Toronto Defiant Asher announces his retirement from the OWL

“Hello everyone. I’m here to announce my retirement.”

That’s the start of a touching video on the Toronto Defiant’s Twitter page, informing fans of flex DPS Joon-seong “Asher” Choi’s sudden retirement. Overwatch League fans have been dealt another blow with the news, losing yet another talented player and Overwatch League personality. 

“Thank you for being a leader and guiding our team with your knowledge and experience. We wish you the best with what you pursue next,” Toronto Defiant said. 

The Tracer specialist first caught the Overwatch community’s attention as part of the Los Angeles Gladiators in Season 1. With game-changing Tracer plays that kept his team in the running, Asher easily made a name for himself throughout that inagural season. 

At the start of Season 2, the Toronto Defiant picked up Asher as a substitute DPS. He only played one single game. On April 5, Asher played a role in his team defeating the Washington Justice. Still, that was his only on-stage appearance. 

It was never stated why Asher retired, but Asher seems to be pursuing another path completely. 

“Today is a sad day, but also a happy day. My time as an Overwatch player ends, but it’s also the start of something new,” Asher said. 

Last week, the Toronto Defiant promoted Daniel “Gods” Graser and Normund “sharyk” Faternis from Montreal Rebellion, the organization’s Contenders team. With GOATS continuing to dominate in the OWL, it’s not a surprise to see DPS pros getting less stage time as more tank players continue to be signed to OWL teams. 

The Canadian team is currently in 11th place going into Stage 3. With one of the only remaining mixed rosters in the OWL, the Toronto Defiant is hoping to prove themselves against the Paris Eternal on June 7.