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This trade was rumored months ago, but nothing ended up coming out of it. An ex-Overwatch League player was unfortunately stuck in the lower leagues, even with his impressive performances. When word spread that the Vancouver Titans would pick him up, it made sense. But it didn’t happen, which left most fans thinking that it was a simple rumor. But, as they’ve now announced, it seems that it was planned for a while and only just went through.

Main tank player Jang-hyeon “TiZi” Hwang has been acquired by the Vancouver Titans.

Back in blue

TiZi is finally back in the Overwatch League. It took him quite a while, as he was released by the London Spitfire after Stage 1 of the inaugural season. We didn’t see too much of TiZi back then, as his Spitfire teammates took most of the stage time. It wasn’t due to lack of skill though, as most fans imagined him and his off-tank Seung-hyun “WooHyaL” Sung being signed quickly after their release. They weren’t picked up instantly, but they did find starting roster spots for the New York Excelsior’s academy team: XL2 Academy.

Their play in Contenders was weird, as they were clearly a great duo, yet they weren’t going to get onto the Excelsior’s main roster. Reaching the North American finals in their first year and making it to the semis in their second was their record. But after XL2 split, they were separated. They both made it onto academy teams, but for two different ones. WooHyal made it onto the Seoul Dynasty’s Contenders team, while TiZi went to Chinese Contenders to play for Guangzhou Charge’s academy team.

While they both under-performed a little, they did join new rosters and both played a lot. When TiZi left the academy team, people suspected he would join the Titans. Even though the Titans had main tank Sang-beom “Bumper” Park, his playing style wasn’t working as well in the most recent metas. TiZi was more versatile, and he had experience playing with other former London Spitfire player Dong-eun “Hooreg” Lee. The connections were there. And now, finally, he is officially part of the team.

Titans pushing for finals

This signing means one thing for the Titans: depth. The Vancouver Titans were a team essentially just taken from Korean Contenders and put in the Overwatch League. And while they remain one of the best teams in the league, their hot start has faded. They did have three substitutes already, all seeing some play throughout the season. Yet, their only role without a sub was tank.

Now with TiZi, the Titans are reinvigorating their old selves and looking to come back as the best team. The only issue now is TiZi’s visa. Hopefully for the Titans, that will get done before the playoffs.