The Boston Uprising had arguably the most disappointing season of any team in the Overwatch League through 2020. But Boston is shoring up its 2021 roster with a talented tank player in Stand1, the organization announced today.
Stand1 spent the previous season with the Shanghai Dragons, helping them come in first place in the 2020 regular season and earn a third-place finish in the playoff’s grand finals.
The 21-year-old was one of the core tank players for Shanghai last season. They finished out the year with a 27-2 regular-season record and won both the May Melee and Countdown Cup. Even before his success with the Dragons, Stand1 played for strong teams like the Gladiators Legion, Team Envy, and NRG Esports.
Meanwhile, Boston needed to make some big changes after finishing dead last in the regular season and finishing in a tie for ninth during the playoffs. After the season ended, the team let go of all but four players: Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse, Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth, Seo “Myunb0ng” Sang-min, and Leyton “Punk” Gilchrist.
“Throughout the 2020 season and particularly in the unique meta that defined the playoffs, Stand1 displayed flexibility on the main tank role for Shanghai,” said president of gaming for Uprising Chris “HuK” Loranger. “We’re excited to welcome him to Boston and begin working with him alongside Fusions in 2021.”
Stand1 now joins Fusions and Punk as part of a dynamic tank core for the team that shows a lot of early promise on paper. But Boston still has one more signing to make to meet the minimum roster size for the 2021 season, which will almost certainly be used to bring in a second support player.
