After leaving for one season from his original team, this Overwatch League veteran is going back. The Los Angeles Valiant have signed Canadian DPS player Brady “Agilities” Girardi, formerly of the Toronto Defiant. During this off-season, fans were guessing where Agilities would land. In a special video released with the announcement, the team is clearly happy to see Agilities return.
Hope you enjoyed that vacation in Canada, @Agilities… Let's get back to work in the City of Angels.
Welcome home, Agilities! 💙
🎵: @ArizonaZervas
(*Pending League approval) pic.twitter.com/0RieGCPQGd
— Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) December 9, 2020
Agilities’ path back
To the fans of the Valiant, you know how this player got here. However, as a refresher, Agilities started his competitive journey by playing for American contenders team Immortals. This team was very competitive, and was led by Agilities’ Genji and Pharah play. One of the highlights of his time with them was the teams’ Contenders 2017 Season Zero win over Team Liquid. When the Overwatch League was announced, Immortals bought themselves a slot. Their contenders team ended up being the original roster for the Los Angeles Valiant.
Agilities showed his skill immediately, leading the team to a second overall finish in the season, as well as a stage four title. They got eliminated in the semi-finals, but proved themselves as a top tier team. However, their second season ended up being a step back. It was clear the Valiant needed to rebuild, so they released both Agilities and his close friend Young-seo “KariV” Park, who went to the Toronto Defiant. Agilities still showed skill on the Defiant, but the team again finished in the bottom half of the league. Toronto then wanted to rebuild, leading to both Agilities and Kariv going into free agency.
The Valiant’s return to glory
With this signing, it makes sense in every way. Bringing back a fan favorite, check. Filling in the DPS depth, check. Getting a great English speaking DPS for the team, check. It just makes sense for the team and the fanbase. In recent years, Agilities hasn’t been on good teams, but he has played well at times. Unfortunately, GOATs didn’t work with a majority of DPS players, and most of the third season was double shield. Agilities wasn’t able to play at his best.
However, the one meta where Genji was viable again, Agilities led Toronto to a semi-final finish. That was their best playoff performance so far, and Agilities was the main reason. It’s clear that under the right role, Agilities can be a top tier DPS. The Valiant already have flexible DPS in case this doesn’t work, so there isn’t any risk. We’ll just have to see next season if Agilities’ return leads them to the top, like he did in their first season.
