After many rumors and much speculation, the Atlanta Reign have revealed their Overwatch League roster. They would unveil the lineup through a YouTube video, showcasing each member. Also, there was a nice little surprise for Overwatch fans nearing the end of the video, with the signing of Daniel “dafran” Francesca.
Meet the Team!
Unlike other teams who would acquire full Korean lineups, Atlanta Reign’s roster is diverse. First off, we’re going to talk about their two supports, Steven “Kodak” Rosenberger and Petja “Masaa” Kantanen. Kodak is a German pro player who would last play for 6nakes, a team in the European Contenders scene. He would also play for the German national team in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup. Masaa is a Finnish player who would last play for Team Gigantti. Gigantti is a well-known Finnish team that would birth talents like Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin and Joonas “zappis” Alakurtti.
Their tank line consists of Hyun-jun “Pokpo” Park, Blake “Gator” Scott and Dong-hyeong “DACO” Seo as flex. Pokpo is coming from Element Mystic, a team in the Overwatch Contenders in Korea. He, alongside DACO, would help them finish in third place, behind Kongdoo Panthera and RunAway. Meanwhile, Gator used to play for Overwatch Contenders team, GOATS. However, he has been banned before back in June for account boosting/selling.
Dafran and company!
The biggest announcement in the video has to be the reveal that controversial DPS player, Dafran, is joining the team. Many people were not sure if he was going to join the league, even though there were many rumors and leaks. Before, he would last play in the competitive Overwatch scene with Selfless Gaming. However, after repeatedly throwing games and griefing, he would be banned from all Blizzard-sanctioned events. His team would also release him, as he would admit that he did not want to play professionally anymore.
However, after streaming for some time, rumors would surface stating that Dafran would be joining an expansion Overwatch team. Neither Dafran or the team would confirm this fact until Dafran would get a donation from the Atlanta Reign’s CEO on his stream. It would contain $5,000 and a link to the roster reveal video. It is officially his return to the Overwatch scene.
We in Overwatch League. Joining Atlanta Reign @ATLReign. Very excited for this, gonna be great
— Farmer Dafran (@dafran) October 28, 2018
Joining Dafran as the DPS on the Atlanta Reign are Joon “Erster” Jeong from Lucky Future Zenith and Ilya “NLaaeR” Koppalov, formerly of Last Night’s Leftovers, a popular Contenders team. Lucky Future Zenith is playing in the Chinese Overwatch Contenders, where they have won both Season One and Two championships. On the other hand, NLaaeR would play hard on Last Night’s Leftovers, where they would ultimately drop to sixth place in Season Two. It is a pretty good improvement from their first season, where they would end up in second last place.
Final Thoughts
Many fans are wondering if Dafran can handle the responsibilities and pressure of being on an official Overwatch League player. The last time he was on a team isn’t a great look, but he has created a huge fanbase on his stream. There are many people thinking that it won’t take long for him to be suspended, but we should be more optimistic than that. He has shown some great strides, both as a person and a player, and hopefully, he can show those improvements off this season. However, the rest of the Atlanta Reign lineup looks pretty decent, but only time will tell if it can stand up to the powerhouses of the league. Mind you, Toronto just announced a couple pretty big signings in Se-hyeon “Neko” Park and Kang-jae “envy” Lee.
What are your thoughts on the Atlanta Reign’s roster for the 2019 Overwatch League season? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch League coverage, check us out here!
