Here comes our first big signing in the Overwatch League from the Netherlands team that surprised all in the 2019 Overwatch World Cup. From being relatively unknown to being one of the best players in the early stages of the World Cup is nothing to scoff at. This Sigma player surprised all, and got signed.
The Boston Uprising have signed off-tank player Thomas “brussen” Brussen, who played on Team Netherlands in the 2019 Overwatch World Cup.
A sudden powerhouse
Brussen didn’t truly come out of the blue, playing in the Contenders scene before the 2019 World Cup. Most recently, he played for Angry Titans in European Contenders. The team didn’t do too well, losing in the first round of the playoffs. However, on a national stage, he was one of the key pieces that led to Netherlands not only upsetting Finland in the preliminaries, but also making it to the knockouts. This included finishing higher than both Canada and Russia in their group. Alongside star performers like Jeffrey “Vizility” de Vries, the Netherlands team showed their skills in the current meta.
This couldn’t have been done, however, without the skill of Brussen on Sigma. As that hero was crucial for that meta, he dominated oppositions with his play. While we didn’t see him play any other heroes often in that World Cup, it was enough. Teams started calling, wanting this player on their team. However, with his national teammate Vizility not getting picked up for the Overwatch League, fans started wondering if Brussen was also overlooked. Not so. The Boston Uprising, who has previously picked up players based on World Cup performance, got him.
Will he fit on the Uprising’s roster?
Alright, let's not drag out the teases any longer.
Welcome the newest #BostonUp flex tank and first Dutch player in OWL, @brussenn!
Full announcement: https://t.co/WI7Cu2YiMA pic.twitter.com/LDea6sRUNd
— Boston Uprising (@BostonUprising) November 22, 2019
With how the Uprising’s roster has ended up, it hearkens back to their original roster in season one; not a lot of well known players, mixed nationalities and purposefully underrated. Their current tank duo consists of two players who got popular from the last two World Cups. But, despite them talking two different languages, I can see the tank duo working. Both the Uprising’s tank players are very good when playing aggressive, and that could prove threatening for other teams. As usual for most of these signings, it all depends on how the team gels together and improves for the 2020 season. But in this case, even more pressure is on this team to work together.
It’s probably safe to say this Boston Uprising roster is the most mixed roster in the league for 2020. While this made it more likely for the team to find hidden gems, it also makes it tough to fit in their English, Korean and now Dutch team. Their tank duo themselves shouldn’t take too long to work together, but their Korean DPS players and mixed support duo might take longer. But without going into that, Brussen was one of the best players to get. After playing so well recently, it’ll all be on him to show up and prove to the fans that he is worth being in the league.
