Even though this player has been linked to a different American team in the Overwatch League, he’s signed to the champs. The San Francisco Shock has signed American DPS player Charlie “nero” Zwarg, formerly of the Guangzhou Charge. After two seasons with the Charge, Nero was available in free agency. After many rumors on where he was going, he ended up with the Shock. Even though the team lost one of their flex DPSes, Nero seems to be a good replacement.
Goodbye 200 ping, the California kid is coming back to the west 🌉
Welcome @ow_nero to the Shock Family 🧡
Pending League Approval pic.twitter.com/m6eWumX7kv
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) November 30, 2020
Nero’s past
Originally, Nero played for contenders team Toronto Esports in American Contenders. After a good finish in the first season, Nero and the team were one of many beaten by Fusion University. However, finishing high in an invitational led him to be a sought after player for the expansion teams. In that second season, Nero was signed to the Guangzhou Charge, but was too young to join the league immediately. Due to that, he joined their academy team, GZ Academy. After one season with them, he joined the Charge for the end of the 2019 season.
Nero got playing time, but couldn’t lead Guangzhou to any tournament wins. However, in the 2020 season, Guangzhou had some high peaks. Specifically, in the APAC regions Summer Showdown, the Charge defeated the Shanghai Dragons to win the tournament. Also, while the season had that one high, the overall season was a big improvement. A fifth place finish is great, even with the asterisk of divisions. However, it was clear in the off-season that the team wanted to stick to Korean and Chinese players. Nero was available to all other teams, and the Shock picked him up.
Shock completing their DPS
After the re-signing of Nam-joo “Striker” Kwon earlier this month, it’s clear this is the Shock’s final DPS signing for the off-season. One thing that the Shock has always had was great DPS players who could develop over time. This was clear in their second season, finding star rookie Seonchang “ANS” Lee and fitting him in the roster so well. Now, getting local American player Nero and fitting him in will be a good challenge.
Interestingly, the Shock only had two American players on the roster last season. Even though Grant “moth” Espe left the team to the Los Angeles Gladiators, Nero is another player that can fit in. Normally the question would be if the Shock can integrate Nero into the lineup well, but that’s always been the Shock’s forte. The only questions will be if he will get enough playtime and if he can help the team win a third championship in a row.
