Without Sang-beom “Bumper” Park, the Vancouver Titans might not be one of the top teams in the league anymore. The Titans came into the Overwatch League last season as a force to be reckoned with. But with all the roster changes, how do they look going into Season 3?
Well, it’s a little complicated.
Who are the Vancouver Titans?
For those of you who don’t know, the Vancouver Titans were all previously a part of a contenders team called RunAway. RunAway has had a long history of being one of the strongest and most coordinated teams in South Korea. It was that coordination inherent to the team that lead to their success.
With that said, when the Titans came into Season 2 of the Overwatch League, they lived up to their name. The team placed 1st in the league standings, won Stage 1 playoffs, and came second in the Playoff Grand Finals. They also currently hold the longest regular-season match win streak, with a total of 19 wins.
What could’ve gone wrong?
Bumper released
Thank you Bumper! 💚💙
“Bumper was an important part of our inaugural season and helped us establish our team identity early on. He is passionate, fun-loving and confident and we wish him nothing but success in the future.”
-Tim Holloway, Esports Director pic.twitter.com/fVNp5NbMDj
— Vancouver Titans (@VancouverTitans) November 27, 2019
The biggest mistake for the Titans was releasing Bumper as their main tank. Bumper was the face of the team, known for being an extremely skilled, aggressive main tank player. The Titans’ ability to synergize with Bumper’s aggressive playstyle scored them several wins.
The reason behind his release is still unclear. Many speculate that it might be because some people in the organization began to have a bad relationship with him. This is quite possible, since it is hard to believe that Chan-hyung “Fissure” Baek was picked to replace Bumper based on skill alone.
Regardless, this decision will not pay off in the long run. Bumper was essentially the leader of the Vancouver Titans, and was one of the original RunAway players. The Titans aren’t just losing a mechanically skilled main tank. They are losing the trust, synergy, and leadership that Bumper provided as a teammate.
Fissure added to the team
Some argue that Fissure could potentially fill in the void for the team. He is undoubtedly a gifted main tank, whose aggressive playstyle can match Bumper’s.
However, he’s just not consistent. Fissure is a player who seems to either feel unstoppable, or just get rolled over. This could potentially be because of his inability to synergize with the teams he plays for. Just look at how many times Fissure has been traded.
The only way I see the team performing well, is if Fissure can mesh with the other members perfectly. And I mean perfectly. Overall though, I expect the Vancouver Titans to perform worse without Bumper.
Ryujehong welcomed to the Titans
We are very excited to welcome the man, the myth, the legend, @ryujehongsexy to the Vancouver Titans!#ForceOfNature pic.twitter.com/ovRXRaERVW
— Vancouver Titans (@VancouverTitans) November 27, 2019
Ryujehong has captured the hearts of many with his signature Ana. He was a former support of the Seoul Dynasty, and joined the Vancouver Titans on Nov. 27, 2019.
Ryujehong isn’t a bad support by any means. He’s known for having pulled some of the craziest plays in Overwatch history. However, the problem with his addition is that the Titans already have Twilight. Twilight is arguably the best support in the league. His positioning and awareness synergized perfectly with how the team wanted to play. On top of all that, he is most well known for his Ana as well.
This creates an unclear goal for where the Titans want Ryujehongs role on the team to be. He doesn’t add much value to the team, and might spend most of his time on the bench. Maybe he was just picked up to be a crowd-pleaser?
The future
For the most part, the team is still in a healthy shape. The core of their roster is still highly skilled and functional, despite the departure of Bumper. But the Titans have to do a lot of work if they want to stay at the top. With Season 3 of the Overwatch League less than a month away, we’ll just have to wait and see.
