The Boston Uprising have signed Gabriel “Swimmer” Levy and Walid “Mouffin” Bassal, with the latter to a two-way contract. Both these players played for the Uprising Academy, the Contenders team of the Boston Uprising.
Rising up through the ranks
It's graduation day! Please welcome @SwimmerOW and @TheMouffinMan to #BostonUp!
We're big fans.
Full announcement: https://t.co/oVq9kI7OSS pic.twitter.com/aY7SAefS2Q
— Boston Uprising (@BostonUprising) November 7, 2019
Swimmer
Since he joined the competitive scene in 2018, Swimmer has been known as a deadly Lucio player. He went from team to team originally, formerly part of teams like Toronto Esports and The Dogmen. However, he got his big break in getting signed by the Uprising Academy. Many players knew him from ladder as well as his streams, so it was an easy pickup to get fans on the Uprising bandwagon. He backed up his skill on the team but couldn’t get them far in the Contenders playoffs.
Mouffin
Like his teammate Swimmer, Mouffin gained popularity from playing one hero and rising up the ranks. In Mouffin’s case, it was D.Va, but he also showed skill on Zarya and Roadhog. Even though he was new, his stream grew quickly and showed his skills. Also, he made the Team Canada roster for the 2019 World Cup, being on the bench. With his two-way contract, Mouffin will play for both Uprising Academy and Boston Uprising while adhering to stipulations about when he can compete.
How does this affect the Uprising?
Adding Swimmer to the roster permanently gives them a good replacement for recently departed Kristian “Kellex” Keller. While Swimmer might not have as much experience as Kellex, he does have the skill. However, making the adjustment to the Overwatch League quickly might be tough.
On the side of Mouffin, this signing is no risk with a high reward. Worst case, he stays with the Uprising Academy team in Contenders and learns more. Best case, he becomes a starting player for the Uprising and shows his signing wasn’t just luck. Either way, he has something to prove with this contract.
Both these players fit on the roster okay, but not perfectly. Boston loves being looked at as the underdog, and these players fit that mold. However, while Swimmer is talented, will he be able to work well with a Korean support player? And while Mouffin is great, can he fit with a team with many different personalities? We’ll find out, but both these signings will be good for the Boston Uprising.
