The Shanghai Dragons sign highly-touted prospect Lee “WhoRU” Seung-jun, formerly of the New York Excelsior. Just off his rookie season, WhoRU surprised many with his plays in 2020. The NYXL team didn’t meet expectations, and when the mass exodus happened, WhoRU was among them. He then announced that he was retiring, on Twitch. However, WhoRU is now back, as the powerful Shanghai Dragons sign him up.
It's time to cut through the competition! Welcome WhoRU!#ShanghaiDragons #Breakthrough pic.twitter.com/blwsRhPKZW
— Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) May 25, 2021
WhoRU’s path to Shanghai
Since the old APEX days, WhoRU has always been a highly-touted prospect. His plays on Lunatic-Hai were legendary, being named MVP of the finals in APEX Season 2. Most memorably a Genji and Tracer player, his Overwatch skills brought him to the Philadelphia Fusion academy team. At Fusion University, he helped them win two seasons of North American contenders, followed by a period of inactivity and loan spells. He eventually became of age to play in the Overwatch League, and the New York Excelsior took the chance. Among a very deep roster, he got significant playtime but could progress from semi-finals.
After most of the NYXL 2020 roster got released for the 2021 season, WhoRU decided to retire from professional play on his Twitch stream. Now, after a very quiet retired off-season, WhoRU looks to try again with a fresh start. Joining the Shanghai Dragons is a bit odd, but it is nice to see another team sign WhoRU and give him get another chance.
Shanghai’s future
After the Dragons’ recent results, it’s fair to say they’re close to being the best team in the league. Their start to the June Joust has left some doubts though. However, they did come out of the May Melee as the best team in the Eastern region. Their core has shown time after time that they are amongst the best in the league. With the recent retirement of Joon “Erster” Jeong, it seems the Dragons wanted to have that additional depth to the roster. Looking for another promising talent in the league, they asked WhoRU to come back.
Now, there is a risk to this signing. WhoRU didn’t look great on the NYXL in 2020, not even on his best heroes. It was his rookie season, and the entire NYXL roster looked mediocre at best. Plus, the heroes he specializes in are ones that are already played by others in the NYXL team.
On the other hand, we know how good WhoRU can be. It’s just a matter of him fitting in well on the heroes and maps that suit him. As opposed to his time on New York, he should be a substitute on Shanghai. With that change, it might put WhoRU in the best position to succeed with the Shanghai Dragons in the Overwatch League.
