Zheng “Shy” Yangjie, who’s perhaps the most exciting young name in all of Chinese Overwatch, will finally return to competing in Overwatch as the newest member of the Hangzhou Spark, the organization announced today.
Shy made a name for himself at the 2018 Overwatch World Cup where he led his countrymen to a grand finals berth against stiff competition. At just 16 years of age at the time, Shy put the world on notice that he’d be a name to remember.
After the World Cup, Shy was scouted by the Chinese Contenders team BiliBili Gaming, which is the academy team of the Hangzhou Spark. That roster never quite gelled, however, and after languishing in the middle of the standings for multiple seasons, Shy decided to take a break from competing.
The hype surrounding Shy never truly died, though. He quickly became a popular streamer in China, wowing audiences with his mechanical prowess. After finally hitting the magic number 18 today, Shy was immediately snapped up by the Spark, who had essentially called dibs on the player ever since his breakout performance in 2018.
The addition of Shy to the main Overwatch League team is just one of many roster changes that Hangzhou is making this offseason. Last week, the team announced the departure of five of its players.
Next season, the Spark will look to one-up their performance from 2020. Hangzhou’s postseason run was ended early after they were eliminated 3-0 by the Seoul Dynasty in their first playoff match, finishing in the middle of the pack in the Asia Pacific region.
