Another big trade coming out of the Overwatch League today. The Toronto Defiant have traded DPS player Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee for Philadelphia Fusion main tank Adam “Beast” Denton.
Ivy to the Fusion
Ivy was one of the consistent DPS players on the Toronto Defiant in their first season, mostly in the sense that he frequently played. Ivy did have moments of brilliance on the Defiant but had as many downs as ups. Most of it had to do with the issue of the metas he played in, never being able to play the characters he was the best at, Tracer, Genji, and Pharah.
Hello. I'm honored to join Fusion. I will do my best in the 2020 season https://t.co/6i5bhDuLjO
— IVY (@owivy2) October 31, 2019
The times he did play well, it typically did not culminate in anything major. He was one of the reasons Toronto Defiant ended stage one with a 5-2 record with his good Zarya play, but this was offset by his inconsistent play in the other three stages. If the Fusion can fix his inconsistency, this could be a good deal for them. But he does have two players ahead of him, returning from last year: Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and Josue/Josh “Eqo” Corona.
Beast to the Defiant
Beast, formerly known as BeastHalo, was the main tank for the Fusion’s contenders team, Fusion University. He was a key contributor to their dominant run throughout contenders in North America, leading them to five first place finishes. However, when the team moved to Korean Contenders due to their lack of American players, he was in a weird spot. At first, it seemed he would go sign for an Overwatch League team as he was released from Fusion University. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, the signing never occurred and he quickly re-signed with his old team.
Please join us in welcoming @Beasthalo to the Defiant roster! We're super stoked that his move from @OWPathToPro to the @overwatchleague will be with us. We'll take great care of him @FusionUni! #RiseTogether pic.twitter.com/9DN1fBm9Qe
— Toronto Defiant 🖤 #RiseTogether (@TorontoDefiant) October 30, 2019
Due to that, he didn’t get much playing time in Korea. However, many players recognized his talent and wanted to see him in the Overwatch League. It seems they finally got their wish, as Beast will be one (if not the only) main tank for the Toronto Defiant in 2020. For the Defiant, this signing definitively means they are going for a English-speaking roster for next season.
If we’re going purely on how good players are in their respective pasts, Beast was one of the most flexible and consistent tank players in Contenders. Depending on his off-tank and how well they work together, this signing could also be huge for the Defiant’s future.
Much like the OGE/Decay trade that happened earlier this week, this trade could benefit both teams heavily. Both teams need these players for their own reasons: Fusion for the added depth and Defiant for a fresh start. Now it is all a matter of making them work out, and if so, the Fusion and Defiant could be scary-looking teams for 2020.
