season, even before his MVP skin in Overwatch was revealed.
Move Overwatch League players expected to move to Valorant
Most OWL players have been relieved of their contracts at the conclusion of the season, which gives them the ability to start talks with other OWL teams, but also gives them the freedom to move to other games or agencies outside of Overwatch.
The Florida Mayhem have made public their intention to release four players on their roster, including Sayaplayer. Just a few hours after the announcement, T1 posted their confirmation of his signing under the name Spyder.
Many OWL fans tout Spyder one of the greatest of all time to play the game. But shifting metas put Spyder on the bench for much of Season 3, which explains why he might have been planning the move for a while. While Valorant does have metas, there are far less agents, so balance patches have less impact on who might play in a given match. Teams are also much smaller in Valorant, and T1’s roster currently has exactly five players.
This signing comes just days after Sam “DaZeD” Marine joined the roster, and it’s likely we could hear of more signings ahead of the First Strike tournament.